Last week I was fortunate enough to get a break from talking wine to focus purely on the tasting. Oh, and this was all between discovering some of Europe’s most spectacular medieval castles (including the one pictured), beautiful villages and world-class cuisine.

After spending a couple of days in Paris, my girlfriend and I ventured south to the picturesque town of Tours in the heart of the Loire. First of all we travelled west through three of Loire’s AOCs; Bourgueil, Chinon and Saumur.

Our first stop in Bourgueil was Nau Freres and we were lucky enough to get a guided tour of the vineyard. You can see the grapes need more time before they are to be harvested (September/October).

After viewing the wine making facility, we were then taken into the caves (cellar), which was a great experience.

The grape of choice in Bourgueil and Chinon is Cabernet Franc. I recently wrote a blog post on this rather unfashionable varietal. Some may find the young wines a little harsh, but I tried the 2004 Vieilles Vignes from Nau Freres, and it was just superb. The 2003 was supposedly one of the best vintages in a decade, so if you see one grab it with both hands. The dry Rose was a real treat as well, so we brought one back to the campsite.

The light and fruity Cabernet Franc from Loire is a great summer wine. Think red fruits, black currant and green capsicum. Chinon has a similar terroir to Bourgueil, and I’ll be tasting one next to a cheap and nasty Malbec from Valencay in the third and final part of this mini series at the end of the week – so be there or be square!

Cabernet Franc is a wonderful grape. It’s been hiding in the shadow of Cabernet Sauvignon for too long now, and I for one will be starting to take it more seriously, especially as I’ll be sampling my way through Loire Valley’s finest next month.

It is more precocious than Cabernet Sauvignon, which would be a close cousin to Frank… sorry, I mean Franc. It buds and ripens at least a week before, making it particularly useful in Bordeaux’s cooler vintages when the more famous Cabernet may not reach full ripeness at all.

It’s a lighter, less tannic version of its relative, with aromas that are often more herbaceous, or even floral. In Bordeaux, it is usually part of the blend of red grapes although, unusually, it makes up two-thirds of the blend of Chateau Cheval Blanc, a famous first growth property in St-Emilion.

Cabernet Franc was as widely planted as Cabernet Sauvignon in Bordeaux in the 1960s. True, this isn’t the case anymore as it’s been displaced by Merlot, but it maintains strongholds, such as on the right bank in Saint-Emilion and Pomerol. Cabernet Sauvignon is seen as too much of a risk here as it may not fully ripen.

In Loire Valley, when the grapes ripen fully, Cabernet Franc produces a beautiful silky texture with soft tannins and a characteristic aroma not unlike pencil shavings. With their relatively high acidity, they are not the most fashionable wines in Ireland, but they respond well to being lightly chilled and so are particularly useful for red wine lovers in the heat of the summer.

The fact that Cab Franc is not as pronounced as Cab Sauv in many quarters, including in body and in tannins, may be the reason it’s not as mainstream as its counterpart as a single varietal. If you get your hands on one and are not mad about it on its own initially, try it with food. It’s well worth a shot.

Julian at BubbleBrothers raves about Loire reds, so I’m looking forward to trying more. Hey, you know me, any excuse.