In this multi-part series, Chris Garry, guest writer and Tour Coordinator for Elite Wine Tour in the Loire Valley, offers a variety of Loire wines as alternatives to some of our most beloved, albeit expensive, choices. Enjoy Part 1: Champagne v. Vouvray.
During an unprecedented cost of living crises and seismic economical downturn, consumers are forced to be more savvy than ever when it comes to spending. We find ourselves zealously flicking off the light before we have even left the room to save on electricity, we are shutting off the water source before our toothbrush even touches our teeth and we are stoically cutting down on so-called “non-essentials”.
One thing is certain, even during times of uncertainty – if we were to run out of energy altogether, we shall continue to enjoy wine. If anything, these times of uncertainty will only make a hard earned glass of wine at the end of the day, all the more cherished.
We predict that rather than drink less wine, those who were previously happy to overspend on bottles of Champagne, Burgundy and Bordeaux might just shift to other Gallic regions for their fine French fix. Alsace and Jura are two possible heroes in this subtle change of spending direction. However, due to its sheer diversity of wine style, it is the Loire Valley that shall most likely emerge with the biggest gains in the coming fiscal quarters.
Here we look at some of the Loire’s alternatives to more expensive, more popular French wine regions – and offer solutions to those looking to reduce their spend on non-essentials, whilst retaining and nurturing the passion for French wine.
Champagne
As sparkling wine’s undisputed world leader, Champagne is an extraordinarily special and unique region. Having the rare privilege of being permitted to bottle wine from vineyards many miles away from one another, the region’s winemakers have become supreme master blenders.
Champagne might be the benchmark sparkling wine, but with pricing under the spotlight, the question should be asked, why? Granted, some incredible wine comes from the region. No argument there. But scratch the surface a little. Why is Champagne so good and why does really good Champagne come with exorbitant price-tags?
First off, Champagne’s vines themselves are exceptional. Due to the amount of wealth generated per hectare, the plants are tended to with absolutely no expense spared. The effect of this cannot be underestimated. The vines themselves are primed and cared for wonderfully, to the greatest standards anywhere on earth.
However, the soil the vines are grown in is really nothing particularly unique or special. The truth about Champagne as a region is that it really is nothing close to ideal terroir for producing wine. It’s too Northerly, too cold. Why else does it not produce notable still wine despite being one of the appellations permitted to make two of the most popular varieties – Pinot Noir and Chardonnay? Geographically, Champagne is somewhat disadvantaged.
The reason Champagne makes incredible bubbly, aside from its vines, is the process. By law, Vintage Champagne must be aged for 3 years. It is this ageing process that gives the wine its structure and complexity, and with time equating to money, also amps up the price.
The interesting thing about Champagne is that those biscuity, yeasty notes that you might love and associate with Champagne have absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with the Champagne region itself. Those flavour profiles are not produced by the terroir, the vines or its grapes, but rather they are imparted by the additives injected into the wine at the beginning of the second fermentation.
What is it they say about not meeting your idols? The same can be levelled at really getting to know Champagne the drink, inside and out. Once you understand where the bulk of the flavour comes from, you find yourself less enamoured with what might generally be accepted as the pinnacle of sparkling French wine.
“Bubbly” should be fresh, it should be vibrant, it should pop.. shouldn’t it? Why would sparkling wine give off aromas of your grandmother’s old biscuit tin, and be unapproachable, in many instances, for what feels like an eternity? It is somewhat perplexing that for a style of wine where attitude is everything, these qualities are still seen as such a plus today. It is as if consumers are unable to move forward, despite living in a time where everything is rapidly developing and progressing at what might seem at times like warp speed.
An Enlightened Alternative: Sparkling Vouvray.
Vouvray is one of the Loire Valley’s most popular regions, and is currently France’s second largest sparkling wine producing region. Vouvray concentrates its efforts on a single grape – Chenin Blanc. Crucially, sparkling Vouvray is approximately a fifth to a tenth of the price of Champagne per bottle. Ask yourself if you’d rather have 5 bottles of the very best sparkling Vouvray available or 1 bottle of marginally above average Champagne?
Importantly, the Chenin Blanc variety actually lends itself to bubbles far more suitably. Being more fresh and salient than Chardonnay and Pinot combined (or blended, as it were), the Chenin grape does not necessarily need any additives in order to produce high quality bubbles. The stand alone appellation consisting of naturally sparkling, once fermented wine (known as Vouvray Petillant) is proof of this.
Chenin has the acidity, the natural balance, the vibrancy needed for great sparkling wine in spades. Only the very greatest, and most valuable, Chardonnay vineyards of Champagne can produce wine with those same attributes. Yet the Vouvray region boasts many.
With Vouvray you have wine that is young, fresh, vibrant, acidic and yet, fruity. On paper when you compare that with a wine that is biscuity, yeasty, toasty and austere (not to mention overpriced) – it is easy to conclude that the Vouvray region’s product better fits the profile of enticing sparkling wine.
Those that do actually prefer the biscuity, toasty notes of Champagne and deem bottles bearing those flavours worthy of the extra cost, might like to know that Vouvray also produces sparkling wine with those exact flavour profiles too. One Vouvray winery in particular has been known to leave their wine on its lees for seven years or more – that’s five more years than 99% of Champagne that matures on its lees. And it is the leaving on lees that makes white wine so rich and seductive.
Put simply, if you enjoy the feeling of money leaving your wallet and prefer liqueur-driven, nutty, bready, old-fangled sparkling wine, then by all means stick with Champagne. If, on the other hand, you understand that bubbly can be better fresh, easy drinking, acidic and affordable, then buy cases of Vouvray and don’t look back.
And if saving such a significant amount of money per bottle proves to be the gateway to frugality you require, you can save on electricity and washing up by drinking it in the dark, straight from the bottle.
Cheers! ~ Cindy
WRITER’S PROFILE
Chris Garry is Tour Coordinator for Elite Wine Tour, providing luxury bespoke, fully customisable, client led wine experiences across the Loire Valley.
To experience Sancerre, Pouilly Fume, Chinon, Vouvray and other Loire wines and for 20% off all bookings, use coupon code GRAPEXP20 at checkout. Click here to view your options and book your experiences.
Photo Credit: Elite Wine Tour
