Tim Atkin MW@the International Sparkling Wine Symposium March 2009Tim Atkin MW, one of the UK's most respected and successful wine writers, kindly recommends both Richard Kelley MW's Loire and Jim's Loire in his article on the Loire Valley that appeared in The Observer on 21st June 2009.
'Making sense of the Loire isn't easy, given the length of the river and the fact that grapes are grown in six separate regions - the Pays Nantais (Muscadet country), Anjou, Saumur, Touraine, the Centre Loire and the Auvergne. There aren't any up-to-date books on the region, but two excellent, insider websites, both written by Brits, are jimsloire.blogspot.com and richardkelley.co.uk.
The best way to get a handle on all those appellations is to divide them by grape variety.'
Tim's quite right that the key to understanding the Loire is through the grape varieties used, which in turn are broadly determined by the changes in climate along the length of the Loire.
'Making sense of the Loire isn't easy, given the length of the river and the fact that grapes are grown in six separate regions - the Pays Nantais (Muscadet country), Anjou, Saumur, Touraine, the Centre Loire and the Auvergne. There aren't any up-to-date books on the region, but two excellent, insider websites, both written by Brits, are jimsloire.blogspot.com and richardkelley.co.uk.
The best way to get a handle on all those appellations is to divide them by grape variety.'
Tim's quite right that the key to understanding the Loire is through the grape varieties used, which in turn are broadly determined by the changes in climate along the length of the Loire.
