Abel Osorio (Nau Frères, Bourgueil)

The very fine 2008 Vieilles Vignes, Bourgueil, Nau Frères

Alphonse Mellot, jnr with Génération XIX

Edouard de la Palme with his AC Touraine Blanc (100% Chenin) 

Sebastien du Petit Thouars with the 2008 Reserve AC Touraine (100% Cabernet Franc)

Both the wines pictured from Edouard and Sébastien will be outlawed from AC Touraine if the idiotic reforms of the appellation come into force. Why you might ask. Simple! They are made respectively from 100% Chenin Blanc and 100% Cabernet Franc. The new regulations will not permit Touraine wines to be made from pure Chenin or pure Cabernet Franc. That these wines come from very close to  the birthplace of François Rabelais, the great promoter and lover of wines made from these two varieties, and that they are archetypal Loire varieties doesn't matter a jot to the Ayatollahs of eastern Touraine!

Frédéric Filliatreau (Domaine Filliatreau, Saumur and Saumur-Champigny)

Gérard Cherrier (Château de Sancerre)


Comte Henry d'Assay pouring his Château de Tracy (Pouilly-Fumé)

Henry Marionnet (Domaine de la Charmoise)

 

Bertrand Minchin: Menetou-Salon and Valençay

A delivery of Crémant


Antoine Sanzay

Pierre Luneau (Domaine Luneau-Papin) closing up on his Muscadets

The 2011 edition of the Salon des Vins de Loire attracted over 9000 visitors for 594 exhibitors. The 2012 edition will again start on a Sunday and will run from Sunday 5th February to Tuesday 7th.

On Monday evening there was a Soirée Boules de Fort organised plus a blind tasting competition and a Loire quiz. Boules de Fort is played inside with a special sloping track and you have to wear slippers when playing. It is very much a speciality of Anjou-Saumur and Touraine. It may look a gentle game but the stress levels are clearly enormous.

Denis Jamain, Domaine de Reuilly

 

Virtuoso performance from Luc Brizard (Château d'Epiré, Savennières)

 More stress...

Bernard Sirot: one of Belgium's leading wine journalists and Sauternes producer

 

Congratulations to the three winners: Fabrice Leglatin (Vinsurvin), David Cobbold (morethanjustwine) and Olivier Lebaron (terredevins). The prizes will be awarded tomorrow at the Salon at middday in front of the Press Room.   

Catégorie « Dégustation Loire »

Fabrice LEGLATIN

Blog : Vinsurvin

Post : http://vinsurvin-blog.com/?p=6996

î 1^er  

 

Catégorie « Destination Loire »

David COBBOLD

Blog: More than Just Wine

Post : http://morethanjustwine.blogspot.com/2011/01/down-loire-to-nantes.html

î 2ème

 

Catégorie « Rencontre Loire »

Olivier LEBARON

Blog: Showviniste

Post : http://terredevins.com/blogs/showviniste/les-vins-naturels/la-loire-reve-de-lunotte-vin-naturel-de-touraine/

î 3ème

 

Heading off in a few hours time to Angers for the 2011 Salon des Vins de Loire. Hopefully leaving the rather grey London weather behind.

 

First stop Domaine des Rochelles... 

Entries for the 5th edition of the Wine Blog Trophy associated with the Salon des Vins de Loire close at midnight (presumably French time) on Wednesday 19th January.

Entries in English, French and German welcomed.

Details on Facebook here and entry form here.

In addition to opening on Sunday there are several new innovations this year at the Salon as a couple of press releases from the organisers explain:

'Fair plays Web 2.0 card
This year, the Loire Valley Wine Trade Fair, which played a pioneering role with its online registration process and exhibitor catalogue, or, more recently, with the Wine Blog Trophy*, is extending its Web 2.0 strategy and breaking fresh ground with two fresh innovations: an online appointment hub and a Facebook page. “We want to offer our customers the maximum number of services, and encourage the trade to come to the fair. Web 2.0 helps complement our offering, and enables a wealth of possibilities to facilitate business. That’s why we’ve created an online hub for fixing appointments. With this new tool, we want to foster relationships between visitors and exhibitors by letting them arrange meetings in advance. It’s also a good way to improve contact between producers, négociants and trade visitors,” points out Christian Groll, general manager of the Loire Valley Wine Trade Fair. In parallel, the fair has started a Facebook page. “This space lets us talk about the event and Loire Valley wines in a different tone – and, as a result, attract a wider range of wine trade visitors.”

* Created in 2007 by the Loire Valley Wine Trade Fair.

www.facebook.com/pages/Salon-des-Vins-de-Loire/173544749335910

Tasting date for independent wine retailers

In 2011, for the first time, France’s independent wine retailers have a date at the Loire Valley Wine Trade Fair. To satisfy its members’ appetite for new products, the national federation of independent wine retailers (FNCI) is providing the perfect introduction. “This fair is one of the events most eagerly awaited by our members, but they’re not always able to attend. We therefore felt it made sense to encourage them and help them make the trip,” explains Jérôme Jeuland, of the FNCI’s executive committee. On 31 January, the federation will run a preview tasting of Loire wines being presented at the fair, with the aim of expanding the Loire range stocked by its central purchasing department (Vin CI). “By expanding our offering, we want to better meet our retailers’ expectations,” says Jeuland.

http://www.caviste-independant.com/