See the new post here.

This morning a review copy of Alice Feiring's new book naked wine arrived by courier. It is published by Da Capo Press and is priced at $24, $28 (Can) or £15.99. I shall look forward to reading it as Alice has strong opinions and is a strong proponent and defender of natural wines. Alice acknowledges this in her opening two sentences:

'When it comes to wine, I can be polarizing. I don't mean to be I just have unnaturally strong opinions."

naked wine is dedicated to David Lett and Marcel Lapierre, who both died recently.

More on Alice's new book when I have a chance to read it.

September 2008: Côt in the Cher Valley

Returning to yesterday’s posting on Alice Feiring’s The Battle for Wine and Love and to her assertion that in the Loire there are ‘maybe forty regional producers who make exquisite wine’, here is my list of producers in a small part of the Cher Valley between Bléré and Saint-Aignan who work with passion and commitment and whose wines are worth tasting and good to drink. There may well be others whose wines I haven’t yet tasted.

Michel Augé – Les Maisons Brulées, Pouillé
Mikaël Bouges – Faverolles-sur-Cher
François Chidaine – AC Touraine holdings in Chissay
Bruno Curassier, Domaine de la Grange, Bléré
Jean-François Merieau – Les Bois Vaudons, Saint-Julien-de-Chédon
Pascal Potaire – Faverolles-sur-Cher
Vincent Ricard – Thesée
Vincent Roussely – Clos Roussely, Saint-Georges-sur-Cher
Catherine Roussel and Didier Barouillet – Clos Roche Blanche, Mareuil-sur-Cher
Jerôme Sauvete, Monthou-sur-Cher

Plus a producer whose methods Alice probably wouldn’t approve of but whose wines are worth trying anyway: Thierry Delaunay of Domaine Joël Delaunay

That’s 11 producers already in no more than 40 kilometres and there are still hundreds of kilometres of Loire vineyard left.

Here we are in the heart of ‘plain’ AC Touraine – most of the vignerons cited use this appellation, although a few prefer to opt for vin de table. This part of the Cher Valley is well worth exploring and can offer wonderful wine at very reasonable prices. Look out particularly for Côt and Gamay, Sauvignon Blancs that can be way better than many more expensively priced Sancerres and Pouilly-Fumés and an increasing number of pétillants naturels.