Message from Jacqueline about her new book on the Central Vineyards.  


'I am very pleased to announce the arrival of my latest book. Its very long title is:

                        Earthly Delights from the Garden of France

                                         The Wines of the Loire

                                          Volume One

                          The Kingdom of Sauvignon Blanc

                                  Sancerre           Pouilly-Fume

                            And the Sauvignon Satellites

This book is the offspring of A Wine & Food Guide to the Loire, which I wrote more than fifteen years ago. Since that time, the Loire has changed so dramatically that I felt that, in order to do justice to the improved quality of the wines, to describe the dynamic young vintners, to explain the burgeoning eco-consciousness in each and every one of its multiplicity of appellations, I needed to write a three-volume opus and not the single-volume, 125,000 word book that I contracted to write for University of California Press. (I have proposed writing a condensed version for them.)

Volume One is, by far, the most comprehensive book ever written on the wines of the Sancerrois. It focuses not only on the wines of Sancerre and Pouilly-Fume, but on those of its very worthy satellites – Menetou-Salon, Quincy, Reuilly, Châteaumeillant, the Coteaux du Giennois and the Vins de Pays du Charitois and Tannay as well.

This is truly the Kingdom of Sauvignon Blanc. And such is the progress made within these appellations, that I have completely revised my opinion of that popular but often underestimated grape. Its best wines, and there are many, now rival the finest Chablis. Wines made from Pinot Noir, the region’s second most important grape, grow more charming and more riveting with each vintage. What’s more, they are all affordable. You can fill your cellar with these diverse and wonderful wines without taking out a second mortgage.

  

In addition to producer classifications by appellation, detailed descriptions of several hundred winemakers, tasting notes on thousands of wines, maps, geological diagrams and glossaries, I have explained the food specialties of the region and given restaurant and hotel recommendations as well as an annotated list of my favorite tourist sites.

I hope and believe you’ll find this book a worthy successor to A Wine & Food Guide to the Loire.

This is a self-published book which will be available through amazon.com, and barnes&nobles.com in the near future. You can order it immediately directly from the Lulu, the print-on-demand company, at http://www.lulu.com; or http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/earthly-delights-from-the-garden-of-francewines-of-the-loirevolume-one/16671163.  Price: £18.06.

If you have any questions or would like further information, please contact me at: jacqueline.friedrich@wanadoo.fr. I’d be happy to help.'

Encore un millésime avec

Les Vins du Centre-Loire

16 comme le nombre de cuvées du Printemps de Bourges réalisées à ce jour.

En effet depuis 1995, le partenariat entre le festival le plus médiatique de France et les Vins du Centre-Loire ne s’est jamais étiolé.

 Chaque millésime renouvelle cette aventure autant graphique que gustative et en 2010 les 7 étiquettes qui habilleront les bouteilles de Sancerre, Pouilly-Fumé, Menetou-Salon, Quincy, Reuilly, Coteaux du Giennois et Châteaumeillant seront encore totalement inspirées par l’affiche et le thème choisi par le Printemps de Bourges. Cette affiche qualifiée par beaucoup de très « Picassienne » a été réalisée pour cette année par Pierre TATIN (Yeaaah Studio).

Du 13 au 18 avril prochains, les artistes, professionnels, journalistes et partenaires du Printemps de Bourges Entreprises pourront donc découvrir, apprécier et partager l’ensemble des cuvées lors des dégustations organisées chaque soir dans l’espace professionnel.

Les étiquettes seront déclinées en sets de table pour tous les restaurants partenaires du Printemps dans la Ville afin que les vins du Centre-Loire et le Printemps de Bourges s’affichent sur toutes les tables berruyères.

Details of the 34th edition of Le Printemps de Bourges here. 

Patisserie in the centre of Vieux Bourges

Quincy: golden vines and picking machine 2008

La Nouvelle République (29 August 2009) had a round up of news of the forthcoming vintage from the Central Vineyard appellations.

'Le vignoble a une semaine d'avance pour la maturation et jouit d'un bon état sanitaire. Mais l'appellation Menetou est détruite à près de 80 %.

Les fortes chaleurs d'août ont fait du bien à la vigne, en chassant les maladies. Elles ont aussi leur revers car le manque de pluie joue sur la grosseur du raisin. Néanmoins, « on a une semaine d'avance sur la maturation, note Benoît Roumet, directeur de l'interprofessionnelle des vins du Centre. Il y a une hétérogénéité très forte suite à la floraison qui s'est étalée sur une longue période et suite à la grêle. Là où elle est tombée avant la floraison, les parcelles seront vendangées plus tôt.'

Read the rest of the article here

Some key points:

Menetou-Salon: 75%-80% of the 2009 crop destroyed by succession of hail storms with the one of 16 July being particularly destructive. Vignoux, Menetou, Soulangis are Parassy are the worst hit communes.

Sancerre: Some hail damage especially in Bué, Crézancy, Vinon and Sancerre. Still too early to say but harvest may start around 20 September.

Quincy: Looking good with the recent fine weather. Picking to start around 15 September possibly before? Small harvested predicted.

Reuilly: Also looking good as recent fine weather has got rid of the mildew. Hail damage around Preuilly damaging 20%-30% of the crop. Although Preuilly is just south of Quincy, it is part of AC Reuilly and is the only commune in the appellation in the Cher Valley, the rest are about further west in the Arnon Valley with Reuilly about nine or ten kilometres west of Preuilly. Likely to be a fairly early harvest starting around 10 September. See map of AC.

•••

Due to economic problems and falling sales La Nouvelle République will no longer publish its edition for the Cher départment after 30 September. Apparently La Nouvelle République lost €2 million in the first third of 2009. See comment here.