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Loire Valley map courtesy of wikimedia.org

Loire Valley White Wine Roller Coaster
I love white wines from the Loire Valley. There is such variety as you travel from the central vineyards with Sauvignon Blanc, out to the middle Loire for Chenin Blanc, and finally crisp Muscadet as you get out to the coast: perfect for the oysters nearby. There are many organic, biodynamic and natural winegrowers in the region. I have, however, had my share of exciting highs and “Whoa!!!” moments (a prior run-in with Vouvray is here). I have learned a few lessons along the way. Vouvray is a great example.

Vouvray wines are made from the Chenin Blanc grape. Within the same appellation, you can find sparkling wines, and still wines ranging from fully dry to fully sweet. All under the label: Vouvray!

Vouvray wine AOC rules allow for a wide range of expressions from fully sparkling to still wines including dry (sec), off-dry (demi-sec), semi-sweet (moelleux) and fully sweet (doux). When the conditions are right, the sweet wines can even include botrytris infected grapes, bringing in a whole additional range of flavors. The roller coaster? The label is not required to tell you the sweetness level. Surprise! Luckily, some winegrowers do include sweetness information on the label, so you may sometimes have some help in the wine shop.

We landed on a chicken with cider and cream recipe from neighboring Normandy.

Food Pairings with Vouvray
In researching potential food pairings with Vouvray, a repeated theme of “cream” surfaced. Fish in cream sauce, poultry in cream sauce, creamy desserts with sweet versions of Vouvray. I had both dry (sec) and off-dry (demi-sec) Vouvrays for my dinner pairing. I often struggle a bit with off-dry wines at the dinner table, this seemed like a good time to try a creamy dish. After a bit of searching through my stack of French cookbooks, a poultry in cream sauce recipe emerged. Voila!

Domaine Huet has long been a standard bearer for Vouvray wines.

Domaine Huet
Victor Huët established Domaine Huet with the purchase of the estate in Vouvray in 1928. From the beginning, the family pursued vineyard work in a way supportive of nature and natural process. They were early adopters of biodynamics and over time became known the top estate in the denomination, known for pure and ageworthy Chenin Blanc based Vouvray wines.

In 2002, with the passing of Gaston Huet, a controlling interest in the estate was sold to American financier, Anthony Hwang. The new owners were very intent to not disrupt the estate, and kept the existing staff and winemaking team. Hwang family members left their careers in the United States and took up residence in Vouvray. However, there were some missteps related to some prominent reporters which led to controversy which seems to linger. By most accounts, however, the wines today are true to their history and remain outstanding examples of the appellation.

If you have the opportunity, you can visit and taste at Domaine Huet by appointment. Simply contact them here.

Domaine Huet Vouvray Sec from the Le Haut-Lieu vineyard

Domaine Huet Vouvray AOC “Le Haut Lieu” Sec 2017 ($33 at Sunfish Cellars or online here) 13%abv
Eye: Clear, medium gold color
Nose: Clean, medium intensity. Ripe pears, hints of white flowers, rich honeysuckle, stone fruit – white peach.
Mouth: Dry, medium+ intensity with rich unctuous ripe pears, honey, dried apricots, white peach, a bit of hay. Medium+ acidity, full body, medium alcohol, rich plush texture, nice medium+ length finish.
Conclusion: Very good quality wine with abundant fruit and plush texture but sufficient acidity to provide balance. Excellent concentration and good complexity. Can drink now, will benefit from 5+ years additional aging.

Domaine Huet Vouvray Demi-Sec from the Clos du Bourg vineyard

Domaine Huet Vouvray AOC “Clos du Bourg” Demi-Sec 2016 ($46 at Sunfish Cellars or online here) 13.5% abv
Eye: Clear, medium gold color
Nose: Clean, medium+ intensity. Ripe stone fruit – peaches, apricots.  Pineapple, orange rind and honey. Hints of honeysuckle and white flowers. Rich ripe nose.
Mouth: Off-dry, pronounced intensity. Ripe stone fruits and tropical fruits: ripe peaches, apricots, pineapple, honeysuckle flowers. Honey, beeswax, orange peel. Medium+ acidity, full body, medium alcohol, nice long finish of flowers and tropical fruits.
Conclusion: Very good to outstanding wine with concentrated and complex flavors and excellent acidity to balance. Can certainly enjoy now, this will will benefit from additional aging 5-10 years or more.

Creamy dishes pair nicely with rich yet brightly acidic Vouvray wines.

Vouvray and Cream
As a key ingredient, cream is a great choice for pairing with Vouvray wines. The wines have rich body yet are balanced by bright, cleansing acidity. The cream element in the dish matches the body of the wines, and it benefits from the palate cleansing nature of that bright acidity. My personal preference was for the dry (sec) version, although both were very nice.

A delicious, creamy chicken dish tastes great on a cold winter evening!

French #Winophiles Vouvray Discoveries

Has your curiousity been piqued about Vouvray? Take a look at all the great investigations from our Winophiles group. If you see this in time, join our chat on twitter on Saturday Dec. 21 at 11am EST. Find us at the hashtag #winophiles

• Camilla at Culinary Adventures with Camilla shares “Pairing a School Assignment with a #Winophiles Project: Moqueca + Gautier Vouvray Argilex 2012”
• Lynn at Savor the Harvest shares “Why I Chose This Wine as A Holiday Favorite”
• Wendy at A Day in the Life on the Farm shares “Creamy Clam Dip with a Sauvion Vouvray“
• Lauren at The Swirling Dervish shares “Monmousseau Ammonite Vouvray: Gussying-Up an Ad Hoc Holiday Feast“
• Gwendolyn at Wine Predator shares “Carême Organic Vouvray and Lunch at Chateau de Pray“
• Nicole at Somm’s Table shares “Champalou Vouvray Brut and a Very Lazy Cheese Night”
• Jane at Always Ravenous shares “Vouvray with an Indian-Inspired Dinner”
• Linda at My Full Wineglass shares “Still or sparkling, Versatile Vouvray Shows its Style”
• David at Cooking Chat shares “Spicy Lentil Soup with Wine Pairing”
• Susannah at Avvinare shares “Vouvray’s Singular Moelleux Wines”
• Payal at Keep the Peas shares “A Birthday and a Vouvray”
• Liz at What’s in That Bottle? shares “Va-Va-Va-Vouvray! Get to Know These White Wines from the Loire”
• Jeff at Food Wine Click! shares “Vouvray Pairs with Cream”