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French Winophiles Explore White Wines of the Loire Valley
October brings our French Winophiles writers to a virtual tour of the white wines of the Loire Valley. The Loire River is the longest river in France and a wide variety of grapes are grown along its’ path. Grapes include Sauvignon Blanc in the Central Loire, Chenin Blanc in Touraine and Anjou-Saumur, and Melon B in the Nantais. There is something for every white wine drinker in the Loire Valley, from dry crisp wines to sparkling to sweet and unctuous. Look further down in this post for links to all our writers’ explorations. I chose a wine from Savennières made by a winery I visited early in the summer.

(click on any photo or graphic to see a full-size slideshow)

Chenin Blanc – the White Wine Grape of Anjou-Saumur and Touraine
Chenin Blanc is a versatile grape. It has a strong ability to retain its acidity even when very ripe. This allows winemakers to produce a wide range of wine styles from sparkling, to dry, off-dry and sweet. The wines often show aromas and flavors of green apple, pear, and lemon with some character of wool/lanolin and smoke.

Savennières Appellation
There is a wealth of information available on the vins savennieres website. The vineyards in Savennières are situated on decomposed schist on south facing slopes overlooking the Loire River valley. Chenin Blanc with the Savennières AOC tends to be an elegant, even austere wine with bright acidity and a mineral, smoky character. The wines have a capacity to improve with age.

Château Soucherie
Today’s Château Soucherie was purchased by the Beguinot family in 2007. Since then, they have renovated the château, established guest rooms and a tasting cellar. They began organic conversion in 2019 and as of 2022, the entire estate is certified organic. They grow Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc grapes in a number of appellations close to the estate. Their dry white wines include Anjou Blanc and Savenniéres. They also make sweet white wines, also from Chenin Blanc. These wines include Coteaux du Layon, Coteaux du Layon 1ere Cru Chaume, and when botrytis conditions exist in Savennières, a single barrel of sweet Savennières. Should your wine travels take you to the Loire Valley, Cháteau Soucherie welcomes visitors for tastings and they even have guest rooms for a night, a weekend, or a week in the vines!

Disclosure: I attended a sponsored press trip to the Loire Valley this year. I purchased the wine for this post at a local shop in Minneapolis. All opinions expressed are mine.

Château Soucherie “Clos des Perrières” Savennières AOC 2018 (purchased locally $55) 12.5% abv
Eye: Medium lemon
Nose: Medium intensity aromas of lemon, green apple, hint of peach, lanolin
Mouth: Dry, high acidity, medium body, medium alcohol, medium flavor intensity, medium plus finish. Flavors echo the aromas with a slight pleasant bitterness in the finish.
Observations: This wine was a perfect complement to the flavors in the dish. The wine’s body and refreshing acidity were also in excellent balance with the buttery apples and sauce.

Apples and Pork with Château Soucherie Savennières
I searched for a dinner pairing with the Loire Valley in mind. I landed on a New York Times recipe for Pork Chops with Apples and Cider. It seems like a dish one might actually encounter in the Loire Valley, given the proximity of Normandy for apples, butter and cider! I served the main course on a bed of mashed potatoes and a side of roasted leeks. Indeed, the Château Soucherie Savennières paired very nicely with refreshing acidity and notes of apple.

French Winophiles Explore White Wine of the Loire Valley from Afar
Take a look below at the pairings our French Winophiles writers explored. You’re sure to find something to pique your interest!
• Terri from Our Good Life shares “A Perfect Pairing: Sancerre Les Baronnes Henri Bourgeois with Creamed Spinach-Stuffed Chicken Breasts“
• Linda at My Full Wine Glass shares “Getting reacquainted with a Loire wine and a local wine seller “
• Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm shares “Coq au Vin Blanc and a Sancerre from Loire Valley“
• Camilla from Culinary Cam shares “Melon de Bourgogne: Its Journey to Muscadet and an Array of Autumn Pairings“
• David at Cooking Chat shares “Vouvray Wine and Food Pairings“
• Jeff at Food Wine Click! shares “Pork and Apples with Château Soucherie Savennières“