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I feel that for those-in-the-know on French wines, the Loire Valley offers so many angles of interest. Bubbles, whites, reds, stickies, whatever you want, that long stretch of vineyards hugging the river west to east can cover a lot of bases. As warming temperatures provide an increasing level of consistency in a previous marginal climate, it’s a great time to be aware of the styles, value and consumer-friendly practices that these varied wines can offer.
I met up with Carine Simoneau from Famille Paris Simoneau, based in the Touraine département of the Loire Valley. The winery has been in the same family since 1790 and now manages 74 hectares of vineyard in the 300 hectare estate. Simoneau was keen to stress that, although the Loire has the reputation of a marginal climate, sustainable viticulture is now part and parcel of producing wines in the North-West of France.
“We were farming a certain way even before the HVE project was introduced, so obtaining the Level 3 stamp wasn’t too tricky,” recalled Simoneau. “We sell a lot cellar door or direct sales, and we know it means a lot to our customers that we do manage our forests, lakes and orchards as holistically as possible.” Its Oiso label comes from the active protection of 32 species of native birds across their land.
Of the wines on show, the one Simoneau takes most pride in is her range of Sauvignon Blancs.
“We export 60% of our Sauvignon Blanc,” noted Simoneau. “We’re blessed with a fabulous crop of limestone soils and know we can make truly mineral Sauvignons that the market is looking for.”
Of the three on show, it was the Sauvignon Réserve 2023 (ex-cellar €3-5) that showed a beautiful combination of the grassy green fruits, lemon pith mineral mouthfeel, and balanced acidity for the Sauvignon lovers out there.
Other wines well worth a look included the Touraine Réserve 2020 (ex-cellar €3-5), a blend with Cabernet Franc’s red fruits and pencil shavings, but plusher tannic structure coming from their prized pre-phylloxera Côt vines. One wine that also rarely gets a look-in in the UK, but sells by the tank load in Sweden, US and Germany, and is a great option for those looking for an alternative to White Zinfandel is the Oiso Rosé de Loire 2023 (ex-cellar €3-5). A simply gorgeous pink hue and bursting with soft red fruits, rose petal and orange blossom.
