Turning the Spotlight on the Red Wines of the Loire
I must admit I get a little charge of pride when I see the face of a new supplier or importer when I respond to their questions like, “What are your bestselling French reds? Bordeaux?” and I reply, “Actually Loire Valley reds is one of our fastest selling categories.” The way their faces contort as they shift from confusion to the head nodding and raised brow showing how impressed they are with our customers.
France’s Loire Valley is often referred to as France’s Garden, beloved for its bounty of incredible fruits and vegetables, fresh water fishes and in part because of its amazingly diverse and food welcoming wines. The Loire Valley is France’s largest white wine growing region and while the region is unquestionably far better known for those whites like Sancerre and Vouvray, the reds are gaining in momentum here in The United States as folks discover just how fresh, elegant and packed with sheer deliciousness these terroir and fruit driven reds are.
Stretched out across the north-western part of France the Loire Valley is France’s largest white wine growing region but one would be horribly remiss to ignore the thrilling and crave inducing reds being made from Cabernet Franc, Gamay, Pinot Noir, Grolleau and Pineau d’Aunis, just to name a few.
As I mentioned before, the category of Loire Valley reds is gaining momentum, finally, here in the United States but once again our wickedly open minded and savvy customers are way ahead of the curve. We’ve had to expand our Loire Valley red selection over the past couple years, just to keep up with the insatiable demand for those who ache for powerfully flavorful red wines that don’t conk you over the head with richness, oak or heavy alcohol.