A small plot of chenin grapes grows along the vineyard road that we often take on walks with the dogs (past and present). The vast majority of the white grapes grown around us are sauvignon, but other varieties grow here and there, like the parcel of chardonnay near our house. These chenin grapes, the grower once told me, are used for his sweet "late harvest" wine.
Chenin is the only* grape used in the Vouvray and Montlouis appellations up on the Loire (near Tours) for their wines, be they sweet, dry, or bubbly. But it's also used in other areas of the Touraine region, either for sweeter wines or for blending in sparkling wines.
*Wikipedia says that another grape, orbois, is authorized for blending in the Vouvray appellation, but that it's rarely used these days.
Look at all those grapes!
ReplyDeleteI didn’t know that Arbois was a grape. It is an appellation of its own. Arbois, where my maternal ancestors are coming from, is a small town in the Jura region of Franche-Comté in Eastern France.
ReplyDeleteThe Arbois (grape) Wikipedia page is worth reading.
Deletemitch, I even tasted one.
ReplyDeletechm, sorry, I think the Blogger typeface makes it difficult to see. The grape in Vouvray is Orbois with an "o" and not Arbois with an "a."
Mes yeux ne sont plus aussi bons qu’ils étaient, Las!
DeleteI haven't had much wine from your neck of the woods, but when I did I think of these grape types.
ReplyDelete