Awards and citations:


1997: Le Prix du Champagne Lanson Noble Cuvée Award for investigations into Champagne for the Millennium investment scams

2001: Le Prix Champagne Lanson Ivory Award for investdrinks.org

2011: Vindic d'Or MMXI – 'Meilleur blog anti-1855'

2011: Robert M. Parker, Jnr: ‘This blogger...’:

2012: Born Digital Wine Awards: No Pay No Jay – best investigative wine story

2012: International Wine Challenge – Personality of the Year Award




Tuesday 10 August 2010

Touraine AC reform: a bottle that urges reflection

2009 Vin d'Oeillades, Domaine Navarre

 Last night we drank a bottle of 2009 Vin d’Œillades from Thierry Navarre (Domaine Navarre, Roquebrun in Languedoc). It was deliciously easy drinking – not complex but a wine to be enjoyed chatting amongst friends. Significantly it was also lowish in alcohol – 11.5%.

It is a wine that ought to cause the Touraine producers to give further reflection to the proposed reforms to AC Touraine – proposals that needlessly restrict the permitted grape varieties.

Œillade is a traditional grape variety from around the Saint-Chinian area that virtually disappeared during the 20th Century. Related to Cinsault it used to be planted in the higher parts of the vineyard as it ripens properly without a high level of alcohol. Thierry Navarre, who is now president of the Saint-Chinian appellation, was, I understand, the first to bottle it as a single varietal. Now at least one other vigneron is starting to work with pure Œillade attracted by its tradition and its lowish level of alcohol. 

Œillade is just the sort of traditional variety that the proposed Touraine reforms would ban. It reminds me of L’Arpent Rouge that the Clos Roche Blanche occasionally makes from Pineau d’Aunis. Although as it comes from the Loire, L’Arpent Rouge has more acidity, it is similarly easy to drink without a lot of alcohol. The Touraine proposals will effectively bar Pineau d’Aunis from the appellation.

This is not a plea to introduce non-traditional varieties like Merlot into Touraine. Rather that the traditional varieties of the region should be considered as a treasure – part of the heritage – and not as a nuisance. Happily fashions change. Grape varieties that were dismissed as of poor quality of little interest are often reassessed. One has only to think of how Carignan was viewed in Languedoc-Roussillon twenty years ago – dismissed as poor quality and needing varieties like Syrah to lift the quality of the region’s wines. Now old Carignan is highly regarded.

Equally the Touraine producers should consider the example of Grüner Veltliner in Austria. Again once dismissed as a work-horse grape, GV is now responsible for some of Austria’s most exciting whites.     

I’m sure that if these foolish proposals are ratified they will soon be viewed as a mistake. Unfortunately the process is now well advanced with agreement expected by the end of the year. Inevitably many of the most interesting producers will surely decide to continue to use Pineau d’Aunis, Menu Pineau etc. but sell them under the new less restrictive vin de table designation. AC Touraine will cease to properly reflect the region’s tradition of being the crossroads for the grape varieties from the western Loire with those of the Central Vineyards.

See also today's excellent post on Hervé Lalau's Chroniques Vineuses.

  

5 comments:

Wicker Parker said...

Great post and I would like to second the sentiment. Is there any way for consumers to petition the governing authorities?

Jim's Loire said...

Thanks. Will put up a link on Jim's Loire. I should also consider a Facebook group.

Aynard said...

thank you for htis great post. Unfortunately the AOC of Touraine need a real change of direction. the "regrétté" René RENOU who past over 3 years ago would have been on your side, but cancer took him away.
To day we need to find a sort alternative to AOC or a trade in order to protect the heritage of our winegrape, massal selection etc... But nobody really care... difficult to change the view of the civil servant of INAO...

Jim's Loire said...

Aynard

Am thinking of setting up a Facebook group as an immediate response to these proposals.

Aynard said...

It is a good idea... I would suggest than in order to ban certain winegrape prodution they should ban weedkiller....