(October 2023) … I had a chance to revisit the Loire Valley – but this time the focus is on Cabernet Franc and see the new marketing campaign of the region.
So let’s take a moment and look at the Loire Valley by the numbers in an overview:
– 2700 producers
– 410 wine merchants (negotiants)
– 80% producers – environmentally certified (by 2022)
– 1 of 10 UNESCO World Heritage designations (about ⅔ of region)
– By 2030 every vineyard will have at least one environmental certification
The Loire’s new marketing focus is on words that begin with “F”:
Floral, Fruity, Fresh (crisp and light), Fair (low environmental impact)
The one “f” word missing is “fun” – but we as consumers can always put it back in.
The Loire Valley is the 3rd largest AOP winegrowing area in France (and the most diverse) with 4 subregions:
Nantais (Nantais – Ancenis & Clisson) Melon (main) + Folle Blanche /
Anjou-Saumur (Angers & Saumur) Franc – Chenin (main) + Grolleau – Chard – Gamay – Cot /
Touraine (Blois – Tours – Amboise – Chinon) Sauv Blanc – Pinot Noir (main) + Cot – Gamay
Centre-Loire (Sancerre etc.) – own agency / own agenda
(this final region is not part of Inter-Loire, which takes care of the other three)
24 Grape Varieties
Whites: Melon 31% – Sauvignon Blanc 29% – Chenin 27% – Chard 9% … most appear as single varietal wines
Reds: Cabernet Franc 53% – Gamay 14% – Pinot Noir 7% – Grolleau 7% – Cabernet Sauvignon 5% … most appear as single varietal wines
Breakdown of production numbers is:
37% white wine – 29% sparkling wine – 17% red wine – 17% rosé
Loire River: 25% of water supply in France / covers ⅕ of the country
In 2022 the Loire Valley sent wines all over the world, to many different markets …
– 22% of wines exported (with growth potential of 30% by 2030)
– Volumes exported are on the rise in places like Germany (+15%) – Belgium (+7.3%) along with Norway – Italy and Latvia
– Volumes are dropping in Australia – Swiss – Netherlands – USA (- 7.5%) and the UK (- 30%)
That said the top markets for the Loire are:
Germany – USA – Belgium – UK – Canada (up 1.2%) – Netherland – Australia and Japan
Since we were there at the tail end of the 2023 harvest, numbers were not completely available – but they did have some idea as to how the vintage had gone, so far:
– high temps caused risk of spontaneous fermentation
– Chard / Franc / Savvy B – good balance of sugar and acidity
– hot year helped elimate pyrazines (vegetal notes) – good fruity character will be present (in still wines)
– Chenin, in particular had a high risk of mold because of the rains during harvest time
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Dialing Down to Cabernet Franc … 
– Most widely planted grape – 25% of vineyard plantings
– 14,000 ha (same as Bordeaux)
– ⅓ of total plantings in France
– main sub-regions: Touraine et Anjou-Saumur
– styles range from rose-sparkling fruity reds to ageable reds
History: origins of the grape are linked to Spain and Basque Country; it’s first name looks to be Biturica.
Cabernet Franc is perfect for the Loire Valley because …
– it buds mid-season
– it prefers cooler climates
– it is vigorous and likes deep well-drained soils
– sunshine will help minimize pyrazine (vegetal)
There are 9 Cab Franc Appellations that run through the Loire Valley:
Chinon (major) – Bourgueil – Saumur-Champigny – Saint Nicolas de Bourgueil – Anjou – Anjou-Brissac – Anjou-Villages – Saumur – Saumur-Puy-Notre-Dame (smallest)
In Touraine – 27% of region is Cabernet Franc
Chinon – 12.4% / St-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil – 7.8% / Bourgueil – 6.9%
In Anjou-Saumur it is 41% of the region
– Cabernet d’Anjou (rosé) – this is the number one appellation rosé wine sold in France
– Saumur-Champigny (red only)
– Saumur et Saumur Puy-Notre-Dame (red and rosé)
– Anjou, Anjou Villages, Anjou Brissac (red)
Finally a look at exports of Cabernet Franc to Canada (and the rest of the world) …
40% of the Cabernet Franc exported comes from Chinon
Saumur and Saumur-Champigny 15%
Anjou and Anjou-Villages 3%
Bourgueil and St. Nicolas de Bourgueil – have just joined Inter-Loire so their numbers are not available at this time.
70% of Loire Wine go to Quebec
Here are a couple of links to dive deeper into the wines tasted:
The Franc of the Saumur
Chinon : Impressed or Not Impressed
