College Ave.
Saturday, September 21st
3-7pm
$15 ($5 Club)
Thanks to the traditional winemaking techniques used by many Loire producers, the purity of the fruit and expression of each terroir is extremely elevated resulting in wines that are “correct” or predictable in this very large wine region in the Central NW of France. This makes it the perfect place to pick wines from for a blind tasting.
Sauvignon Blanc is usually the first to mind when thinking Loire whites (particularly Sancerre) with crisp acidity and vibrant minerality, but it’s not the only one. Romarantin is often overlooked and can exhibit many of the same crisp and vibrant qualities as Sauvignon (the French often leave off the blanc) while also having a waxy quality that is reminiscent of Chenin Blanc. Chenin provides an additional layer of complexity often exhibiting honeyed and floral nuances.
On the red side, Cabernet Franc is the star with one of the greatest wines in the world (Clos Rougeard—we even have a few bottles if you are interested) hailing from Saumur-Champigny. Cab Franc is known for its distinct pepper notes (particularly bell pepper). Our next grape, Pineau d'Aunis, is also known for pepper notes but distinctly black pepper. Can you tell the difference? Hint—it also tends to be lighter in body. Finally, we have Grolleau. Probably closer to Pineau d'Aunis than Cab Franc but we’ve already given you too many hints!
How it works: We’ll be tasting through 3 Whites and 3 Reds from Loire Valley, France—all blind! We’ll tell you what the grapes are and all wines will be a single varietal. We’ll even give you a bit of a cheat sheet (see above—we’ll turn it into more comprehensive bullet points) telling you what to look for in each one. All you have to do is match up the correct grape to the correct wine. Sounds easy…right?!
White Grapes: Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Romarantin
Red Grapes: Cabernet Franc, Grolleau, Pineau d'Aunis
Prize: If you get it all right—100% Score. Your tasting is free AND you get 15% off anything in the store (Up to 12 bottles).