Touraine wines are popular in the United States

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In Touraine, nearly a quarter of all exported bottles are sent to the United States, which represents nearly 11 million bottles each year. This concerns more particularly white wine because in 10 years, Touraine winemakers have doubled the number of bottles exported to the North American continent, according to a study by Interloire, the interprofessional committee of Loire wines. This increase does not seem to stop as according to an international survey, Loire wines will experience the largest increase in demand over the next two years (+ 30%). Among the wines of Loire Valley, unsurprisingly, it is the white wine that appeals to the American clientele and more specifically on the East Coast: Washington, Boston or New York. And in New York, according to the wine federation of Indre et Loire, one could find at least one bottle of Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) Vouvray in each specialized store of the city.

Ever tried sparkling red beads with strawberries?

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This week, head to the Loire Valley to discover one of the few sparkling red wines of quality produced in France (we know mainly the Italian Lambrusco, probably the most consumed in the world in that category). It is precisely on the 25 ha of his estate in Thoré-La-Rochette (Loir-et-Cher), in the Vendômois hillsides along the Loir, that Patrice Colin, an independent winemaker, produces in an ancestral and organic way this “sparkling red beads” 2018, 100% Gamay, tender and tasty.

With strawberries! Thomas describes it as a "stimulus wine", the one we drink at the end of the meal because we want the evening to continue on a festive note but "light as a feather". A sparkling red beads 2018 that can nevertheless be drunk as an aperitif or on dishes but that will accompany the fresh red berries of spring and especially strawberries in salad, which taste and fragrance it will sublimate.

Let’s take a walk in the Loire Valley vineyard

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Accompanied by winemakers, come to share their passion and know-how, enjoy beautiful vineyard landscapes and the heritage richness of the region classed World Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO. And discover colorful wines elaboration secrets. In a convivial and warmly atmosphere, new knowledge, relaxation and greediness are waiting for you for a unique human and sensory experience! After last year's successful fifteenth edition, winemakers are waiting for you with new flavorsome and unprecedented walks in the heart of the Loire Valley vineyards. Vineyard of sweetness of life and delights' lands, the Loire Valley is an ideal setting for young and old to extend holydays and relaxation before going back to school!

The production of old-fashioned vinegar and mustard seed still alive in the Loire Valley!

In the cellars of Martin Pouret, in Fleury-les-Aubrais (Loiret), the vinegar still has the taste of the soil. This company of ten employees, founded in 1797, is the last one to perpetuate the tradition of vinegar of Orleans which goes back to the Middle Ages, when the wine followed the Loire before being unloaded and transported to Paris. Its bestseller remains the classic old-fashioned wine vinegar, but new vinegars are also developed using specific vines like chardonnay or merlot, or flavoured with Espelette pepper. The company also plays the diversification card by resuscitating missing agricultural sectors, like a 100% local mustard now produced by Val de Loire farmers that have been convinced to revive the growing of the mustard seed instead of importing it.

At the confluence of the Loire and the Vienne rivers

Montsoreau, adjoining town of Candes-Saint-Martin, one of the "most beautiful villages of France", welcomes every second Sunday of the month a beautiful antique market on the banks of the Loire (part of our Ronsard tour). But the Castle of Montsoreau, located on the border between Saumur and Touraine, is also the only fortress of the Loire Valley to take root in the bed of the Loire river. Since 2016, its contemporary art museum has been home to a unique "conceptual art movement" collection called Art & Language. Dating back to 1969 and founded by American artists Dan Graham, Lawrence Weiner and Sol LeWitt, the movement continues thanks to the passion of Philippe Méaille who owns the world's largest collection of works. A successful innovation, where contemporary art and a built heritage of more than 500 years are combined wonderfully.