15 Jul Uncorked #14: 2007 Michel Picard Vouvray
Region: Loire Valley in Tourraine, France
I was so impressed by this wine, it might be my new favorite white wine! In fact, I went to a wine bar last week and was raving about it to the wine bar’s owner. This wine was a perfect summer wine. I would categorize it as a demi-sec wine, that is light, sweet, with a dry finish. I have never heard of the grape this wine was made from, Chenin Blanc, but I am definitely going seek out more of this kind of wine.
Would I buy it again? For sure! This is a great summer wine and really the fruity flavors mixed with the dryness are a good combination for the heat wave. I find that though fruitier drinks are usually associated with the warmer weather, but I just can’t stand to drink more than one.
Fun Wine Fact: Vouvray is a French region of the Loire Valley located in the Touraine district of France. Chenin blanc is the dominant and nearly exclusive grape of Vouvray. It has a wide range of sweetness styles, the wine labels may indicate the sweetness level by the terms Sec*, Demi-Sec*, Moelleux* and Doux*.
Pairs Well With: White fish, veal or chicken
“Penicillin cures, but wine makes people happy.”
– Alexander Fleming (1881-1955),
the Scottish bacteriologist credited with discovering Penicillin in 1928
*Sec-French term for ‘dry’, as in the opposite of sweet.
*Demi-Sec-French for medium dry.
*Moelleux-French term which translates as ‘mellow’, but in the context of wine means sweet or medium sweet. You’ll often find this term on bottles from the Loire.
*Doux-The French word for sweet. Usually refers to the sweetest category of sparkling wines.