tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18071407.post1086529617709004224..comments2024-03-29T13:11:25.325+01:00Comments on Living the life in Saint-Aignan: Touraine-Amboise, one of the local « villages » winesKen Broadhursthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04430899802705818716noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18071407.post-27973208818914551662013-09-20T12:29:52.912+02:002013-09-20T12:29:52.912+02:00Aw, thanks, Ken. Truth is, the house reds I've...Aw, thanks, Ken. Truth is, the house reds I've had here have been extremely delicious. Or should I say, "full-bodied, somewhat quizzical, and yet very decisive"? (And they don't give me heartburn.)Moving with Mitchellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12954028272162285597noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18071407.post-4608156077586780202013-09-20T06:12:23.354+02:002013-09-20T06:12:23.354+02:00Judy, that fleur de lys bottle is used by all the ...Judy, that fleur de lys bottle is used by all the Loire Valley wineries, I think, for their AOC wines.<br /><br />Mitch, the house red or white is often a pretty good wine. Remember, we buy most of our wine in boxes or in bulk (taking our own jugs and having them filled at the co-op or winery). Bottles schmottles.Ken Broadhursthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04430899802705818716noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18071407.post-11951536302291257852013-09-19T13:57:31.052+02:002013-09-19T13:57:31.052+02:00Simply beautiful. And the photo of the three white...Simply beautiful. And the photo of the three whites... the colors are delicious. Too bad I'm so wine ignorant. I have maybe one glass of red wine per week. And "house red" at that.Moving with Mitchellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12954028272162285597noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18071407.post-45524566775079933682013-09-19T13:21:00.565+02:002013-09-19T13:21:00.565+02:00Really great-looking bottles. I love the fleur de ...Really great-looking bottles. I love the fleur de lys on the glass of the bottle :)Seine Judeet (Judith)https://www.blogger.com/profile/07407353544376132484noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18071407.post-9145070811581296262013-09-19T10:17:35.311+02:002013-09-19T10:17:35.311+02:00Susan, the Tradition wine made by one of our villa...Susan, the Tradition wine made by one of our village's wineries, La Méchinière (owned and operated by Valérie Forgues), is an assemblage of the three local red grapes (Côt, Cabernet, and Gamay). My understanding is that that is is mix for Tradition wines here in this part of Touraine. You're right about the Chenonceau appellation — I haven't seen a wine labeled with it yet. And yes, Côt/Malbec was the traditional grape in this area, I believe. Personally, I (like Walt) am partial to the local Gamay reds. They are light, fruity (not sweet) and drinkable. Côt wines can be slightly overpowering, like the Cahors wines made from the same grape, overpowering the food "on" which you serve them.Ken Broadhursthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04430899802705818716noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18071407.post-60363782444482180472013-09-19T10:08:58.189+02:002013-09-19T10:08:58.189+02:00Terrific overview, and Brigitte makes an interesti...Terrific overview, and Brigitte makes an interesting about the Cot in Amboise. One of 'our' winemakers who is Touraine and Touraine-Chenonceaux says that Cot is the original red for this area. Gamay really only took hold after phylloxera, and in his opinion is a bit delicate for the area. He is moving to replace parcels of Gamay with Cot. He makes Tradition, which is his personal favourite. It's a 50/50 blend of Cabernet Franc and Cot (so far as I know Gamay is not used in Tradition). My impression is that the new Touraine-Chenonceaux appelation is struggling. Despite the more internationally recognisable name for marketing purposes, not many winemakers have released wines using the name, and the one vintage I have had was very ordinary (the winemaker wasn't overly happy with it, and has only just, rather reluctantly, released it).Susanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06472449597146519943noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18071407.post-21773718485513049162013-09-19T08:52:44.175+02:002013-09-19T08:52:44.175+02:00Fascinating...Fascinating...Timhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16439261142732764451noreply@blogger.com