The Bold Charm of a Loire Valley Red

A young woman and man who decide to tour the Loire Valley together seems like an opportunity to explore the feminine and masculine aspects of wine. At least, that’s what Eliott thought. Fascinated by the vineyard’s diversity, he wonders if he should offer Louise “feminine” wines. Nothing could be less certain. Louise only likes red wine. With that in mind, Eliott introduces her to gamay d’Anjou. The young woman is not impressed. She doesn’t like the idea of assigning a gender to wine and rejects the premise that lightness is always a feminine quality, while a full-bodied wine is considered masculine. Louise invites Eliott to taste a few lighter red wines made from cabernet franc. The young woman thinks that saint-nicolas-de-bourgueil, saumur-champigny, and chinon are all real finds. Eliott leans more towards the saumur rouge and saumur puy-notre-dame, two intense and aromatic wines.  

Louise prefers the bold reds from west of Touraine. Eliott is surprised. He always thought of these vintages as “masculine.” It’s time to leave old clichés by the wayside! Louise’s mind is made up. Sure, a red gamay d’Anjou has floral aromas. But that doesn’t mean you should only drink it on Mother’s Day!  

The road through the Loire Valley’s vineyards sure is full of twists and turns. Reds, like women, have a few words to say!