Vouvray

Vouvray is a white wine from the Loire Valley, produced in Touraine, just a few kilometres east of Tours. The appellation is based exclusively on a single grape variety, Chenin Blanc, whose cultivation here dates back to 372, when Saint Martin is said to have planted the first vines.

An appellation with four different styles

What really sets Vouvray apart is its ability to produce four distinct styles from the same grape variety: dry, off-dry, sweet and sparkling. This diversity is partly due to the terroir, with clay-limestone or clay-siliceous soils depending on the vineyard, but above all to the conditions of each vintage. Hot, dry years favour dry wines, while wetter autumns, conducive to the development of noble rot, allow concentrated sweet wines to be produced. The same estate can therefore produce very different styles from the same vineyards depending on the vintage.

Unique troglodyte cellars

Vouvray's subsoil is carved into tuffeau, a soft limestone rock, creating numerous troglodyte cellars where temperature and humidity remain stable throughout the year. These conditions are ideal for ageing and storing wine and have also encouraged the use of the traditional method for sparkling cuvées, which undergo their second fermentation in bottle in these same cellars before disgorgement, following a principle similar to that used in Champagne.

Chenin Blanc, a grape with a strong identity

Chenin Blanc is characterised by its naturally high acidity, which remains noticeable even in the sweetest cuvées and prevents them from becoming overly heavy. In a dry Vouvray, it produces aromas of quince, apple and sometimes a touch of honey, with a minerality that varies according to the terroir. In sweeter styles, the aromas become more concentrated, with dried apricot, candied quince and honey, while retaining the characteristic freshness that distinguishes great sweet Vouvray from richer dessert wines from other regions. This high acidity also explains why some Vouvray wines, particularly the sweeter styles, rank among the longest-lived French whites, with some cuvées capable of developing for several decades.

An iconic estate

Domaine des Aubuisières, run by Bernard Fouquet, is a fine example of the diversity of styles that can be produced within a single estate: dry cuvées from the clay-limestone soils of Petit Clos, sweet wines from the best plots when the vintage allows, and a traditional-method Brut to complete the range. This approach, common among leading producers in the appellation, makes it possible to explore a wide range of styles from a single grape variety.

How to choose and pair a Vouvray

A dry Vouvray pairs naturally with fish, seafood or poultry and is best served chilled at around 10-12°C. An off-dry or sweet Vouvray works well with foie gras, blue cheese or a fruit tart, served slightly cooler to balance the sweetness. Sparkling Vouvray, meanwhile, is ideal as an aperitif, like other sparkling wines, offering Champagne-like freshness at a considerably more accessible price.