📜 Vouvray

Vouvray is a French PDO (protected designation of origin) in the Indre-et-Loire department, near Tours in the Loire Valley. The specification covers three wine categories: still wines, quality sparkling wines and semi-sparkling wines.

The main varieties are Chenin Blanc, known locally as pineau de la Loire, and Orbois. Grapes are harvested in eight municipalities: Chançay, Noizay, Parçay-Meslay, Reugny, Rochecorbon, Tours, Vernou-sur-Brenne and Vouvray. Still wines are made, developed and aged in this area. Sparkling and semi-sparkling wines are also bottled there.

Still wines have a minimum natural alcoholic strength of 11 % vol. After enrichment, they must not exceed 15 % vol. Dry still wines must contain no more than 8 g/l of fermentable sugar after packaging. Sparkling and semi-sparkling wines may be made only by secondary fermentation in the bottle. If the must was enriched, their total strength must not exceed 13 % vol. after that fermentation.

The maximum yield is 65 hectolitres per hectare for still wines and 78 hl/ha for sparkling and semi-sparkling wines. Vines must be planted at no fewer than 6,000 plants per hectare, with rows at most 1.60 m apart. They are pruned short on spurs, with an average of 10 buds per plant and a maximum of 13.

According to the specification, the plateau is cut by dry valleys and cliffs of yellow tuffeau chalk, in which caves are carved for making and storing wine. A 1929 judgment fixed the area, and the controlled designation was recognised in 1936. In 2009 the vineyard covered about 2,200 hectares with 165 producers.