Secrets of the Loire

 

SECRETS OF THE LOIRE CLASS

Follow the Loire River — France’s longest and laziest — and you will find some of the world’s most refreshing, food-friendly, gently-priced wine. In the Loire Valley, you have France’s largest production of bubbly outside of Champagne, the world templates for the grapes Sauvignon Blanc and Chenin Blanc, and reds of remarkable brightness and savoriness.

We will consider a range of key subjects, including why Loire wines are considered among the most versatile, why sommeliers adore the region, why the Loire is considered the epicenter for both the idea of terroir and the natural wine movement, and which Loire wines have surprising ageabiilty.

We will start with Crémant de Loire, the quality sparkling wine that not enough wine enthusiasts know about. Next comes Loire’s well-known favorite, Sancerre, a paragon of grassy pungency and tongue-tingling crispness. We then turn to two excellent Loire reds, Sancerre Rouge and Chinon, which are snappy, charming slingshots of red berry flavor and earth.

In additional to the featured wines being presented, Mark will clue you into a slew of other tempting Loire types, from Muscadet to Vouvray.

And we will cover tasting techniques, decoding the label, and food pairings — including regional favorites such as Crottin de Chavignol (rounds of goat cheese), rillettes (a type of pork pate), and fish in beurre blanc sauce.

Moreover, if you’ve ever been to one of Mark’s presentations, you know it is brimming with humor and his trademark “nuggets” of useful insider information that you won’t find anywhere else.

The cost of the class is $55 per household, and if you want to taste along with Mark, an optional Bevinars wine kit is now available to purchase at Wine.com. 

You are encouraged — but not required — to taste along with Mark. If you wish to buy the accompanying Wine.com wine kit, please do so here as soon as possible after you register below. 

The featured wines are:

• Crémant de Loire
• Sancerre
• Sancerre Rouge
• Chinon

The specific selection of wine, and its vintage, can vary depending on your location, but all bottles have been personally approved by Mark for their deliciousness and typicity.

If you do not purchase the wines online, you are free to ask a trusted local merchant for their recommendations for the wine types listed above.

Registrants will be emailed the Zoom link and reminders prior to the class. The class fee is non-refundable.

FOUR-WEEK COURSE: The Secrets of the Loire class is part of the four-week Secrets of Iconic Regions 4 (Sept-Oct) course. Register below for the full course (4 classes) and receive a 20% discount on the course. The cost for four classes is $176 per household.

MISS A CLASS, NO PROBLEM: Full course participants may access video recordings of the entire course for two months after the course ends, ideal for those who miss a class or want to watch again. Individual class registrants may request a link to the recording of the relevant class.

FREE GIFT WITH FULL 4-WEEK COURSE: Purchasers of the full course will be mailed a complimentary, limited-edition Bevinars wine glass polishing cloth. Custom-made for Bevinars, the cloth is extra large and made of plush microfiber, perfect for polishing your stemware to a fine sparkle.