Know your Pouillys

I opened a delightful bottle of Pouilly-Fumé recently – or was it Pouilly-Fuissé?  It’s easy to confuse these two which, like many European wines, are named according to their place of origin.  This is fine if you know the areas concerned or have a Masters degree in Geography but, for most customers, wines with similar names are just a headache.  Particularly when, as in this case, the two are very different from each other.  I’ve tried for years to think of a mnemonic to help the wine students I teach to distinguish the two, but nothing – they just have to remember. 

But the bottle I opened was definitely a Pouilly-Fumé, as the picture shows: Jean-Pierre Bailly’s classy ‘Les Griottes’ (Majestic, £16.99).  A typical Sauvignon Blanc from France’s Loire Valley – crisp and fresh in style with zingy citrus flavours – lemon, pink grapefruit and a touch of mandarin.  Far more restrained than many examples of the same grape from New Zealand, but still with plenty of character, no obvious oak and a long, smooth, dry finish.  This one would pair well with an oily fish – mackerel or sardines, perhaps – or, as you would find in its native area, with a local chèvre (goats’ cheese).

A Pouilly-Fuissé would be totally different.  Another popular French white, but this one made from Chardonnay grown in one of the warmest parts of southern Burgundy. Generally a medium- to full-bodied rich and creamy wine, perhaps with a hint of oak and full of peach, ripe pear and tropical fruit flavours.  A perfect match for more generous dishes, especially those with creamy sauces, or soft cheeses.

So, that’s the Pouillys sorted – or is it?  There is also Pouilly-Vinzelles and Pouilly-Loché (both similar to the Fuissé) and Pouilly-sur-Loire (a pleasant but simple wine from close to where the Fumé is made).  Anyone thinking of enrolling in that Geography Masters?

Rotten Grapes make Great Wine!

Ask a wine lover to name a sweet wine and chances are the reply will be ‘Sauternes’. This golden nectar is made from a blend of Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc grapes (with occasionally a little Muscadelle as well) in a tiny area 6 miles long by barely 4 miles wide a short drive south of Bordeaux. Both the location and the grape varieties are vital to making Sauternes the wine it is.

Sauvignon Blanc is a naturally high acid variety and so adds refreshing ‘lift’ to the wine which, without it, could be dull and cloying. But it’s the Semillon that holds the real key. It is a very thin-skinned variety and, as such, is very susceptible to rot. Rot is normally an enemy to winemakers, introducing off flavours into wine, but in certain circumstances, a particular type of rot becomes a friend. And in the warm, damp, humid conditions often occurring during a Bordeaux autumn, this so-called ‘noble’ rot (or botrytis) can be found most years.

Botrytis works in a strange way. It attacks the berries and makes dozens of pin-prick holes in them. Add a little sunshine and, as the grapes are warmed, the moisture inside them starts to evaporate through the holes, concentrating the sweetness in the berries so that, when they’re picked and sent to the winery for fermentation, the yeast struggles to cope with all the sugar. It converts some to alcohol, but plenty remains to give a wonderful, luscious sweet wine.

The most famous name of Sauternes, Château d’Yquem, sells for hundreds of £s a bottle, but the Château Filhot (pictured) is a remarkably good, elegant and affordable alternative, available quite widely including from Grape and Grind of Bristol for £12.99 a half bottle. Enjoy with desserts, of course (tarte tatin is a great match), but also with some blue cheese – Roquefort would be the traditional choice, but St Agur or the creaminess of a Dolcelatte would go well too.

Sancerre Style, not Sancerre prices

Sancerre and Pouilly Fumé, the twin towns of the eastern Loire, turn out some lovely wines. But, because they are famous names and always in demand, the best tend to be expensive (you can easily pay £15 – £20 or even more). And, if you go for some of the cheaper examples found in supermarkets instead, they can be quite disappointing. So, how do you get the lovely, racy, pungent flavours of a good Loire Sauvignon Blanc without paying these sorts of prices?

Look at a map of the area and, just to the west of Sancerre, you’ll see Menetou-Salon; a little further west and you come to Quincy and Reuilly. All three of these villages also produce Sauvignon Blanc in much the same style as Sancerre and Pouilly Fumé, yet, as they are not nearly as widely known, prices – comparing wines of similar quality, of course – are far more reasonable.

Take Denis Jamain’s Les Pierres Plates Reuilly, for example. We opened a bottle recently and it went beautifully with some grilled sardines. It was absolutely textbook Loire Sauvignon with wonderful clean, fresh, gooseberry and green pepper flavours. Only a real expert could confidently say this wasn’t a high quality Sancerre. But, when you check the price, you’ll notice the difference: £11.50 from The Wine Society. And, in case you want to try value alternatives from the other two villages I mentioned, Wine Society also have Domaine Pellé’s Menetou-Salon (£11.95) and Majestic are offering Jean-Charles Borgnat’s Quincy (£11.49). Both recommended.

If you’re searching for reliable Loire Sauvignon even cheaper still, you may need to choose carefully, but I’d suggest you look even further west, over the border into Touraine, the region surrounding the town of Tours. At their best, wines labelled Sauvignon de Touraine can give you much of the same style and freshness as a modest Sancerre, but, production here is quite large and quality can be a bit variable, which is why I say you need to be selective. Above all, avoid Loire Sauvignon at bargain basement prices (which, these days, means below about £6) as cheap examples are often dominated by tart acidity with very little fruit – very unpleasant!

And finding bargains by seeking alternatives to famous names doesn’t stop on the Loire. Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Pouilly Fuissé and many others have their value alternatives. But that’s a Bristol Wine Blog for another day. In the meantime, just look around.