Saumur
Saumur () is a Communes of France, commune in the Maine-et-Loire Departments of France, department in western France.
The town is located between the Loire and Thouet rivers, and is surrounded by the vineyards of Saumur itself, Chinon, Bourgu ...
() is a
French wine
French wine is produced throughout all of France in quantities between 50 and 60 million hectolitres per year, or 7–8 billion bottles. France is one of the largest wine producers in the world. French wine traces its history to th ...
region located in the
Loire Valley
The Loire Valley (, ), spanning , is a valley located in the middle stretch of the Loire river in central France, in both the administrative regions Pays de la Loire and Centre-Val de Loire. The area of the Loire Valley comprises about . It is r ...
. The region is noted for
sparkling wines
Sparkling wine is a wine with significant levels of carbon dioxide in it, making it fizzy. While it is common to refer to this as champagne, European Union countries legally reserve that word for products exclusively produced in the Champagne r ...
produced by the
traditional method
The traditional method for producing sparkling wine is the process used in the Champagne region of France to produce Champagne. It is also the method used in various French regions to produce sparkling wines (not called "Champagne"), in Spain ...
, and for red wines made primarily from
Cabernet Franc
Cabernet Franc is one of the major black grape varieties worldwide. It is principally grown for blending with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in the Bordeaux (wine), Bordeaux style, but can also be vinified alone, as in the Loire (wine), Loire's C ...
. The main variety in the white wines is
Chenin blanc
Chenin blanc (, ; known also as Pineau de la Loire among #Synonyms, other names) is a white wine grape variety from the Loire Valley (wine), Loire Valley of France (wine), France. Its high acidity (wine), acidity means it can be used to make var ...
.
The annual ''Grandes Tablées du Saumur-Champigny'' is a popular annual event held in early August with over 1 km of tables set up in Saumur so people can sample the local foods and wine.
Appellations
The following
AOCs may be used for Saumur wines:
* Saumur - white, red or rosé
* Saumur-Champigny - red
* Coteaux de Saumur - sweet white
* Saumur mousseux - sparkling
* Cabernet de Saumur - for the rosé wines produced before 2015 (Saumur Rosé for 2016 and after)
See also
*
List of Vins de Primeur
Vins de primeur (or ''nouveaux wines'') are French wines permitted by ''appellation d'origine contrôlée'' (AOC) regulations to be sold in the same year that they are harvested. The most widely exported nouveau wine is Beaujolais nouveau, whic ...
References
Further reading
* {{cite book , last = Robinson , first = Jancis , author-link = Jancis Robinson , title = The Oxford Companion to Wine, third edition , publisher = Oxford University Press , year = 2006 , isbn = 0-19-860990-6
Loire AOCs
Sparkling wines