Vouvray

Vouvray, in the Touraine district of the Loire Valley, is the spiritual home of Chenin Blanc. Here, the grape reaches remarkable heights of complexity across an extraordinary stylistic spectrum—dry (sec), off-dry (demi-sec), sweet (moelleux), and sparkling (méthode traditionnelle). The region's tuffeau limestone soils and cool, humid climate favour both high acidity and the development of noble rot, allowing for long-lived wines of great finesse.

Top producers such as Domaine Huet and Domaine Vincent Carême craft wines that can age for decades, developing waxy, lanolin-like texture and flavours of quince, honeycomb, and chamomile. The interplay between tension and richness, especially in the off-dry styles, is Vouvray’s signature. Even the dry wines maintain a hauntingly floral and mineral core, while sweet examples rival the best of Sauternes in longevity and grace.