Vouvray (wine): Difference between revisions

[[Viticulture]] has existed in Vouvray since at least the [[Middle Ages]] when the [[Catholic Church]] maintained vineyards at the local [[monasteries]]. The Chenin blanc grape, known locally as ''Pineau de la Loire'', is believed to have originated in the [[Anjou wine]] region sometime in the 9th century and from there eventually migrated to Vouvray. In the 16th and 17th century, [[Dutch (people)|Dutch]] merchants oversaw the plantings of many vineyards in the area to be used for wine trade with markets in [[London]], [[Paris]] and [[Rotterdam]]. Grapes from all over Touraine were brought together in a mass blending labeled simply as "Vouvray". Wine cellars were built in the region from caves created from the [[Excavation (archaeology)|excavation]] of [[tuffeau]] rocks used to build the [[Châteaux of the Loire Valley]]. The cold, steady temperature of these cellars served ideal for the advancement of [[sparkling wines]] made according to the traditional ''[[méthode champenoise]]'' that became popular in the 18th and 19th century. In 1936 Vouvray was created as an ''[[Appellation d'origine contrôlée]]'' (AOC).<ref name="Oxford pg 759"/> The boundaries of the AOC were defined around the village of Vouvray and seven nearby villages.<ref name="Dummies pg 201-202">E. McCarthy & M. Ewing-Mulligan ''French Wine for Dummies'' pg 201-202 Wiley Publishing 2001 ISBN 0764553542</ref> Included among these villages were [[Chançay]], [[Nouzilly]], [[Vernou-sur-Brenne]] and [[Rochecorbon]].<ref name="Johnson atlas pg 121">H. Johnson & J. Robinson ''The World Atlas of Wine'' pg 121 Mitchell Beazley Publishing 2005 ISBN 1840003324</ref>