Al goes to the Loire

3 months ago

The Oxford Wine Company's buyer, Aljoscha Wright, taking a photo with a group of other wine merchants in a street in the Loire.

An image of a graveyard in front of Loire Valley vineyards

I was lucky enough to join a small group of wine lovers on a trip of discovery in the Central Loire. We visited a number of sub-regions namely Sancerre, Pouilly-Fumé, Quincy, Reuilly, Coteaux du Giennois and Châteaumeillant. The Central Loire is best known for its production of Sauvignon Blanc, however the purpose of our trip was to discover other styles and varieties produced in the region. Pinot Noir does particularly well in this part of the world and as we discovered, the Central Loire is not too far from Burgundy, so it’s not surprising. What is surprising however, is that in terms of value for money, Pinot Noir from the Central Loire is a very promising prospect.

Rosé from this region is also very interesting with many producing the pale, light, and dry wines that we are all enjoying at the moment.

A blend of Gamay and Pinot Noir has also become iconic, synonymous with the Châteaumeillant region, offering wines with a crunchy, fruit forward and playful style.

Aljoscha Wright

Aljoscha was born in Cape Town and lived the city life until the age of seven when he moved to the South African countryside. He studied Politics, Economics and Sociology at Stellenbosch University, and during his time there worked at a number of wine farms. After graduating Al moved to the UK to take up a job at a friend’s pub on the Norfolk Coast. He left again for the Alps, then South East Asia and South Africa again, before coming back to the UK. He joined The Oxford Wine Company as Assistant Manager of our Botley Road shop, then Spirits Buyer, and now heads up our range-wide buying operation.