Touraine AC reform: a bottle that urges reflection

 

2009 Vin d'Oeillades, Domaine Navarre

 Last night we drank a bottle of 2009 Vin d’Œillades from Thierry Navarre (Domaine Navarre, Roquebrun in Languedoc). It was deliciously easy drinking – not complex but a wine to be enjoyed chatting amongst friends. Significantly it was also lowish in alcohol – 11.5%.

It is a wine that ought to cause the Touraine producers to give further reflection to the proposed reforms to AC Touraine – proposals that needlessly restrict the permitted grape varieties.

Œillade is a traditional grape variety from around the Saint-Chinian area that virtually disappeared during the 20^th Century. Related to Cinsault it used to be planted in the higher parts of the vineyard as it ripens properly without a high level of alcohol. Thierry Navarre, who is now president of the Saint-Chinian appellation, was, I understand, the first to bottle it as a single varietal. Now at least one other vigneron is starting to work with pure Œillade attracted by its tradition and its lowish level of alcohol. 

Œillade is just the sort of traditional variety that the proposed Touraine reforms would ban. It reminds me of L’Arpent Rouge that the Clos Roche Blanche occasionally makes from Pineau d’Aunis. Although as it comes from the Loire, L’Arpent Rouge has more acidity, it is similarly easy to drink without a lot of alcohol. The Touraine proposals will effectively bar Pineau d’Aunis from the appellation.

This is not a plea to introduce non-traditional varieties like Merlot into Touraine. Rather that the traditional varieties of the region should be considered as a treasure – part of the heritage – and not as a nuisance. Happily fashions change. Grape varieties that were dismissed as of poor quality of little interest are often reassessed. One has only to think of how Carignan was viewed in Languedoc-Roussillon twenty years ago – dismissed as poor quality and needing varieties like Syrah to lift the quality of the region’s wines. Now old Carignan is highly regarded.

Equally the Touraine producers should consider the example of Grüner Veltliner in Austria. Again once dismissed as a work-horse grape, GV is now responsible for some of Austria’s most exciting whites.     

I’m sure that if these foolish proposals are ratified they will soon be viewed as a mistake. Unfortunately the process is now well advanced with agreement expected by the end of the year. Inevitably many of the most interesting producers will surely decide to continue to use Pineau d’Aunis, Menu Pineau etc. but sell them under the new less restrictive vin de table designation. AC Touraine will cease to properly reflect the region’s tradition of being the crossroads for the grape varieties from the western Loire with those of the Central Vineyards.

See also today's excellent post on Hervé Lalau's Chroniques Vineuses.