Anjou wine

Wine made from the Chenin blanc grape can be dated to the 9th century in vineyards belonging to the Glanfeuil Abbey located just south of Angers in what is now Le Thoureil. Dutch traders in the 16th and 17th century introduced sweet wine production to the region that would feed the growing and prosperous market for such wines in Rotterdam. Anjou wines experienced some brief popularity with the English market being in demand due to their reputation for tasting "ripe and sweet". The high point of the Angevin wine industry was the early 19th century when the market demands of Paris overtook those of the Dutch and plantings flourished throughout the area. But soon the phylloxera epidemic would ravage the region's vineyards and bring this golden era to a close. In response to the devastation, growers in Anjou replanted with a wide range of grape varieties of varying qualities, including hybrid grapes. Even with this massive replanting, vineyards in the Anjou still number less than half of the acreage planted during the peak years of production. ==Climate and geography==

Located along the river Loire near the town of Angers, the region of Anjou has a mild continental climate with some maritime influences due to its close proximity to the Atlantic Ocean. This influence is tempered by the forests of the Vendée department to the southwest which absorbs the brunt of the rainfall and winds coming in off the Atlantic. Annual rainfall totals for the region usually hover around 19 inches (500mm). The vineyard soils close to the Loire are composed primarily of carboniferous rock and schist. Chenin blanc, in particular, seems to do well in this soil type. ==Appellations==

Within the Anjou wine region are several ''Appellation d'origine contrôlée'' (AOC)s responsible for a broad spectrum of wines including still red, white and rosé produced with varying levels of sweetness. The region produce more variety of different wine styles, from different grape varieties than any other Loire Valley wine region. The production of dry red wines has been steadily increasing since the late 20th century spurred on, in part, by the creation of the Anjou-Villages AOC in 1987 for premium red wine production. Made predominantly from Cabernet Franc, some of the most ideally situated vineyards located south of Angers in the Coteaux de l'Aunbance AOC was given their own distinct sub-appellation in 1998 known as the Anjou-Villages Brissac AOC. The Gamay grape of Beaujolais still has a presence here and its own appellation of Anjou Gamay AOC. Gamay, as well as a variety of other red wine grape varieties, can also be produced under the catch-all appellation Anjou Rouge AOC. In response to these concerns, the INAO renamed the AOC in 2006 to the shorter Chaume AOC. Quarts-de-Chaume AOC producers still felt that the close associate between their AOC and Chaume was causing damage to the value of their wines and continued to object to the AOC naming. In response the INAO disbanded the Chaume AOC entirely in 2009. Now wine produced in this region must fall under the larger Coteaux du Layon AOC designation. Other appellations • Anjou Gamay AOC This appellation maintains nearly the same boundary as the Anjou AOC but is dedicated to wines produced 100% from the Gamay grape. Similar to Beaujolais nouveau, these wines can be produced as Vins de primeur and released as early as the third Thursday of November following harvest. • Anjou Mousseux AOC Sparkling wine AOC produced according to the traditional method. Most vineyards in the appellation overlap with those of Saumur, making the appearance of the Anjou Mousseux AOC on wine labels rare as producers favor using the more recognizable and marketable Saumur AOC designation. Both white and rosé sparkling wines are produced in this region with sweetness levels ranging from brut to demi-sec. The white sparkling wines must be composed of a minimum 60% Chenin blanc with Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Gamay, Grolleau, Malbec and Pineau d'Aunis permitted to fill out the remaining 40%. Rosé sparklers are made from a blend of Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Gamay, Grolleau, Malbec and Pineau d'Aunis. • Anjou Pétillant AOC Wines labeled under this designation are semi-sparkling (similar to the Italian wine frizzante) and sold in regular still wine bottles and corks rather than Champagne bottles. These wines are aged in the bottle for a minimum of 9 months before release and can range in sweetness levels from dry to medium sweet. The white wines produced under this style must be composed of a minimum 80% Chenin blanc with Chardonnay and Sauvignon blanc responsible for the remaining 20%. A semi-sparkling rosé style may be produced under the '''Rosé d'Anjou Pétillant AOC''' designation and be composed of predominantly Grolleau with Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Gamay, Malbec and Pineau d'Aunis also permitted. ==Viticulture and winemaking==

The two major grape varieties of the Anjou are Chenin blanc, known locally as Pineau de la Loire, which is used for dry, sweet, still and sparkling wine and Cabernet Franc which is used mostly for rosé and still red wines. The sweet wine production of Anjou is highly dependent on favorable climate conditions and experiences marked vintage variation from year to year. The character of the vintage and climate will ultimately determine what type of wine will be produced. Many of the vineyards in the Coteaux du Layon, Bonnezeaux, Quarts de Chaume and Coteaux de l'Aubance AOCs are located on sheltered slopes along tributaries of the Loire. In favorable vintages, the late summer and early fall months will bring climate conditions that encourage moisture and mist in the morning and enough sunshine in the afternoon to promote the development of favorable Botrytis cinerea rot instead of less desirable forms of grape rot. In exceptional years where there is enough warmth and dry weather during the harvest months, the grapes will be left on the vine to raisin in a process known as passerille. This method desiccates the wine, removing moisture and concentrating sugars, without adding the nuance of flavor that Botrytis does. A characteristic of late harvest and botrytized wine production is the harvest of individual grapes in successive passes or tries through the vineyard ensuring only the ripest grapes are picked. Some producers will ferment and bottle the production of each tries separately but many eventually blend them together in order to produce a more balanced wine. The wine is often fermented at low temperatures and for some sweet wines can take up to 2 months. The alcohol level left in these wines can range from 12 to 14% depending on the sweetness level. The broad spectrum of wine styles produced in Anjou brings with it a wide variety of winemaking techniques. In areas such as the Coteaux du Layon, the wines are fermented in 400 L (106 gallons) "double-barriques" and submitted to partial malolactic fermentation. The basic still wines of Anjou blanc are made similar to still white wine production elsewhere though, as wine expert Jancis Robinson notes, they do have an historical association with being over sulfited. As red wine production continues to find a market, and plantings of Cabernet Sauvignon increase, more producers are experimented with the use of new oak barrels. In riper years Angevin producers can make more fuller bodied reds similar to those found in the Touraine wine reds but still relatively light when compared to the reds of warmer climates such as Bordeaux and the Rhone. ==See also==