Displaying items by tag: loire valley wines

Award-winning author and columnist for Decanter Magazine and World of Fine Wine Andrew Jefford has joined the Wine Scholar Guild team as Academic Advisor in addition to his existing roles as seminar and immersion trip leader.

Summary: 

Every classic wine region is associated with a list of producers who manage to bring out the best in soil, site and grape. Their wines have purity of flavor, layers of flavor and concentration of flavor. In essence, these producers manage to bottle the soul of the region itself. 

In the Loire Valley, diverse soil types and grape varieties give us three producer groupings who have set the bar for excellence and distinctiveness. In order to cover them well, we will host two webinars.

Part 1: Loire... Opposites Attract

Here, we will focus on the still whites from the western Pays Nantais (Muscadet) and the still whites, rosés and reds eastern vineyards of the Centre Loire (Sancerre, Pouilly, Menetou-Salon, Quincy, Reuilly and Coteaux du Giennois) with a bonus glimpse into the Auvergne. Yes, it will be a “who’s who”, but it will also be a “who’s doing what!” at both ends of the Loire! Click here to access PART 1.

Part 2: The Loire’s Magic Middle

This webinar will focus on the heart of the Loire—the exquisitely beautiful and breathtaking stretch from Anjou to Touraine. We will take a look at historic estates and edgy newcomers and see how both are tackling tradition and innovation within every wine style. There is magic in the Middle Loire. Discover the best of the best.

Presenter: Pascaline Lepeltier MS

Summary: 

Every classic wine region is associated with a list of producers who manage to bring out the best in soil, site and grape. Their wines have purity of flavor, layers of flavor and concentration of flavor. In essence, these producers manage to bottle the soul of the region itself. 

In the Loire Valley, diverse soil types and grape varieties give us three producer groupings who have set the bar for excellence and distinctiveness. In order to cover them well, we will host two webinars.

Part 1: Loire... Opposites Attract

Here, we will focus on the still whites from the western Pays Nantais (Muscadet) and the still whites, rosés and reds eastern vineyards of the Centre Loire (Sancerre, Pouilly, Menetou-Salon, Quincy, Reuilly and Coteaux du Giennois) with a bonus glimpse into the Auvergne. Yes, it will be a “who’s who”, but it will also be a “who’s doing what!” at both ends of the Loire!

Part 2: The Loire’s Magic Middle

This webinar will focus on the heart of the Loire—the exquisitely beautiful and breathtaking stretch from Anjou to Touraine. We will take a look at historic estates and edgy newcomers and see how both are tackling tradition and innovation within every wine style. There is magic in the Middle Loire. Discover the best of the best. Click here to access PART 2.

Presenter: Pascaline Lepeltier MS

Pascaline Lepeltier, MS, discusses the itinerary for the upcoming WSG Study Trip to her native Loire.

In this podcast interview with Decanter's Andrew Jefford, Pascaline discusses the Loire’s best and brightest…all of which happen to be estate visits on the upcoming five-day journey she'll be leading students on in October. 

Master sommelier and Loire valley native, Pascaline Lepeltier, has been working with key Loire producers over the past months in preparation for the October 2017 Loire Wine Study Trip.

Take a look at her notes on this carefully curated list of both iconic and rising star estates/producers in the Loire Valley

An interesting read to get you re-acquainted with some of the more historically famed estates as well as introduce you to some of the new generation vintners who are pushing boundaries and defining the region’s vinous future…

Much has been written about the beautiful Loire Valley, well known as “the garden of France.” The wine region follows the meandering Loire River more than 600 miles through the gently rolling hills of a picturesque countryside. There is an abundance of vines and food crops in this fertile stretch of France. The Loire produces the largest amount of white wines of any French region, and it is the world’s largest mushroom producer. As the old adage says, “If it grows together, it goes together,” and this is perhaps nowhere as evident as it is in the Loire Valley.

Summary: 

Chenin Blanc is a wonderful grape variety, capable of creating some of the world’s best wines, especially in the Loire Valley. Yet, even here, in the “Kingdom of Chenin,” plantings of Chenin Blanc are limited to very specific areas and appellations. Moreover, the geology of these various appellations significantly influences the resulting style of wine.

This session will explore the characteristics of Chenin grown on slate and limestone soils.

Presenter: Pascaline Lepeltier MS

Blame the Château d’Yquem 1937 for convincing 2010 StarChefs.com Rising Star Sommelier Pascaline Lepeltier to begin her brilliant career in wine. Detouring from a master’s in philosophy and a career as a university teacher, the Loire Valley-born (Angers), Lepeltier began her obsession with wine at the two star Michelin-rated L’Auberge Bretonne under celebrated Chef Jacques Thorel, starting as assistant sommelier and soon presiding over a list of more than 4500 wines.

Within a year, Pascaline accomplished the remarkable feat of being named both Best Loire Valley Young Sommelier and Best Brittany Sommelier. While working as Beverage Director at Rouge Tomate in Brussels, she decided to intern at the George V in Paris under the direction of Best European Sommelier Eric Beaumard to train for the 2008 Best French Sommelier competition which paid off with a second-runner-up finish: the best result ever achieved by a woman. She again placed as the second-runner-up in 2010 and 2012. Currently Beverage Director of Rouge Tomate NYC, she was named one of the five best new US sommeliers of 2011 by Wine & Spirits magazine, one of the "New Wine Prophets" by Time Out NY and one of the “40 under 40” beverage influencers by Wine Enthusiast.

Lepeltier makes sure she is as knowledgeable about winemaking as she is about tasting, spending much time in vineyards and working harvests. It was through such visits that she discovered the world of natural wine. Called the “Natural Wine Evangelist” by Ray Isle in Food & Wine, Lepeltier’s strong advocacy of this authentic and pure approach is reflected in the large number of organic or biodynamic wines on her Rouge Tomate wine list, awarded in 2013 by the NY Times as one of the best in NYC, and 3 stars in 2014 by the World of Fine Wine. It is not surprising that she has written for various prominent wine guides and books in France -- including Art of Eating and Wine & Spirits- and was featured in numerous food and wine publications -- NY Times, Wall Street Journal, Wine Spectator, Decanter, Wine & Spirits, Food & Wine, Saveur, The World of Fine Wines, La Revue des Vins de France, etc.

In May of 2014, Lepeltier passed the rigorous series of the Master Sommelier exams and joined an elite group of Master Sommeliers worldwide, becoming the 21sr woman to achieve the title since the examinations were first set in 1986 for the American Chapter of the CMS.

Now, with her exams behind her, Pascaline is sharing her knowledge with her colleagues, currently teaching wine for the Court of Master Sommeliers and the ICC.

Lepeltier also holds two Masters in Hospitality Management and “Management des Arts de la France” from Angers University – I.M.I.S.-Esthua.

Learn more about the Loire Valley with the French Wine Scholar study and certification program and Loire Master-Level program. 

Presenter: 

Loire wines specialist – Trade France-Japan wines and saké – Former Director of the Bureau Interprofessionnel des Vins du Centre.