What goes on tour.... Wine Trip to the Loire

In this episode of the podcast, Osian, Pip and Jack look back on the Dylanwad staff trip to the vineyards of the Loire Valley in March. From underground cellars and family-run wineries to food and memorable tastings, they share their experiences exploring one of France’s most diverse and historic wine regions. Expect relaxed conversation, a few laughs, behind-the-scenes stories from the trip, and a closer look at the wines, people and places that made the Loire such an unforgettable visit.

We visited:

Domaine Ogereau 

Domaine Huet, 

Louis de Grenelle

Guy Allion

We stayed at:

Gite La Seigneurie

Dropyn – Gwin Dylanwad Wine Chat is recorded in our little wine shop in Dolgellau, North Wales. Join Dylan, Llinos and Osian as we chat about wines, winemakers and the stories behind the bottles.

🍷 Visit us at https://dylanwad.co.uk/ 

💬 We’d love your feedback and reviews to help us grow.  Diolch!

Transcript

Osian 0:07

Welcome to another episode of Drop In. This is episode 10 with your host Soshan and I've got two special guests with me today. Delan and Klinos are not here. I've kicked them out. They've gone for a walk or something. I've got uh Jack and Pip. Hello. Welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome to my podcast. Your podcast, Judy.

SPEAKER_00 0:27

Thank you for having us.

Osian 0:29

No problem. Um so yeah, I I thought I'd get you guys on it because this episode um is about our trip to the Loire Valley in France, uh, which we went on three weeks ago, four weeks ago. Three weeks ago. Yeah, it's amazing. Um yeah, I thought we'd just talk about just what happened, and we'll focus a lot on the producers that we went to see, but a lot of it, you know, just sort of what it's like to go on a business trip. Okay, it's a business trip.

SPEAKER_00 1:06

Oh, yeah, thank you, Dolan. Thank you. Yeah, thank you.

SPEAKER_02 1:09

Go on the trip is it was a business trip though. No, no, no enjoyment at all. I was tired after. It was good.

Osian 1:16

I think I was a bit ill anyway.

SPEAKER_00 1:18

I think we were all tired by the end, weren't we? There was a lot of I think travelling takes it out of you.

SPEAKER_02 1:24

Yeah, it was really fun, even though it was really good.

SPEAKER_00 1:28

Fun and good company, and we met some amazing people. Um, it does take it out of you. Yeah, it does. Definitely.

Osian 1:34

Yeah, so we went to see um four producers. Yeah. Um, three of them we properly went to see because the last one, uh Gyalion, we um we just didn't have much time because uh we had to get the the plane back, and Delane was very scared that we'd miss the plane because we had to go through Paris.

SPEAKER_00 1:58

And as his co-pilot yeah, co-pilot Pip, um, I can confirm that was quite stressful being back through Paris.

SPEAKER_02 2:06

There was a massive queue for about we were stuck in this queue for an hour or so coming into Paris, and we were stuck there, and we really thought we weren't gonna get the plane.

SPEAKER_00 2:16

Yeah, I well I really thought we didn't we wouldn't get driving in France on the whole wins against driving in the UK 100%. But except for Paris, Paris.

SPEAKER_02 2:26

Yeah, they're really crazy out there, and I did not realise they just drive into your lane. This is my lane now.

SPEAKER_00 2:33

Yeah, that was a lot.

SPEAKER_02 2:34

So, yeah, there were seven of us, wasn't there?

SPEAKER_00 2:36

Yeah, seven of us in a vehicle that was probably more for five adults and two children in the back.

Osian 2:45

So, um not for someone like Jack who's six foot three.

SPEAKER_00 2:50

And if if anyone's ever seen Madagascar and the giraffe Melvin, uh Jack was basically squashed in the back of this vehicle like he was the giraffe in the box.

SPEAKER_02 3:03

My head was out of the window the whole way, yeah. Pretty much, yeah. It was a whole way, and then my legs and my legs.

SPEAKER_00 3:08

We took one for the team by being in the back. Yeah, um, thanks, Jack.

SPEAKER_02 3:13

No, it's okay, it was a really good, it was funny. I was fine. There was plenty of room.

SPEAKER_00 3:17

I'm not gonna I don't think there's plenty of room. I think that's an overstatement.

SPEAKER_02 3:21

We stopped a few times.

SPEAKER_00 3:22

Yeah, we did. We tasted some wine and took the edge off. Yeah, yeah.

Osian 3:26

So yeah, you did well. The first the first day, so we went on Sunday, um, got to Manchester, got a nice sausage sandwich just to keep us going, and then yeah, got the flight to Paris, and then got a three-hour drive to Samour. Um, we got there quite late. It always takes longer than you think it's gonna take when you um when you stayed in an an amazing place though. So we stayed in a um an Airbnb that one of the so it was a a winery that we didn't we don't buy from, but we stayed in their one of their Airbnbs, and it was really nice.

SPEAKER_00 4:06

Yeah, and to stay as as part of a winery as well was was quite special. Yeah. And they did, you know, show us their selection of wine as well.

Osian 4:14

They had their bottles that you could buy in the Airbnb, which is great.

SPEAKER_00 4:17

The wine fridge in the Airbnb. Yeah, and they had a spine.

SPEAKER_02 4:20

Just wanted a raider.

Osian 4:22

Yeah, they had a sparkling red, didn't they? I think that's a that's a thing now. I think a lot of people are asking for sparkling reds.

SPEAKER_00 4:28

Um we should do another episode on sparkling reds.

Osian 4:31

We should, yeah. Yeah, we should. We need to get some first, don't we? We do need to get some. Um, but yeah, so got there and then went to an Italian restaurant as you do, as you arrive in front of it. Which was really nice. Oh yeah, and but they they were serving the wines that from the people we were staying at, actually. Yeah, that's right. A really nice Samur um Cremant uh sparkling that we had, just really good.

SPEAKER_00 4:56

And I think that it was made extra good in the fact that we'd had a full day of travelling, it was late, yeah, we'd arrived, and then we were tasting the wine in the restaurant on the ground. That was really cool.

Osian 5:08

Yeah, the wine's really good. Um so that brings us on to the first producer that we went to see the next day, which is Domain Ogerot. Let's put my wine glass down. We are having a drink. Getting serious now, getting seriously. Tasting my notes out.

SPEAKER_00 5:25

We've got to remind ourselves.

Osian 5:27

So Domain Ogerot. Maybe some of you who are listening might have had a glass um or two. When am I recording? We're recording in April. So end of May, end of March, we had uh a little tasting of the Chenin Blanc and uh Cabernet Sauvignon just by the glass um from this producer Domain Nogereau.

SPEAKER_00 5:47

So quite a distinctive label as well on the show.

Osian 5:50

Yeah, really nice, yeah, yeah, really nice people as well. Yeah, so I'm just gonna read you a bit. So Domain Nogereaux is a highly regarded family-owned winery located in Saint Lambert's de la Te in the heart of the Anjou Noir region of the Loire Valley, established in 1890.

unknown 6:08

Gosh, it's old.

Osian 6:10

There's a recurring theme like with these sort of French uh producers that we went to see that they've been making wine for a very, very long time. They're like OGs. Do you know, compared to um a lot of the the Welsh vineyards popping up, you know? I think the first one started in the 70s. They probably I think they had grapes, they've had grapes in Wales since the Roman times, I think. But you know, to to think of you're working somewhere that's been making wine for since the 1890s is a crazy time.

SPEAKER_00 6:44

Yeah, it's a new level, isn't it?

Osian 6:45

When you dive into the history of it, yeah, and it's um so this is uh an estate that is currently managed by fifth generation uh Emmanuel Ogerot are leading operations alongside his parents Vincent and Catherine Ogerot. Um so the grapes that they grow, so Loire Valley is sort of split into uh I can't remember how many parts really, but it's sort of four, I reckon. So you got on the right side and then um Puy Fumi, so Sauvignon, a lot of Sauvignon there, Touraine, I think it's still Sauvignon, and then Vouvre, Shenin, Anjou, Shenin. Yeah, um and then you come into and then to the west you've got Muscaray and stuff like that. I'm not a huge um I don't know too much about the Loire. Um I think Delane could talk for for hours about the Loire because I think he's got a soft soft spot for it. Yeah, yeah, he definitely does. Beautiful places, but all all I can say is, you know, the France trip in two words, it's sort of chateaux and heartburn. Heartburn because we drank a lot of white wines and very fresh red wines, yeah. Um, and I think that's the current like a recurring theme with you know Loire Valley, it's these red wines that are not really full-bodied, they're sort of fresher, fruitier, and I I like that sort of style, but I had the worst I was in my element with you.

SPEAKER_00 8:26

I loved the Loire, yeah. I luckily don't suffer. I was just high on life.

SPEAKER_02 8:31

I was you were having a lovely chance. My first trip, uh never been to France before. And yeah, wow, wow. That's cool. Never been to France before, and just beginning with all you guys who obviously know your stuff more than me, and being able to experience all of that and meeting the producers that we've been selling their bottles of wine for.

SPEAKER_00 8:55

It definitely gives you a connection, I think, to the wine, and especially when we're back in the shop and we're talking to customers, yeah. It helps you really understand, and you almost feel like you've you're you know the producer, so yeah, because like for example, we sell a bottle of wine, like Ogero now.

SPEAKER_02 9:14

Yeah, oh I've been there, and yeah, people who make that I've been on the vineyards, exactly Kim's bottle of wine from Spain.

Osian 9:21

Yeah, you could say, Oh, yeah, we've sat and Kim who we had on our second episode. Um, yeah, it just helps so much, you know, because you you know exactly what the vineyards are.

SPEAKER_00 9:34

And you learn so much quicker from being in a vineyard to reading a textbook.

Osian 9:38

Exactly, yeah. So you see it all. Oh, it's hard reading from textbooks, isn't it?

SPEAKER_00 9:42

Yeah, when we were doing our training and I've not been through that yet. So the the Augero um what you know, vineyard, you said it was a family-run business, which it is, and he's got two young girls, so he had two children. Yeah. Um, and we definitely are I asked the question if he was hoping that his girls would be interested in the what in the vineyard and taking it on. And I think his aunt he he was very chilled, he was a very lovely character, um, and he didn't suggest anything to you know that he would want them to take it over. But I think the girls are interested in their like machinery and the you know, the the tractors, and I think the youngest had maybe taken a sip of some wine that had alcohol in it when she believed or she thought it was further up the chain and it hadn't fermented yet, and it should have just been the grape juice. And so you can kind of picture the scene of youngsters around a vineyard.

Osian 10:41

Yeah, and so he's yeah, the fifth generation, and um I think he's pushing this sort of organic biodynamic um thing, you know, sort of yeah, they've been certi certified organic since 2019.

SPEAKER_00 10:56

Yeah, and then moving into the biodynamics. Yeah, yeah.

Osian 10:59

So we'll talk a bit more about biodynamics in a bit because there was another uh winery we went we went to, Huet, who is, you know, um they've been doing that, been of biodynamic for God knows how long. I'll get my ninety nine years. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Oh well done, Jackie. Thank you. Reading your notes, reading my notes.

SPEAKER_00 11:18

Um but it's probably worth mentioning the style actually because as part of that family-run business and it being passed on to generation, yeah, they were very open to that particular individual putting their stamp on the wines that are being produced. And I'm pretty sure Emmanuel was saying that they're s they're switching their percentages of sweet wine, so sweet shannon.

SPEAKER_03 11:44

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 11:45

For for more dry Shannon. Like it's more perhaps more famous for its sweet, but they're they're doing a higher percentage of dry now. Yeah.

Osian 11:53

Um I don't feel like people are drinking as much sweet wine as well.

SPEAKER_00 11:57

No, it's not as trendy, is it?

SPEAKER_02 11:58

They're getting rid of the um was that the rose one now as well.

Osian 12:02

Yeah, the sweet rose, the cabernet.

SPEAKER_02 12:05

I don't know what the last vintage of that one is there. Yeah, but I remember nice. Yeah, I like that, enjoyed that.

SPEAKER_00 12:11

It's cool that they're able to, he's able to make those decisions, and they, you know, they have their parcels of land and they they chop and change what they want and where the grapes are grown. And it's quite it's really cool.

Osian 12:22

Yeah, you know. So, but yeah, the majority of the grapes they grow is Sheninbok, or Shenar. I can't pronounce it properly, but it's um, I think it's 99% white plantings, and they also grow Cabernet Franc. So this is another grape um, I think originated from the Loire, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon, and Grollo. I think they've got some other grapes, I'm sure. Um yeah, being organic since 2019. So they do have sheep in the winter time just grazing away on there because we did we did see the sheep, didn't we? And yeah, we did.

SPEAKER_00 13:01

They were moving them around the vineyard. Just remind the listeners what the organic means. Oh, okay.

Osian 13:08

So organic wine is organic, what yeah, so organic is when you it's uh viticulture sort of um certification that um you're only allowed to use a certain amount of pesticides, and I can't remember exactly what it's like.

SPEAKER_00 13:25

So it's the vineyard rather than the winemaking, basically organic status, isn't it?

Osian 13:29

Yeah, and then biodynamics is something else that I will go into in a minute. But um we went to see one of his patches um where he makes bon bon blanche, which is a sweet wine, um, and then he so they're they're close to the Coteau de Leon, which is the river, and you need that sort of humidity and uh the mist from that river to create botrytis, yeah, which is that um fungus that makes sweet wines, shrivels the grapes, it's the right fungus, not the bad one. Yeah, and it'll but because you're right by the river, um gets some humidity and it creates that um botrytis. And then he showed us didn't he on the other side of the river, he's got another patch where he makes dry white wines, yeah. And that was volcanic soil. Um so they're so into their soils, aren't they? You know, sort of volcanic, and that really changes the way the vine grows and yeah, and the knowledge that they have.

SPEAKER_02 14:31

Yeah, but interesting as well, with the little cool fact uh with the Domain Argerot. I just wanted to say this. Um, but the mother, sorry, the father and the son, um Manuel, uh both are tuba players, and that's why you could see like hints of on their labels, on their labels, yeah. Yeah, so that brings in the labels, on the labels, yeah. So I thought it was quite cool.

SPEAKER_00 14:54

I think they're really actually really distinctive labels on a you know on a shelf, they do stand out as a range.

SPEAKER_02 15:00

We've got a whole, yeah, it's almost a shelf full of them, isn't it?

Osian 15:04

Yeah, yeah. Um, so yeah, they've got their dry Shenins, they've got sweet Shenins, um, and they do have some reds, so they've got a straight Cabernet Franc and a straight Cabernet Sauvignon, which are really nice, just yeah, quite pure fruits. And so when we went into the winery, he was playing around with some stuff, wasn't he? Yeah, he was some big barrels, he had some concrete, yeah, they were like they looked bizarre, yeah. Um, had the names of the wines on them that he was making. Um, so a lot of these producers now I think they're mixing, instead of just going, Oh, I'm just gonna age my wine in oak, yeah, or in oak, stainless steel or whatever. They would age you know, 20% in oak, maybe new or old, and then the rest would be maybe clay pots, and then a bit of concrete. But I think it's that purity of fruit that you get from the Loire. It's um, you know, it's not heavily oaked or anything like that. No, it's really you really taste it sounds pretentious, but like the soil and yeah, they're really good.

SPEAKER_00 16:13

Yeah, in summary, they're really good. They're really good producer, yeah. We enjoyed the visit. And we had some nice sparkling from there, didn't we? We tried some sparkling, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Osian 16:24

Which we don't have on the shelf, but yeah, maybe sometime, hopefully. Yeah, and again, it's um so the wine-making evolution of uh the push towards dry white wines now because the market they people love dry white wines, don't they? A bit like Sauvignon, which we have spoken about many times, yes, it's that's what is on trend, isn't it? Yeah, but they were good. I prefer Shenon Blanc to Sauvignon, definitely. Yeah, I enjoyed it. It's really good.

SPEAKER_02 16:57

It's Kerry's favourite, isn't it? Yeah.

Osian 16:59

Yeah, it was really good. Yeah, I really enjoyed it. So where did we go next? Did we go home after that producer?

SPEAKER_00 17:08

Yeah, we did get a sandwich, yeah. We did. We get a sandwich. We went home.

SPEAKER_02 17:12

Because what sandwich did you have, Os?

Osian 17:14

I had uh salami, brie, and some crisps. And what was the baguette like?

SPEAKER_00 17:19

And we sat next to the pool that wasn't we weren't able to get into the pool, but you know, it was a really sunny day. Yeah, and we could see you do get hungry. Well the tasting.

SPEAKER_02 17:31

There was a hot tub there. Oh sorry, carry on. I've been interested, I'm just dreaming about the pool and the hot tub here now. Sorry, yeah. But no, you do get hungry after these after these tastings.

SPEAKER_00 17:41

I think it's the concentration, and I had to explain this to my family because they obviously thought it was a lovely jolly, which it was, but there's so much concentration that goes into these tastings because you're sat in front of the producer, yeah. Right. So you have to like be on the same wavelength and get your taste, you know, your tasting hat back on.

SPEAKER_02 18:04

It is work. Um a lot of people thought, oh, how brilliant I must have been. It was brilliant.

SPEAKER_00 18:10

It was, but it was exhausting.

Osian 18:12

Yeah, it was exhausting. But and I forget to spit the wines up. Forget to spit the chews both. Depends. Um I was gonna fold on. Next up was Yeah, so we had a sandwich, and then we went to yeah, the next place.

SPEAKER_00 18:28

Louis?

Osian 18:29

Louis, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 18:30

Went to Louis, Louis de Grenelle. So this is uh the sparkling specialist of the Samoa.

Osian 18:36

So we we buy um directly from Louis de Grenelle's.

SPEAKER_00 18:41

In fact, our palette was right there ready. Oh, wasn't it?

Osian 18:44

Yes, it was, yes. Um so they're a sparkling wine producer, but they I think there's a f uh a trend these days for Cremant Cremant. Yes, yeah, I think it's quite fashionable today. Um Cremant de Loire, specifically for that region, but they are more specifically Samur, which we were staying in, and they are renowned for making you know sparkling wine, and again, founded in 1859.

SPEAKER_00 19:13

Yeah, and those cellars, we haven't talked about the cellars.

Osian 19:16

We'll come on to the cellars. So the subterranean city, that's what one of my um titles is for my notes. Um the wineries at street level, obviously.

SPEAKER_00 19:29

Obviously.

Osian 19:30

Uh and but the real magic happens 12 to 15 metres underground in a labyrinth of caves stretching over two kilometres. Yeah, secretly. That wasn't it? So this was prisoner carved. I think don't uh maybe you need to fact-check me. But 15th century Tufo limestone quarries were largely hand carved by prisoners serving time for smuggling salt, violating the pre-revolutionary Gabelle tax.

SPEAKER_00 20:00

Okay. Um it definitely was hand carved, that's definitely correct. Having been in there, not sure about the prisoner thing. I don't feel like we'd they mentioned that. They didn't. No, they didn't.

Osian 20:11

Oh, sorry if I'm wrong. Um and the king's chair, so hidden at the end of the Duke's caverns is a secret Bacchus throne, so carved directly into the stone.

SPEAKER_00 20:20

And Clint sat on it.

Osian 20:21

She did. Legend says she's got a picture because she is the queen. Legend says if you drink the right amount of samurai there, you might be inducted into their secret wine society.

SPEAKER_00 20:30

Oh yeah.

Osian 20:31

I wonder I wonder why Klinos disappeared for a while.

SPEAKER_00 20:34

And she sat in the chair.

Osian 20:35

She did.

SPEAKER_00 20:36

I should have sat in the chair. So she sat in the chair.

Osian 20:39

We should have all sat in the chair.

SPEAKER_00 20:41

Hmm. We'll have to find out.

Osian 20:44

So we got a tour around the caves. And Jack, how many bottles do they keep in their caves?

SPEAKER_02 20:52

Thousands. There was a lot of more?

Osian 20:54

More? Look at your sheet.

SPEAKER_02 20:56

Oh, oh, looking at the sheet, getting a hint, yeah, getting told off. Sorry. Um four million bottles aging in the dark. It was it was. It was like a secret CIA tunnel, isn't it?

SPEAKER_00 21:09

It was quite hard to get your head around, really, wasn't it? And you wouldn't want to be left alone in there because you would a hundred percent be lost. Yeah.

Osian 21:16

And drunk in the wine. You'd be hydrated though, wouldn't you?

SPEAKER_00 21:19

You would be, at least, I suppose, yeah. You wouldn't die.

Osian 21:23

No.

SPEAKER_00 21:23

There was no phone signal down there though. Was there not? No. I didn't check. I checked. Just in case.

Osian 21:29

There was nothing, you know, just in case it's all distinct. So yeah, specialise in some more sparkling wine. So this is traditional method, champagne method, but from that region. So they buy grapes um from producers around. Um and so by law, Cremont has to age on the leaves of the dead east for 12 months. Yeah. But Louis de Grenelle often ages their top cuvets for 18 to 24 months, and even up to eight years. Which was a bottle that I think we tried.

SPEAKER_00 22:02

Eight or eight years.

Osian 22:02

Or they were bottling, I can't remember. Eight years.

SPEAKER_00 22:05

Yeah.

Osian 22:06

Um so they are known for a very low dosage. So the wines are really bone dry and dry, which really fresh.

SPEAKER_00 22:14

Which I really like. Like not much brioche, uh you it's more fruitful, yeah, pure, which is again the theme of the Loire, I feel um it's it's kind of forging a category all on its own, isn't it?

Osian 22:27

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 22:28

Um, although it's shampoo method, it's it's very different. Yeah. The end product is very different.

Osian 22:33

Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 22:34

Um, they were lovely. That tasting was lovely. Yeah.

Osian 22:37

So he had he was he's been there for 20 years. Um and he knew his stuff, didn't he?

SPEAKER_00 22:43

And very passionate about it.

Osian 22:45

He was talking about different bubbles and oh gosh, the bubble lessons. Surface tension and the bubbles, and I loved his passion for it, you know.

SPEAKER_02 22:54

To think that you've been in that for 20 odd years, and some people might get tired of it, but he's just he seemed like he'd been there, or he almost seemed like he it was his first day, and but at the same time he was very knowledgeable, yeah. And to think you can have that passion for something you love so much, still 20 odd years into it, yeah.

Osian 23:18

Yeah, I don't know. Yeah, but I think because some of the wines are aged for so long, you're almost waiting for them to be ready. Yeah, you know, so you want to see what the the result is when a wine is aged for eight years before being disgorged.

SPEAKER_00 23:32

Like if it's gone wrong, yeah. But those cellars are 12 metres deep, yeah. And there's as we as Jack said, four million bottles down there.

Osian 23:43

Crazy.

SPEAKER_00 23:44

Yeah.

Osian 23:45

Yeah. So we sell the white sparkling and um the rose sparkling and a grand crovet, so which is aged slightly longer. I think 24 months.

SPEAKER_00 23:58

But uh on popular opinion, I think the bottle we have here was nicer.

Osian 24:03

Than the Cremant Deloir.

SPEAKER_00 24:04

Than the the one the other we you know, we tasted two, didn't we? I preferred ours. Yeah. The one that we sell here, which is quite nice. Yeah.

Osian 24:14

To think that we've got yeah, but I think they said they were struggling because people don't know what Samoa is, don't they? When they see Cremant, I think Deloir, they're like, oh yeah. Yeah. But Samour is very specific, isn't it? Yeah. So they we preferred the Samoa because they did produce a Cremant de Loire.

SPEAKER_00 24:31

I think what we've got here, definitely worth a try.

Osian 24:33

Yeah. Yeah. Pure mineral, very, very dry. Yeah, really nice. Heartburn.

SPEAKER_03 24:41

Heartburn if you're if you're on.

Osian 24:48

Yeah, so what did we do after that?

SPEAKER_02 24:52

Went home? No.

SPEAKER_00 24:54

Uh so after Louie, we yes, we went back to our very lovely accommodation via the wine that the actual vineyard that we were staying on.

SPEAKER_03 25:06

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 25:06

And we'd popped in just to say hello, and it was probably maybe five o'clock at this point, right? And then got presented with another tasting, which was lovely, and that's where we tried the sparkling for the first time for me.

SPEAKER_02 25:21

Yeah, yeah. Yeah. And it was really, I thought it was gonna be really weird.

Osian 25:25

But it's not, it's not it's a bit sweeter than you think it's gonna be. But um, yeah, it was it was nice. Yeah, it was really interesting.

SPEAKER_00 25:33

They had she had some lovely wines, yeah, yeah, lovely wines there.

Osian 25:37

Really nice people, yeah. And then we went back and then had a bit to relax, I think. Yeah, I think that's right, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 25:46

I think we had a nap.

Osian 25:48

Did you have a nap? I think I had a nap. Yeah, yeah. And then we went yeah out for food.

SPEAKER_00 25:52

Yes, which was lovely.

Osian 25:54

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 25:55

Passed a few chateaus to watch the output.

SPEAKER_02 25:58

It was it was green or something, wasn't it? Um I can't remember. Ah, no, I can't remember. I'll I'll get back to it. I'll probably hit to my head, but yeah, I had a lovely meal.

SPEAKER_00 26:11

Drank some more wine.

Osian 26:13

More wine, yeah. Some Shannon.

SPEAKER_00 26:15

More Shennin.

Osian 26:16

And a sparkling.

SPEAKER_00 26:17

Yeah.

Osian 26:18

And uh Cabernet Franc. Yeah, which was delicious. It was Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 26:23

Highly recommend.

SPEAKER_02 26:26

Just ditch everyone, just go back to the Loire, do the whole thing again. Do it longer this time.

SPEAKER_00 26:34

And then day two?

Osian 26:36

Day two, yeah, which was the final day.

SPEAKER_00 26:38

Final basically final day.

Osian 26:39

Yeah, it was a quick visit. Um so we got up at seven?

SPEAKER_00 26:44

Yeah, because we had to be out, I think, didn't we? Yeah. We needed to be over it.

Osian 26:48

Got up at seven and then we left to go to Vouvre. Um so people who don't know what Vouvre where well I I don't know where Vouvre is specifically, but they produce um Shenon Blanc.

SPEAKER_03 27:05

Yeah.

Osian 27:05

So 100% all the time. Um but we went to probably the the greatest estate. I mean, it was quite something. Surprised that we were allowed to go actually because it's yeah, quite famous.

SPEAKER_00 27:21

Do sell their wine in our shop.

Osian 27:25

Yeah, there we go. So Domain Huet.

SPEAKER_00 27:27

Um The King of Vivre.

Osian 27:30

Yes, widely considered the greatest estate in the Vouvreau appellation, established in 1928. Um Gaston Huet. So he was the founder. And yeah, long lived wines, made exclus exclusively from Shenham.

SPEAKER_00 27:48

Um incredible estate, wasn't it?

Osian 27:51

So he ran Gaston ran the estate for 60 years, served as mayor of Vouvre for 46 years. Um but the place is now currently owned since 2003. Um he sadly passed away in 2002. And I think Del Anatinos met him actually. Yeah, they did, I'm sure they did. Um by the Huang family from the Philippine American.

SPEAKER_00 28:17

So Sarah, who we met, yeah, lovely.

Osian 28:20

She was lovely. Um so she took us around the estate.

SPEAKER_00 28:23

Um, and she's definitely keeping the story alive, isn't she? In terms of the history of the estate, and that was really cool to to see.

Osian 28:33

Yeah, she yeah, she was she was amazing, actually. She's just so knowledgeable, yeah, just knew everything. She was passionate about it and whatnot. Yeah, yeah. It was like she's been running it since 1928. Yeah, and she's definitely not that old. Um, so they are biodynamic pioneers. I said I'd get back to that one. Yeah, go on then.

SPEAKER_00 28:52

Let's go into biodynamic.

Osian 28:54

Right, let me change sheets. Let's get serious now, eh? So we've talked about biodynamics. Uh, I can't remember what episode it was. Um, Middel and Linos, about our South African producer Avondale, Avendale. Organic is a vineyard management practice, but so is biodynamic. So Domain Huet specialise in biodynamics, but their wines are really good. Um so it's the focus on soil health, vine resilience um through several key methods, you know, sort of reduce tilling so it's not no longer mechanically tilled, um, so that encourages the roots of the Shenin to delve deeper into limestone to find nutrients. Um and again, manual harvesting a lot 90% of the vovre appellation uses tractors to harvest, whereas Vouvre uh puet harvest by hand. And then so they use homeopathic style preparations to stimulate the life forces of the land, right? Hocus pocus, okay?

SPEAKER_00 30:07

Yeah, it sounds a bit woo-woo-woo-woo.

Osian 30:08

Horn manure. So they use cow manure. So the cow manure is buried in cow horns over the winter to ferment. The resulting hummus humus is diluted and sprayed on the soil to promote root development and microbial activity. Ground quartz is buried in horns, so this is another one. Over the summer and sprayed as a fine mist on the leaves at daybreak to enhance photosynthesis and light absorption. They also use herbal teas, um, so organic preparations like nettle, horsetail, or chamomile to help the vines receive vital nutrients and natural combat diseases.

SPEAKER_00 30:48

So they give the vine a cup of tea.

Osian 30:50

Cup of tea. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 30:51

That is what they're doing. Very British.

Osian 30:54

A cup of tea. Cup of tea. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 30:56

Two sugars.

SPEAKER_00 30:58

Yeah.

Osian 30:58

No sugar.

SPEAKER_02 30:59

No sugar.

SPEAKER_00 31:00

So this is like an this is next level to I'm not finished, yeah.

Osian 31:04

Oh. Oh, sorry. Um, yeah, this is next level. So lunar and cosmic rhythms.

SPEAKER_00 31:12

Oh, yeah, she talked about this. Yeah. Sarah talked about it.

Osian 31:15

So the timing of all vineyard, so this is proper biodynamics. The timing of all vineyard work from pruning to bottling is guided by the biodynamic calendar. So you've got fruit days, preferred for harvesting to ensure the best expression of fruit's character. You've got root days, ideal for pruning and soil work to support root health, and you've got leaf slash flower days. So used for specific maintenance tasks or to let the vineyard rest.

SPEAKER_00 31:45

Rest days. We all need a rest days.

Osian 31:48

So they base these days on I think the lunar. The lunar cycle. What do we think of that, guys?

SPEAKER_00 31:57

So it's like tides.

Osian 31:58

Almost.

SPEAKER_00 31:59

Almost. Tides, but in vineyards.

Osian 32:02

Were we drinking there on a day? That's not on the list, sorry. But a drink day.

SPEAKER_00 32:09

Drink day. I'm sure it is. You just check that again.

Osian 32:14

Does it make sense?

SPEAKER_00 32:15

It's hard not to smirk, but I also I love it. I love the the depth, the detail, the commitment, all of that.

Osian 32:23

But I feel like these were the best wines of the world. And they were the best. That was what I've told you in my life.

SPEAKER_00 32:27

So you can't laugh at it because it is fantastic wine.

SPEAKER_02 32:30

And she was just opening bottles and we'd both we tasted a lot of wine to be like.

Osian 32:38

Jesus. So they've got three different plots, all with different types of channels. And I'm getting my notes out because there's so much to learn. Sorry guys, for the listeners. Word vomiting. Um so they've got three, the big three vineyards. So they got the Le Hot, Le Hot Lieu. Yeah. So this is deep clay. So the resulting wine is supples, fruit forward, and usually the most approachable when young. They've got another vineyard called Le Mont. So the insider favourite quotes, apparently. Stony, flinty soil, resulting in intense minerality, precision, and massive aging potential. And then third one, Clos de Bourg, the powerhouse. So a seventh century walled vineyard with thin soil over solid limestone, resulting in structure dense and powerful. So we tried loads of different shellons. We did, and from different those different plots. And different vintages as well.

SPEAKER_00 33:46

Yeah, and they all tasted that was, I have to say, one of the best tastings. It was. And I feel like we've done maybe not so much Jack yet, but you'll get there. We've done a fair few tastings now of that kind of level, and this came out really high, didn't it?

SPEAKER_02 34:05

We were Dole said that you probably away. Dole said you probably to me, uh, as we were leaving, you probably never had the opportunity to maybe taste as that great of wine.

SPEAKER_00 34:16

No, no, it was something else, wasn't it?

Osian 34:19

She was so generous.

SPEAKER_02 34:20

She was generous, yeah.

Osian 34:21

It was crazy.

SPEAKER_00 34:21

And it just kept coming. I mean, we thought, you know, six was great.

SPEAKER_02 34:25

She was going into this little little back office and just grabbing more wine and three each side or something.

SPEAKER_00 34:31

And also, it's probably relevant to say this was all before midday.

Osian 34:34

Oh, yeah, it was nine o'clock.

SPEAKER_00 34:36

Yeah, I think it was ten by the time we were tasting, so you know.

Osian 34:40

I struggled to spit these out.

SPEAKER_00 34:41

Uh and we struggled to spit them out, so you can picture the picture the scene here.

Osian 34:47

But Vouvre is very interesting because it's all Chenin Blanc, but you've got dry ones, you've got semi-sweet ones, off-dry, demisec, and then you've got really sweet ones.

SPEAKER_02 34:59

Um sorry, just pouring some more wine as you talk.

SPEAKER_00 35:03

I was just looking at the vintages. What year are we drinking?

SPEAKER_02 35:07

So we're currently drinking uh domain huet 2018. Yep. Demi-sec.

Osian 35:12

Yep. From which uh vineyard is it?

SPEAKER_02 35:15

Oh the domain huet. Does it give you a top? Le Hot. I can't. I know it's on the top, but I can't pronounce that. I'm sorry. I can't pronounce that. And I don't want to. I'm disappointed in your joke. Disappointed, thanks. No, I'm joking. It's okay. You can be if you want.

SPEAKER_00 35:34

2024.

SPEAKER_02 35:35

It's just I couldn't pronounce that. I don't want to offend them.

SPEAKER_00 35:37

So we've got the So we tasted a 2003 when we were around there. I've gone and picked it up, yeah. Which was the Le Mont, so our our second of the three vineyards. Oh, I can't quite see on there. Which that looks like a 2001 as well.

SPEAKER_02 35:54

Yeah, yeah. They had bottles along the top as well. I just wanted to point out a load of bottles from different vintages and some of them stretching back from 1970. Yeah. And I thought that was really cool.

Osian 36:08

And these wines can age really long time. Yeah. Like the major thick. I think people forget that some white wines can age.

SPEAKER_00 36:16

Um we asked the question, didn't we? Because they obviously have a stash of every vintage in this remarkable cellar network. And they just on occasion will go and open a bottle from donkeys years ago just to see how it's going. And she explained it like sometimes they're sleeping, sometimes they're awake, sometimes they're like, Do you remember that? And she used the um like I'm sure she used a child or a toddler analogy and was suggesting that you know they they needed to mature a bit more to be at their own. Yeah, or they're teenagers and they're not behaving, they're not listening, or they're not. Well, I can't really remember, but it was very interesting.

Osian 37:04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 37:04

Yeah.

Osian 37:06

So we tried arrange so some dry, some sparkling, some demisex or off-dry, some mollier, so sweet, um, and then cuvet constance, some of the duets they um but let the patrytis go on the grapes. So they'll do multiple pickings and I still don't understand.

SPEAKER_00 37:29

And it's all hand harvested because they have their team of volunteers, don't they? I want to volunteer signing up to come and volunteer and them having to say no more. So much to learn, isn't there?

SPEAKER_02 37:43

Like, yeah, there was a lot to it. Um I learnt a lot as per someone, you know, you guys have been out to Italy, you've been to France before, and you've been able to taste these different wines and experience all this different training and knowledge. And for me, because as the first time doing it, it was quite overwhelming before we went on the plane, and I think I was having some anxious moments at work, always getting close now. Oh, oh, we're going tomorrow. Um, that was quite anxious for me, and I thought you guys were just so warm and welcoming. Oh, you did so well, Jack, and you've got good knowledge.

Osian 38:23

Even though you looked like a the giraffe for my giraffe. What was his name again?

SPEAKER_03 38:26

Melvin.

SPEAKER_02 38:27

Melvin, yeah. Melvin, and I think it was day two or day one after that you mentioned that the giraffe. We mentioned the giraffe. We watched Madagascar. Yeah, we did me Dolikin.

Osian 38:38

Finish the night, finished the trip off the night before we watched Madagascar. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 38:43

It was a good, it was a good film. It's a good film.

SPEAKER_00 38:45

It was a great film.

Osian 38:47

Yeah, but we still had one more, so that was Huet, and we I think we were just like gobsmacked and just well, we did visit the chateau as well. Oh, yeah, we went to a chateau on the way for the bigger.

SPEAKER_00 38:56

So no wine, no wine involved, but an amazing chateau with just so much history. Yeah. Um that was quite gnarly history.

SPEAKER_02 39:07

That was a bridge as well. It was a chateau that was built on the Loire. No, was it Loire?

SPEAKER_00 39:13

Or was it it was built across it been extended to form a bridge, as you say, through the building.

SPEAKER_02 39:20

And it was a hospital back in World War II or World War I, which I thought was quite interesting, and it was three floors above the river, and just seeing all the artwork and the different just everything.

Osian 39:35

But that's the thing with France, isn't it? It was just like Yeah, it was amazing. So cool. It was cool, and like all these caves that um we went to, that is just part of the winery and part of the history, you know.

SPEAKER_02 39:47

It's just um and some of the caves you could sleep in, and there were swimming pools in these caves, hotels in these caves is um it's one of our lifetime experiences.

Osian 39:58

Well, you did get a souvenir, didn't you, Jack, on our last producer that we went to.

SPEAKER_02 40:03

We haven't spoken about him then yesterday.

SPEAKER_00 40:05

Oh, okay. So we went to after the chateau.

SPEAKER_02 40:08

Yeah, after the chateau.

SPEAKER_00 40:09

We went to one of our producers.

SPEAKER_02 40:12

Gyalion. Brief visit, brief visit, very brief. But again, we were fatigued, our palate was fatigued. All parents all Franced out. Sorry, all Franced out.

Osian 40:23

Well, wind out all wind out, sorry. And but we went to visit, so they produce um nice Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Gamay, and they had some special ones. Again, they're mixing a bit of starting to get creative, yeah. Making white wines that have been aged in clay pots and oak and mixing together, and we tasted those and definitely a modern style, I think.

SPEAKER_02 40:47

No, it's Gaialo. Guiano? And Jack stole a rock. I stole a rock from Vineyard. And from we were all very hesitant that I couldn't take it back on the airplane.

Osian 40:58

Was it limestone rock? It was limestone, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 41:00

What have you done with this rock now?

SPEAKER_02 41:02

It's currently I've got my desk and it's to the right, and it's I've got a is it in a frame? It's not on a frame. No, get it in a frame. It's on like a a display. I've got my I'm not a child for this. I've got a Lego display. I've got the rock. I've got the corkscrew from my got from Louis de Grinelle.

SPEAKER_00 41:24

Which came back on the pallet.

SPEAKER_02 41:25

It came back on the ballot because we couldn't take a sharp object on the plate. Yeah. Jackland. Yeah. I can't remember else I got on there, but yeah, I've got my rock there. Okay. And it reminds me all the time. So the rock could be Lego display. That I smuggled from France.

Osian 41:38

Yeah. I didn't think you'd get it through customs. I didn't think I'd get it through either.

SPEAKER_00 41:42

Well, because it was a rock?

Osian 41:43

A rock? I'd throw it at someone. Didn't know you were allowed to take rocks.

SPEAKER_00 41:47

Well, you you'd never tried Osh. Yeah.

Osian 41:49

Because it's quite a trial. You can use it as a weapon.

SPEAKER_02 41:52

What are you going to do? Stop. I'm going to throw a rock at you.

SPEAKER_00 41:56

Yeah, I suppose. Uh no, so you have a rock from Guy Alleon.

SPEAKER_02 42:00

Yeah. A rock from Gyalion. And I wish obviously we were quite in a bit of a rush, and they were very, very, um, very kind to us. Um, I just wanted to thank them as well because I think I asked them if I can take the rock as well.

SPEAKER_00 42:16

Well, no, I think what actually happened is you went to hold the rock, the rock came away, yeah, and then you sort of looked over and was like, Can I think can I keep this?

SPEAKER_02 42:29

Yeah, I don't know why. Just at the moment. And yeah, we we we weren't there long because of the para Paris traffic. Yeah, we have to get the plane back. To get the plane back. Um, but that was probably that was a really good visit. Really interesting, yeah. Really nice wine as well. There, Rose.

SPEAKER_00 42:48

Yeah, but I didn't touch a white wine for Oh no, we were saying at least at least two, if not three weeks on returning. We'd peaked.

Osian 42:58

We'd peaked, yeah. We had peaked, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 43:01

But yeah, otherwise, yeah.

Osian 43:03

All in all. All in all. Yeah, great, great stuff, wasn't it?

SPEAKER_00 43:07

Great trip.

Osian 43:07

Yeah. And we talked too much.

SPEAKER_00 43:09

1010 recommend.

Osian 43:11

I think so, yeah.

unknown 43:12

Yeah.

Osian 43:13

We've been talking for 46 minutes, that's what we're doing. Oh, that's quite long, isn't it? Quite long. Sorry, audience. Maybe we've been rambling on. Um slightly rambling. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 43:22

But no, it wasn't.

Osian 43:23

Thank you, Pip, for joining. Oh, thank you for having us.

SPEAKER_00 43:31

Yes. And I think this shift of today was particularly busy towards the end. Yeah, we and we were you were running a tasting.

Osian 43:38

We're currently Easter. Yeah, I've just done a wine tasting for a couple.

SPEAKER_00 43:42

Um Yeah, you were running a tasting. I was trying to shut the shop. Customers were still in the shop. That makes that tricky.

SPEAKER_02 43:49

Yeah, that makes it tricky. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 43:51

So um, yeah, we ran upstairs, didn't we?

SPEAKER_02 43:53

And where was I? You just rolled in at the end of the yeah. Uh I rolled I rolled in ten minutes late and No, that's good. I've got a text message as soon as it's coming in. Yeah. Jack, where are you?

Osian 44:04

Where are you?

SPEAKER_00 44:05

That was great. Cool. See you for the next one.

SPEAKER_02 44:08

See you for the next one.

Osian 44:09

Yeah, I hope you guys join me for the for a one in the future. One in the future. Maybe after our next trip.

SPEAKER_00 44:14

Yeah. Yeah. Sparkling red. We can talk about that.

Osian 44:19

Yeah, I'll get that down in a minute.

SPEAKER_00 44:20

Yeah, let's do some sparkling red.

Osian 44:22

If you find chat. Cool. That's good. Thank you. See you. Yeah, we'll catch you in the next one. See ya.