infinite oak groves
The Loire forests hide the secret of the origin of the best french oak barrels of the world. Ghost towns, century-old buildings, vineyards and green forest are the ingredients of this France unknown and unusual . And we have discovered it.
Loire, land of forests and vineyards
The Loire Valley is one of the favorite destinations for lovers of medieval castles , the princely gardens and the peculiar taste of the wines from central France. But there is a hidden part in the valley of the longest river in neighboring country , a little traveled and almost inhospitable area where the towns are dyed in dark tones and the oak groves grow imposing.
arrival at Nevers , capital of reference on the banks of the Loire River, is almost as gray as the cobblestones of its streets. belongs to the path of French Camino de Santiago and it seems that its streets are the ones they whisper curses at night, of distrustful citizens and gloomy side streets that lead to a 14th century cathedral or to a fifteenth-century ducal palace. Behind his silence things are hidden so fascinating like the uncorrupted corpse of Saint Bernadette Soubirous , a fact that turns the town into the "other Lourdes".
Nevers: idyllic
But, without a doubt, what most fascinates the region are the spectacular oak groves we were talking about, endless forests criss-crossed by paths that look like they came out of any horror movie and that lead to true natural treasures. This piece of the "other France" keeps a hidden secret in the eyes of mortals: it is the cradle of the best wood in the world, that of the French oak that ages at most exclusive wines of the planet. We get lost at virgin jungles of the most unknown France.
oak jungles
THE SECRET WAS DISCOVERED BY A WHITE WINE
We may not have noticed this hidden part of Europe if it weren't for Alexander Simon, manager of the warehouses Louis Cheerful . Alexander came to the Loire Valley because a good friend of his, winemaker in Portugal , she called him to tell him that she had tasted some barrels for a Douro white wine from those dark and leafy forests of the Loire , more specifically, from the outskirts of the French town of Murlin.
Thus appears in our lives, for the first time, the name of ** Berthomieu **, one of the most peculiar cooperages in France, owned by the Charlois family and from which Alejandro brought the first three or four barrels of that oak to Spain . It was September 2003 . This is how the oak from the forest of Bertranges , and revolutionized the landscape with some white wines which, to this day, are still Referrer in the market.
Alejandro has not hesitated to tell us about the experience: "Here in the Loire Valley is the Bertranges forest, which is the one that most interests oenologists . the public now he does not want very marked wines in wood , and this forest offers them with very soft tannins ; the wood of its oak is very elegant , does not have vanilla excesses that people are beginning to banish, nor do they have many lactones (coconut aromas, for example)".
Cooper's tools at the Charlois sawmill
The wood is a guest at the grape festival in the world of wine. The Spanish red varieties are allowed to express themselves very well and play with it in a thousand ways, and the one from this forest greatly respects the richness of the fruit. We asked Alejandro about the spanish oak and he sheds a little light: "In Spain there are good oaks, but Very few. We have one very poor management of our forests. In France, the forests don't burn , the property belongs to the state, there are no private or urban interests. The French have always been the great masters of wood and they have defended that a lot through the culture ". And for sample, a button: the green cloak that covers the country so certifies it. When will we learn in Spain? Possibly never.
Handcrafted barrels at the Charlois sawmill
LAND OF WINE WITH UNEXPLOITED TOURIST POTENTIAL
The Loire Valley is the queen land of sauvignon-blanc , a very aromatic grape that makes this part of the planet a great land of wine But the French, really, are very reluctant to everything that means open the doors of the wineries to wine tourism. they feel invaded and they are very jealous of their privacy. They are not in favor of teaching anything, although the new generations are starting to change the chip.
It seems that it is difficult for our neighbors open up to tourism much more than the Spaniards, who are much more open. La Rioja, for example, is a very important wine tourism engine, who has followed very well the footsteps of the california model, and not French. The first advocates doors open 24 hours, while French is recollection, austerity and secrecy.
Little by little, the Loire cellars are opening up to visitors
This aspect has, however, been good for France, because it has endowed its wines with a fabulous point of mystery. Perhaps that was a marketing move (as we have seen in Spain in wineries like Vega Sicily ), which gives the wine a touch of exclusivity, luxury and unattainable good.
But the mentality, as we indicated, is changing. The new generations they reconcile with the internet and they are beginning to appear first routes through the Loire Valley -which, by the way, is UNESCO World Heritage - , and not only through the famous castles. There are ** bike itineraries ** through this most hidden part of the valley and the wineries begin to be visited , in a natural environment covered with forests where they can well appear boars the size of a hippopotamus roaming freely, or who are in the middle of meadows where a flock of sheep grazes, oblivious to everything that happens around them.
There are more and more bike routes in the area
The cheese It is another of the great strengths in this area. It is a great jewel of French gastronomy, and object of authentic veneration for the locals (and not so locals). In fact, in local businesses there is no shortage of such mythical cheeses from the center of France as Valençai (which takes us to torrejon with Cantagrullas ash that we know in Spain), a goat cheese with pyramid shape and covered with ash with an indescribable taste.
Starting from the premise that there is no worthwhile French banquet that does not end with local cheeses , we have tried pairing it with ** Luis Alegre ** and the result has been wanting to return to the Loire Valley. Because when it comes to occult france a, there are experiences that can only be enjoyed with great curiosity and, of course, with a nice toast
Valençai cheese, another of the great values of the Loire