{"id":11805,"title":"Our guide to the wine regions of the Tour de France","description":"Our guide to the wine regions of the 2021 Tour de France","content":"

Published in<\/strong>: EXPLORE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>

No one ever visited France for their beer, or indeed the coffee, but wine is a different matter. As my knowledge is limited to \"We've got red... and, er... white?\", I invited wine expert and keen cyclist Jamie Dawe of Dawe Wines<\/a> to educate us on the wines to look out for along the route of this year's Tour.<\/p>

\"\"Image credit: Dawe Wines<\/p>

Heartland<\/h3>

France is arguably the world\u2019s cultural heartland of both winemaking and cycle racing (Ed: It's Belgium for the latter, but we'll concede on the wine).\u00a0<\/p>

Since the 6th century BC, wine cultivation has created a tapestry of regional identity and beauty that has made for some of the most idyllic routes for the Tour de France to cut through.\u00a0Each year the organisers agonise over which famous wine regions to include within the route.<\/p>

In the early years of the Tour, it\u2019s well known that wine was not only used to dull the pains and fatigue of the competitor, but it was also safer to drink than the water!\u00a0<\/p>

Nowadays, both industries are linked with tourism; so cycling enthusiasts can visit their favourite Le Tour stage whilst also taking in vineyard tours and a glass or two of the local wine.<\/p>

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Thanks to the variable and individual geography, each wine region produces wines with very different character, flavour and colour, which is encapsulated by \u2018terroir\u2019. \u00a0This French word sums up the essence of a wine and how it\u2019s achieved with a mixture of the producer\u2019s experience, the weather and the soils in which the vines are grown. \u00a0<\/p>

Below we\u2019ve highlighted some of the stages of this year\u2019s Tour that pass through the famed wine regions.<\/p>

Loire Valley.\u00a0 Stage 6 - Tours to Chateauroux.<\/h3>

The Loire Valley will be the first major wine region to feature in the 2021 tour, located about 200 kilometres to the southwest of Paris. \u00a0<\/p>

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It\u2019s well known for the hundreds of chateaux that were built for the royalty and aristocracy of France, not to mention the connections with Joan of Arc.\u00a0 And, like the chateaux, winemaking has also been around for a long time in the Loire region.<\/p>

The region\u2019s capital, Tours, hosts the start of this stage with the route running through the sub-region of Touraine.\u00a0<\/p>

This is a region best known for producing Touraine wines that are made predominantly from Gamay and Sauvignon Blanc, grapes that are well-known for their intense aromas that can be combined with other local varieties, giving Touraine wines a very open, fruity and aromatic profile. \u00a0<\/p>

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Diversity is another major feature - Touraine wines can be red, white or ros\u00e9, still or sparkling.\u00a0 The flat route concludes at Chateauroux, a medieval town banked by the river Indre.<\/p>

Burgundy.\u00a0 Stage 7: Vierzon \u2013 La Creusot<\/h3>

Departing the Loire Valley from Vierzon, stage 7 will take the riders to La Creusot in Burgundy, or more specifically, the Cote de Beaune sub-region where the landscape is open, with rolling hills and southeast-facing vineyards that produce arguably the world's best Chardonnays.\u00a0<\/p>

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Think fresh apple and pear, white flowers, dried grasses and the occasional hint of hazelnut<\/p>

Due to Napoleonic inheritance laws, estates had to be split equally between all children, explaining why there are over 4,000 domaines in the region.\u00a0<\/p>

There are even winemakers that have just a single row of vines that wouldn\u2019t fill a single barrel, but like no other wine region in the world, vineyards that are just metres apart can produce vastly different wines from the same grapes.<\/p>

Rhone & Languedoc.\u00a0 Stages 11 to 14.<\/h3>

Stages 11 in Sorgues through to the end of Stage 14 in Quillan, are located in France\u2019s most southern wine regions.<\/p>

Northern Rhone is the mecca for Syrah: indeed, it\u2019s the only red wine grape permitted within this sub-region.\u00a0 This grape is believed to have originated in the region but it\u2019s also widely known as Shiraz.\u00a0<\/p>

The southern Rhone, famous for Ch\u00e2teauneuf-du-Pape, conversely permits 13 grape varieties and also boasts being among France\u2019s most alcoholic wines with 14-15% ABV not being uncommon.<\/p>

Le Mistral, a strong, cold northwesterly wind famed in the region not only influences the style of wines, but it\u2019ll also keep pelotons tight, having an average speed of 30mph that can last for days at a time and can often gust up to 60 mph.\u00a0<\/p>

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Bordeaux.\u00a0 Stage 20 \u2013 Libourne to Saint-Emilion<\/h3>

A time trial that will run past some of Bordeaux\u2019s most notable wineries including Chateau Petrus, famous for making the most expensive wine in the world - its unique blue clay soil brings out the highest but softest levels of tannins.<\/p>

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Each grape is individually handpicked, the average vine age being around 40yrs old though this Chateau occupies just 11 of the 120,000 hectares of vineyards that cover this region.<\/p>

\u00a0Bordeaux is divided by the Garonne and Dordogne rivers, with blends of Merlot and Cabernet Franc dominating the right bank and Cabernet Sauvignon the left bank, each having distinctive flavour profiles.<\/p>

It\u2019s not just red wines, however, there are also plenty of fine dry whites, cr\u00e9mants, dry ros\u00e9s and sweet wine producers within the region too.\u00a0 Another feather in Bordeaux\u2019s cap is being host to the crazy Marathon du Medoc every year where the support stations are stocked with red wine!<\/p>

For the cyclist, this area offers everything from quiet beautiful roads, stunning scenery and canal routes to the ancient cobbles of St-Emilion.<\/p>

About Dawe Wines<\/h3>

Dawe Wines<\/a> is the independent Bath wine merchant that specialises in premium wines & champagnes from artisanal family growers. Founded by Jamie Dawe who has a passion for wine and the desire to work with his dog Henry beside him.<\/p>

Jamie writes: \"My aim is simple: to enable you to have the best wine home delivery I believe is available. To provide you with hard to find champagnes from artisanal growers as well as wines that I actually know are good, not only technically great but I genuinely love them too. My simple promise is that I wouldn't sell any wine I wouldn't be delighted to drink myself.<\/em>\"<\/p>

25 June 2021 - Jamie Dawe of Dawe Wines<\/p>

Disclosure<\/h3>

Sadly, Rijden, and its employees, have not received any payment or inducement to publish this article by Dawe Wines. No matter how appealing that would be.<\/p>

<\/p>

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