Kate gets a taste of Angers!

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Today we took the high speed train to Angers (Ahn-JEH for you non French speakers) for a chance to further understanding the mysteries of Terrior with respect to the wine industry in France. I was really excited about this day - meeting Pascal Drouin, from InterLoire and Florent Baumard from Baumard Vineyards. It was to be my first experiences tasting wine while consciously trying to note the unique flavors created by differing exposures to the sun, earth and water (or lack thereof) from its origins in the Loire valley.

We began with M. Drouin and learning about the Loire valley region and the AOC - the Appellation d’origine contrôlée - or the"controlled term of origin". Through this assignment, viticulturalists monitor the French tradition of recognizing the area in which the grapes are grown - experts maintain the area’s unique conditions directly affects the grapes’ flavors and as a result the wines. And though the winemakers meticulously follow strict procedures and traditions while producing the wine, each year, and as a matter of fact, each grape, is different and special from year to year. So finally I started to understand vintages and the concept that one year’s wine might be more special than those of other years just based on the grape’s exposure to the elements that year. In fact, the grapes that survive are more extraordinary. Often, those that undergo the most ruthless of conditions in growth yield the best wines.
After this brief lecture/discussion the tasting began. We first examined the wine’s color against a white background (is it straw colored? pink? violet? garnet?), and then we shoved our noses into the small openings of our tasting glasses to inhale the wine’s aroma. Then we carefully sipped the wine to taste its unique flavors - some of us even ventured to try what I called the “suck in thing” (where one attempts to take more air through the teeth to further aerate the wine and gain access to its fuller flavor). We tasted five wines and had a light French lunch to compliment the tasting.

The trip to the Baumard vineyards was beyond amazing - we were rained on in our little jog from our bus to the chateau but the most beautiful peaceful afternoon of winetasting ensued. And it was amazing to us to meet M. Baumard, a winemaker so passionate about his work. Through his lessons and stories, we learned firsthand the delights and frustrations of his work - but especially how thrilled, honored, and humbled he feels to participate in this time honored tradition. We tried several of his award winning wines, including two separate vintages of his famous Papillon (Butterfly) wine, and thoroughly enjoyed the rustic yet elegant surroundings of the vineyard.
After the vineyard visit, we continued to explore Angers - including a visit to Le château d’Angers - (http://angers.monuments-nationaux.fr/en/) which is a fortress that dates back to before the 9th century. And it houses the most amazing collection of medieval tapestries depicting the Apocalypse created in the 14th century.

We meandered through Angers some more before the day was over. I was able to speak enough French to order this enormous hot chicken, potato, and cheese sandwich (which was awesome) and when we got on the train, I once again slept through the entire train ride despite all of my classmates excitedly discussing the day’s events all around me and missed the beautiful sights of the French countryside. Oh well. C’est la vie!

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