Winemakers fear that the relaxation of laws requiring authorisation for new vine plantings in France may cause a glut of low-quality French wine and jeopardise the long-standing Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée system. The simultaneous introduction of a new, non-geographically specific appellation, Vins Sans Indication Geographique (VSIG) has only intensified these worries.
The death of Jean-Louis Foucault, known as Charly, has saddened the wine community of the Loire and beyond. With his brother Nady, Charly was the owner of Clos Rougeard in Saumur, and the two were pioneers of organic viticulture; they are also the eighth generation to run the estate, one of the most respected wineries in the Loire Valley. read more