Uncorked: France’s Loire Valley committed to eco-friendly farming

Pierre-Jean Sauvion added a step to a morning ritual at his house.

The chairman of the InterLoire Communications Committee and the chairman of his family’s winery, Maison Sauvion, and the Grands Chais Group have France’s Loire Valley pointed toward environmentally friendly farming.

More than half of the Loire Valley estates are engaged in an environmentally friendly or organic farming practice, and are certified organic or in the conversion process. France’s National Wine Sector estimated 50% of the country’s vineyards will be eco-friendly or organically farmed by 2025. With the Loire already at that threshold, the Loire Valley Wine Council took a bold step forward to preserve their vineyards.

The Loire Valley Wine Sector Plan stated 100% of Loire Valley vineyards will be committed to environmental certification or organic farming by 2030. Sauvion is all about positive, small steps that he wants others to take notice of, which he’s practiced at home when his kids are getting ready for the day.

“Every morning when my little boy and girl brush their teeth, I tell them to stop the tap and reopen it again when they need to rinse,” Sauvion said. “We don’t need someone big for the whole world, I want a thousand little people doing good things everyday to make a change.

“We are ambitious, but not every area in France is the same,” he said. “We can move from little thing to little thing, but everyone needs to move. They need to do it, and tell everyone that they are doing it, that’s really important. If no one knows about those little things, it won’t make a change.”

Sauvion has heard rumbles that the goal is too ambitious, but he looks at it as an achievable challenge, and points to being ahead of schedule as proof that it is possible.

He’s even in touch with his own mortality, and wants the life of the vineyards to extend beyond his.

“The vineyard will never die,” Sauvion said. “I will eventually, but we need to pass on the Loire Valley vineyards to all the next generations. It’s a story, it’s a long, long story, and we need to care about Mother Nature.”

In the past 20 years, Sauvion has noticed the appearance of vineyards has changed. There was a time when he said everyone wanted vineyard soil to be “completely lunar, clean and shiny.” Today, there’s grass and cover crop between rows to ease erosion stress and also feed the soil.

Whereas there used to be one vineyard that had an identity for which wine growers worked, it evolved into one block, to today, where every vine has an identity.

“We go from domaine, to block, to vine and do what is needed,” Sauvion said. “One area might need something, but not another. Bees, trees, a flock of sheep; nature gives you some things that are free, so why not use it. We don’t name every single vine – Charlie, Peter … but we focus on the vine in the vineyard.”

Because each vineyard owner knows what will work best for their property, there isn’t a mandate as to which form of environmentally friendly farming must be used. They are simply asked to pick what they are comfortable with, and implement its practices.

“As a wine grower, we are working with Mother Nature,” Sauvion said. “If I kill Mother Nature, I kill my business. On top of that, we’ve got some regulations that are good for the earth, the environment and sustainability. In the near future, big chemicals won’t be allowed anymore, so we can’t wait. We can’t just put it out of our minds and have no solutions. We want to be prepared for that.”

A Zoom conversation with Sauvion showed his deft touch in relaying the Loire Valley mission statement. He had the knowledge of a tenured professor, the affability of a best friend, and the wink-and-nod sense of humor of a guy you’d want to pull up a bar stool next to and crack jokes about whatever game was on TV.

While he might sound like the perfect late-night TV host, he’s actually the kind of influencer who can reach a wide range of audiences, and he’s got a project to preserve the vineyards he loves.

“These vineyards are the best in the world; I’m objective,” said Sauvion, with a raised eyebrow and grin. “It’s one of the best regions for three reasons. Back in the 1970s, oil was gold. Today gold is water. People who get water can produce wine grapes. We are lucky; we’ve got old rivers headed out to the Atlantic Ocean, we’ve got 25% of the potential water in all of France. We’ve got gold in the soil, because we’ve got water.

“We can balance freshness and alcohol,” he said. “What you need in the Loire is we can be technically mature and phenologically matured. We also get phenolic maturation. The perfect berries, the perfect place and the perfect soil as the … maturations arrive at the same time. Soil, weather and plant maturation all arrives at the same time.”

The safeguarding of that process in the Loire Valley is in good hands.

Tasting Notes

Pierre Olivier Bonhomme Touraine La Tesnière Blanc 2019 ($25): Nectarine, dried apricot and kumquat flavors emerge on a blend of Menu Pineau and Chenin Blanc.

Chateau de Montgueret, M de Montgueret Tête de Cuvée, Saumur Brut NV ($25): Red apple, toasty almonds and a brioche-like bun crust flavor were followed by a lemon-and-lime-like acidity that lingered on the finish. “We are making some really nice bubbles,” Sauvion said. “You need some acidity, because if you don’t have that freshness, then there is no bubbles. But, we can get freshness.”

Domaine de Villalin, Les Grandes Vignes Quincy 2020 ($19): Bosc pear flavors and a weighty white that provided an ample mouthfeel.

• James Nokes has been tasting, touring and collecting in the wine world for several years. Email him at jamesnokes25@yahoo.com.