A conversation about the Loire Valley

I am so excited!  This Tuesday, I start a 6 week teaching endeavor that I have dreamed of doing for a long time.  I will be teaching wine at the famed Alliance Française.  Alliance Francais was founded in Paris in 1883, and has the largest network of French language and cultural centers around the world.  "Alliance Française is dedicated to promoting French languages and cultures and fostering intellectual and artistic exchanges between the French-speaking world and local communities". 
I was at a wine function and met the marketing director of the Atlanta chapter.  We started a conversation about wine and the rest is history, or should I say destiny.  My first class will be conversing about the Loire wine region.  I say conversing because my classes are unpretentious, intimidating, and relaxing.  I feel the best way to learn about wine is to talk about it.  I and the class will talk about the region, about the wines of the region and what makes the region and wines so special.   Not a lot of people don't know about the Loire Valley and its wines.  Actually that may not be true.  Have you ever heard of Pouilly Fume or Vouvray or Sancerre?  These are wines of the Loire Valley.  The Loire is one of the largest and diverse wine regions of France.  Four distinct districts; Nantes, Anjou-Saumur, Touraine, and Centre Vineyards produce wine from over 70 different appellations.  Grape varieties include Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Franc and Gamay.  The class and I will have quite a lot to talk about and a lot of wine tasting to do.  I think that's what I'm most excited about...information sharing that enhnaces and brings people one step closer to living the wine life!  A great producer of Loire Valley Wines is Barton & Guestier.  For a taste of the region, try a bottle of Vouvray (Chenin Blanc) with spicy Chinese or just sitting with friends on the patio.

enjoy