All about Anjou
The vineyards of Anjou, cover around 20,000 hectares. It is renowned for its diversity, producing red, white, rosé and fine bubbly wines, with emblematic grape varieties such as Chenin and Cabernet Franc. It enjoys a temperate climate.
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Origins
History
The vineyards of Anjou, are renowned for their diversity. It produces red, white, rosé and sparkling wines, from grape varieties such as Chenin and Cabernet Franc. Its varied terroirs, mainly schist-based, and temperate climate offer well-balanced, refined wines.
| Distant origins | The existence of a vineyard in Anjou is recognized as early as the 1st century AD, and has been continuous ever since. Vines flourished here, as evidenced by these few lines from a poem by Apollonius (6th century): "There is not far from Brittany a town situated on a rock, rich in the dars of Ceres and Bacchus, which has taken its name of Andégave (Angers) from a Greek name." Although the vineyards of Angers developed throughout the Middle Ages, establishing themselves under the aegis of the monasteries on the banks of the Loire and around Angers, they were most famous in the 12th and 13th centuries. The influence of the kingdom of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine enabled "vin d'Anjou" to reach the finest tables. | |
| XVI | The Dutch brokers | Production expanded significantly from the 16th century onwards, thanks to the arrival of Dutch brokers seeking wines for their countries and colonies. The Dutch stocked up on wine, and trade flourished to such an extent in the 18th century that the Layon River, which runs through the area, was canalised to facilitate transport. However, the great renown of the "wines of Anjou" aroused greed and numerous taxes were created (droit de cloison, de boîte, d'appetissement, de huitième, de passedebout...), all of which had a negative impact on trade. The devastation of the Vendée wars completed the ruin of the vineyard |
| XIX | Prosperity | Prosperity returned in the 19th century. In 1881, the vineyard covered an area of 45,000 hectares, of which 10,000 hectares remained in 1893, after the phylloxera invasion. |
| Development | "Anjou" owes its fame primarily to the production of white wines made from the Chenin B grape variety. However, plantings of Cabernet Franc N, followed a little later by Cabernet Sauvignon N, accelerated after the phylloxera crisis. At the beginning of the 20th century, winemaking was mainly geared towards the production of "rouget", the local name for a light wine consumed in cafés, and constituted the first stage in the transformation of Anjou vineyards. Combined with grolleau N and grolleau gris G, which produce light-colored wines, and gamay N and pineau d'Aunis N, they contributed to the development of a large production of emblematic rosé wines, known and recognized under the appellations d'origine contrôlée "Cabernet d'Anjou" and "Rosé d'Anjou". The second stage of this transformation is based on the experience acquired by producers in managing this plant group. Observation and analysis of the best match between the grape variety and its planting sites, appreciation of the potential of the harvest and mastery of winemaking techniques, led to the development of red wine production from the 1960s onwards. | |
| A culture focused on chenin | Since the late 1990s, Anjou winemakers have been working on high-end dry white cuvées based on the chenin grape. Today, these wines are acquiring a fine reputation and can be found on the finest tables. |
Presentation
The geographical area extends over two major geological units where vineyards mainly occupy river slopes and a few plateaus: to the west, the Armorican Massif, and to the east, the Parisian Basin.
This geological peculiarity differentiates the western part of the geographical zone, marked by the presence of schists, notably slate-bearing, and locally christened "Anjou noir", from the eastern part of the geographical zone, marked by the presence of tuffeau chalk and locally christened "Anjou blanc"
Soil and climate
The geographical area extends over two major geological units, with vineyards occupying mainly river slopes and a few plateaus: to the west, the Precambrian and Paleozoic bedrock is attached to the Armorican Massif; to the east, the Mesozoic and Cenozoic bedrock of the Paris Basin overlies the ancient bedrock.
This geological particularity differentiates the western part of the geographical area, marked by the presence of schists, particularly slate, and known locally as "Anjou noir", from the eastern part of the geographical area, marked by the presence of tuffeau chalk and known locally as "Anjou blanc". Historically associated with the ancient province of Anjou, the geographical area in 2023 essentially covers the southern half of the Maine-et-Loire département (68 communes), as well as the northern bangs of the Deux-Sèvres (11 communes) and Vienne (9 communes) départements. A few islets remain in the north of the Maine-et-Loire department, testifying to an era when vines were planted throughout the entire department.
The plots delimited for the grape harvest feature soils from different geological formations. Although very different, these soils are generally poor and have moderate water reserves. They also have good thermal behavior. The geographical area benefits from a temperate oceanic climate, with relatively small temperature variations, due in part to the relative proximity of the Atlantic Ocean, in part to the role of the Loire and its tributaries as a thermal regulator, and in part to the location of the vineyards on hillsides. The north-west/south-east-facing relief protects the area from westerly winds, which are often laden with humidity. As a result, the area receives little rainfall, benefiting from a föhn effect, sheltered from oceanic humidity by the higher relief of the Choletais and Mauges regions. Annual rainfall is around 585 millimeters, compared with almost 800 millimeters in the Choletais region.
Cultivation methods
For Anjou fines bulles:
- The base wines used to make rosé wines may be produced by maceration or bleeding.
- Sparkling wines are made exclusively by secondary fermentation in bottles. The addition of tirage liqueur and expedition liqueur may not increase the volume of wine by more than 2.5% of the initial volume used. Excess volumes are destroyed by sending them for industrial use before December 15th of the year following that in which the corresponding batches were disgorged. When sparkling wines are made, by-products from the disgorging process are sent for industrial use at a rate of 0.50% of the volume of bottled wine to be disgorged. These by-products must be sent for industrial use before December 15th of the year following the year of disgorging.
- The wine must be kept in bottles on its lees for at least 9 months.
Terroir and wines
The combination of a northern vineyard with a distinctive landscape, a mild climate and an original geology and pedology, gives the wines a taste identity that is expressed through their freshness. The diversity of viticultural situations, with their varied geo-pedological situations, has given producers the opportunity to find, for each of the grape varieties that have established themselves, their optimal conditions of expression.
The observation and analysis carried out by winegrowers on the behavior of their vines then enable them to define the right implantation of the vineyard. Thus, while the Angevin ensemble allows the chenin grape to express its main characteristics in dry white wine, the sunny, south-facing hillsides enable it to express the complexity of a more mature wine and, if the climatic conditions in the after-season are favorable, it can be the source of "mellow" or "sweet" wines.Similarly, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon appreciate situations with shallow or brown soils and regulated water supply for the production of red wines whose slight rusticity is refined by a short period of maturation provided for in the specifications.
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