The video for this week is actually "Sauvignon Blanc" themed. There is a good portion devoted to the Loire and its most (in)famous winemaker, Didier Dagueneau. Saldy, in 2008 Didier crashed his airplane in the Cognac region. His son now continues his legacy both in the vineyards and wine-making. We're still in the midst of translating the Didier interview portion of the video but that only comprises 4 minutes so there is plenty else to glean.

Dagueneau Interview

Jancis Robinson: You prepare food like this every day?

Didier Dagueneau: Yeah, it’s my speciality.

JR: But you don’t drink white wine with the meat?

DD: No, you’d drink red wine, the white wine you’d pair with aperitifs, charcuterie, or cheese

JR: So, white, red, white.

DD: Mmm-hmm. No problem.

JR: And you’ll still be alive (laughs)

DD: I hope so

JR: So, DD, you find that you’re restrained by the law of the l’apellation controleé

DD: No, because I think that when we look at the legislation, to me, I think it’s much more strict,

and all we have gained in France that all the world seeks to imitate us. The Americans have

started now to develop apellation controleés for their terroirs.

JR: And what do you think of the sauvignon of New Zealand

DD: The Sauvignon of New Zealand, is for me wine without soul. It’s correct, industrial, well

made technically, like the wine made in california, but for me there’s no terroir, no extraction,

there’s no heart. It’s made for just as a product to be consumed. I think wine is something made

for the drinker, for someone who is thirsty they should drink water, when someone wants to take

pleasure in a thing and really approach it, they should drink wine.

—

JR: The aroma is really intense.

DD: Yeah

JR: And you make wine for whom, for whose tastes?

DD: It’s not what taste, I make wine to make people happy, and me, I hope that the people who

drink my wine should gain pleasure from the moment of their life. It’s like good food or beautiful

music, wine, I think should be regarded like painting or music. It can be art. Sadly there are not

a lot a lot of people who work in this business with this mindset, [...?] there are people who have

a lot of money who participate in the industry, those who remain because it’s a beautiful place

make things that are well made, but they’re not geniuses, who are often a bit dismissed

because they’re tidy/uptight, who are close to truth. It’s my point of view. It’s not [...], but it’s

what I think.

I think that the sauvignon deserves the same respect as chardonnay as riesling. I think it’s as

good as the best white wine.

JR: It’s really, really great. To your health

DD: To yours

—

Meat is served.

DD: I’ll go get some red wine.

JR: I can’t wait. … It’s really, really, good.

Last Quiz Answers:

Q) What does the term “Sur Lie” indicate?

__ Aged in oak

__ Aged in steel

✓ Aged on the Lees

__ Aged on its side

Q) What Grape is also known as Muscadet and what is its ideal pairing?

__ Riesling

__ Chenin Blanc

✓ Melon de Bourgogne > Oysters

__ Muscat

Q) What grape is commonly grown in Vouvray

✓ Chenin Blanc

__ Riesling

__ Muscat

__ Chardonnay

Q) What red varietal is Chinon known for

__ Pinot Noir

__ Gamay

✓ Cabernet Franc

__Lemberger

Cheers, 
Richie