The first Gault&Millau Wine Tour
The first of its kind, the Gault&Millau Wine Tour brings together chefs and wine professionals. The aim is always the same: to showcase up-and-coming talent from each region.
Aware of the difficulties some winemakers face in promoting their wines to restaurateurs, and the challenge this selection represents for them, Gault&Millau has decided to help them through a national "Wine Tour".
Château Soucherie (Beaulieu-sur-Layon), first stage of the 2016 G&M Wine Tour.
The first of 5 stages, the Wine Tour Loire brought together some of the region's most prestigious gastronomic players to create a genuine "geographical synergy".
Selected in advance by the tasting committee and Michèle Vételé (sommelier at restaurant Anne de Bretagne), Gault&Millau ambassador for the Loire region, invited some of the region's most influential sommeliers, including Julien Pecaud, sommelier at restaurant L'Atlantide 1874 , and Cyril Landoz, sommelier at Manoir de la Boulaie .
On the vine side, 12 promising local estates were present: Domaine Noëlla Morantin, Domaine de la Chaume, Domaine de la Chauvinière, Les Vignobles des Bois Vaudons, Château Soucherie, Domaine Jonathan Pabiot, Domaine Charles Joguet, Domaine Melaric, Château Bois Brinçon, Domaine Pas Saint Martin, Clau de Nell, Domaine des Huards.
"Speed-dating" between winemakers, sommeliers and chefs.
The 5 nuggets of the Loire region 2016:
1 Jean-François Mérieau
Les Vignobles des Bois Vaudons, AOC Touraine, Cuvée Cœur de Roche, 2014, white
2 Jean-Philippe Louis
Château Soucherie, Savennières, Cuvée Clos des Perrières, 2013, white
3 Jonathan and Nina Pabiot
Domaine Jonathan Pabiot, Pouilly fumé, Cuvée Prédilection, 2014, white
4 Anne-Charlotte Genet and Kevin Fontaine
Domaine Charles Joguet, Chinon, Cuvée Clos de la Dioterie, 2014, red
5 Aymeric Hillaire
Domaine Mélaric, Saumur, Cuvée Clos de la Ceriseraie, 2013, white
Gault&Millau has also created a Wine Talent Trophy especially for this event. Nearly 15 prizes were awarded to the region's restaurants, sommeliers, wine merchants and winemakers:
Wine list
Catherine Bossé - Une Île (Angers)
Selection of wines by the glass
Julien Pécaud - L'Atlantide 1874 (Nantes )
Discovery menu
Aymeric Hillaire - Auberge des Isles (Montreuil Bellay )
Sommelier Wine Tour Loire
Anthony Rauld - L'Amphytrion (Lorient )
Young Sommelier Talent
Gaylord Goulette - Le Coquillage (Saint Méloir des Ondes )
Cavist
Pascal Galisson - Wine Not (Angers )
Wine bar
Rémi Fournier - Le Cercle Rouge (Angers )
Natural wine
Noëlla Morantin - Domaine Noëlla Morantin (Pouillé )
Winegrower with character
Christian Chabirand - Domaine de la Chaume (Vix )
Value for money
Jérémie Huchet - Les Bêtes Curieuses (Château-Thébaud) for the Cuvée "Chapeau Melon" and the Cuvée "Les Bêtes Curieuses : La Perdrix de l'Année 2015 (bio)".
After having honored the Loire region, the Wine Tour will be back in February 2017 in Languedoc-Roussillon. Three other stops are already planned for next year: in the Bordeaux region in March 2017, in Alsace in April 2017 and in Paris in October 2017.
