📜 Bourgueil

Bourgueil is an appellation in Touraine, a historic area in the Loire valley in western France. It is known for red wines from Cabernet Franc. Rosé is also made, but red is the main product. All the wines are still, meaning not sparkling. The name is protected: it is a PDO, a protected designation of origin.

Cabernet Franc on the Loire gives wine with fresh acidity, notes of red berries and sometimes a herbal shade. It is lighter and leaner than many reds of the south. In good years Bourgueil keeps well and softens with age.

The vineyards lie on the right bank of the Loire, on terraces with sandy-gravelly soils and on limestone slopes. The former give lighter wines, the latter dense, long-lived ones.

Next to it lies another well-known Touraine appellation. Together they form the red heart of the region. Bourgueil is often served slightly chilled, at around 14–16 degrees.