Presse & Guides

Leading Ladies : The Wonderful Women winemakers of Centre Loire

While Centre-Loire is widely considered the land of Sauvignon Blanc, and rightfully so, but there is a lot more to this region than meets the palate. Having been growing grapes for over 2,000 years, this geographical center of France is by no means new. Yet there is something in the regional air that has fostered and nurtered this incredibly positive transition — there, in Centre-Loire, is a wine industry that is chockfull, literally chalk-full, of immensely talented women… and these women are running the show.

Now, 40% of winemakers being women, a ratio is considerably unheard of in the wine industry.

According to Bureau Interprofessionnel des Vins du Centre (BIVC) director Benoît Roumet, this phenomena began in the early nineties, and it has continued to further its impact with the newest generation of women winemakers. And this continuation doesn’t seem to be solely due to winemakers having daughters; instead, the evolution has occurred organically.

….Then you have Annick Tinel of Domaine Tinel-Blondelet , nestled in the green countryside of Pouilly-Fumé. After studying viticulture and oenology in Beaune, Annick took over the estate from her parents in 1983 and has managed it ever since. She continues to produce wines of a classic style – not too flashy, not too bold, but stunningly balanced. As a one-woman show of sorts, she manages 15 hectares of vines that produce Sauvignon Blanc, Chasselas and Pinot Noir.

Read the article on Grape Collective