Loire Valley 2011 – preliminary vintage report

European vintage reports are now flooding in thick and fast. The following account of the Loire Valley's prospects for 2011 comes from Charles Sydney, who runs a courtier business there with his wife Philippa.

You may have been hearing not too reassuring noises about the harvest. Phil and I have now visited piles of growers from Muscadet all the way through to St-Pourçain (and back) and are actually quite excited – though we're still waiting for the reds to start 'properly' (trailers are only just starting to trundle past the door) as the weather is settled and the grapes can...