The Loire sparkles

There is reason, if not justification, behind generalisations. Generalisations help us to rapidly navigate a complex world in which the information available is sketchy, skewed or simply too much. It's a useful, if lazy, crutch that we lean on, repeatedly, when it comes to wine.

Here's a simple example: it's mid week; you need a bottle of sparkling wine (party, celebration, aperitif – we're not talking about cracking open the Krug); there are about 15 bottles of sparkling wine on the supermarket shelf priced between £12 and...