Quenard Chignin

The wine... is 100% Jacquere, low alcohol and utterly delicious in any season. Use it in the same manner as a minerally Muscadet or instead of a bubbly as a first-course palate refresher. Serve it with shellfish, fresh, light vegetarian appetizers or even gamey sausages. It works in the same way as a Riseling feinherb with the latter.

The family... Is everyone in the Savoie named Quenard? This estate is in the good hands of Andre and Michel, one of at least four sets of Quenards bottling wines that we have tasted over the years. They are related to Andre and Guy Quenard, also talented wine growers. The wines are delicious and affordable, and totally in the refreshing style of dry wine we personally prefer to drink. Not that every wine is here for us... but it is easier to sell something you love.

The region... The Savoie is a holiday paradise, a land full of great hiking, skiing, and dining experiences. A region that was once economically tied to the vine (32,000 acres were planted here in the 19th century) is now solidly supported by tourism. Affluent visitors descend on the area in annual waves to gulp up large amounts of the regional output, asking few questions and expecting little more than "drinkable" from their wine. Mediocre wine still sells briskly here. Thankfully the Quenards are hard-wired to try harder, to farm at La Gerbelle with care and effort sufficient to make wine that expresses the vinous potential of their beautiful homeland.