LEXPERT MAGAZINE
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SEPTEMBER
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OCTOBER 2018 65
TRAVEL
Anguilla
Three Ways
Yes, winter is coming so start preparing your exit strategy now
centre for Loire sparkling wine. Anjou, made from
the Chenin Blanc grape, can be dry or sweet, and
the best come from an area on the north bank of the
river called Savennières — especially the sweet ver-
sions from Coteaux du Layon and a tiny appellation
of seven hectares called Coulée de Serrant. is vine-
yard is owned by the Joly family and has been farmed
biodynamically since 1984.
e region's other sweet wine appellation, Quarts
de Chaume, was designated the Loire's first Grand
Cru in 2011.
e best red wines of the Loire are grown in the
Touraine region around the towns of Chinon and
Bourgueil. ey can be made from Cabernet Franc,
Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot d'Aunis, the latter
wine a favourite of King Henry III. (Incidentally, you
can see the sarcophagi of Henry II, Richard the Lion-
heart and Eleanor of Aquitaine in the nave of Fonte-
vraud Abbey near Chinon, once the largest monastic
complex in Europe).
Continuing east, you'll come to Vouvray, real
Chenin Blanc country. e wines here have a varying
degrees of sweetness, as well as a sparkling wine made
in the traditional bottle-fermented method.
Next, you'll arrive at the Upper or Centre Loire,
the home of the most renowned wines of the region:
Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé, the finest expression of
the Sauvignon Blanc. e soil is a bed of chalk that
begins as the white cliffs of Dover and runs through
the Champagne and Chablis regions. is soil im-
parts an identifiable mineral quality to the wines.
Pouilly-Fumé is a Chardonnay wine in the Mâ-
connais district of Burgundy, and a weightier wine
because of the mixture of silica in the soil. is ele-
ment gives a struck-flint flavour to the wine that may
inform the 'fumé' of its name — or, as some believe,
the name derives from the fog rising from the river
that resembles smoke.
ree other satellite appellations also produce
wonderful Sauvignon Blanc wines — Menetou-Sa-
lon, Reuilly and Quincy — that are usually less costly
than Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé.
At this point in your journey you are only 125 kilo-
meters east of Chablis, the northern gateway to Bur-
gundy. In many ways, this area has more in common
with Chablis than with the rest of the Loire Valley.
If you travel 94 kilometers northeast of Sancerre,
leaving the Loire region, you reach the town of St.
Bris-le-Vineux, an anomaly as it's the only appellation
in Burgundy, the go-to region for Chardonnay, that
allows Sauvignon Blanc in its wines.
So next time you consider a wine vacation, consid-
er the Loire Valley. You won't be disappointed by the
wines, the food or the scenery.
HEATWAVES ACROSS the country this summer have meant that even if
you didn't get out of the office until evening you were still going to enjoy great
temperatures and a bit of sunshine. But let's remember what lies ahead: winter.
Having a cold-weather exit strategy may be key to your mood's survival.
Luckily, the Eastern Caribbean island of Anguilla has exactly what you'll
need: bright sunshine, white sand and gorgeous blue waters.
>
Sophisticated Party Palace: Kishti Villas Kishti has three luxury villas
on the island, and each offers a private enclave experience with all the ameni-
ties you need to feel pampered and relaxed. At Kishti on Meads Villa West,
your six-bedroom property has rooop and patio gardens, a home theatre, and
plenty of space to spread out or be together — including a pool deck and hot
tub overlooking Meads Bay Beach. e private chef will make use of your two
kitchens but, if you're ready to explore beyond the property, sunset drinks
at the Four Seasons Resort and Residences Anguilla await.
www.villakishticollection.com; www.fourseasons.com/anguilla
>
Family Fun: Zemi Beach House Bringing the family? Zemi Beach House
offers something for everyone. Adults looking to unwind can do so at the
Zemi ai House Spa, where a hammam and treatments are set within a
300-year-old ai house and garden. Children will love the mermaid pool on
the beach, where Kids Club activities include donning a fishtail and having
your photo taken through the glass-paned pool sides. And everyone will enjoy
fresh seafood dinners that are steps from the sand. www.zemibeach.com
>
Solo Retreat: Frangipani Beach Resort Pick a top-floor suite at Frangi-
pani and you'll be rewarded with stunning views of Meads Bay. Pick a ground-
floor suite and you can walk straight out into that turquoise water. Suites are
well-appointed and spacious with kitchens that make longer stays easy. e
popular Straw Hat Restaurant offers delicious meals, and the friendly staff
can direct you to toes-in-the-sand hot spots where you can meet the locals.
www.frangipaniresort.com
| DETOURS |
Heather Greenwood Davis is a lawyer, a contributing editor to National Geographic Traveler,
and a columnist for The Globe and Mail. Reach her at Heather@globetrottingmama.com.
Tony Aspler is the author of 17 books on wine,
including his latest, Canadian Wineries.
PHOTO:
SHUTTERSTOCK
