Domaine du Viking Vouvray 2017

Grapes: Chenin Blanc

Region: Loire 

In the early part of the 20th century, most of Vouvray (like much of viticultural France) was worked by farmers in polyculture. Cows, sheep, and grain were raised alongside vines. Such was the case for the land belonging to Lionel and Francoise Gauthier, the owners of Domaine du Viking. Francoise’s grandparents owned just 2 hectares of vines in the early 1940s, along with animals and cereals. Winemaking was something that was done for family and local consumption. All of that changed on August 11, 1944, when Francoise’s grandfather, Maurice, was killed by Nazi soldiers after being caught trying to blow up some train tracks. His young son, Francoise’s father, was suddenly in charge and, to keep the family afloat, converted all of the land into vineyards. The rest, as they say, is history.