Wine Region Loire

The Loire Valley is known for its diverse climate, soils, and wine styles, from elegant white wines to delicate reds, sparkling, and rosé varieties. It can be dividet into 4 wine regions along the longest river in France. From west to east they are:

• Pays Nantais with its crisp and mineral-driven white Muscadet wines

• Ajou-Saumur with focus on Rosé de Loire and Cremant de Loire.

• Touraine with its Vouvray produced from Chenin Blanc.

• Centre-Loire with its superb Sauvignon Blanc wines from Sancerre an Pouilly-Fumé.

Pays Nantais - Muscadet

The Pays Nantais ("the land of Nantes") is the area around the city of Nantes on the Atlantic coast of France

The Muscadet region, at the mouth of the Loire River, is known for the crisp and mineral-driven white Muscadet wine made from Melon de Bourgogne (Melon Blanc) grapes.

The Muscadet appelation covers most of Pay Nantais. It has 3 sub regions:

• Muscadet Sevrè-et-Maine
• Muscadet Cotes de Grandlieu
• Muscadet Coteaux de la Loire

Muscadet Wines are light-bodied with a crisp acidity, displaying flavors of green apple, lemon and "salty ocean". The traditional winemaking methods is fermentation in stainless steel for a fresh and clean flavor. The wines are perfect with seafood.

Muscadet Sevrè-et-Maine Sur Lie is a speciality. It undergoes a process called sur lie aging, where it rests on its lees (dead yeast cells) to add complexity and texture.

Muscadet Terroir is sandy and granite soils, influenced by the cool, maritime climate.

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Anjou-Saumur

The Anjou-Saumur region of the Loire is diverse in both terroir and wine production. It is known for both dry and sweet white wines, rosé and red wines, and notable sparkling wines.

The major grapes are Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc.

Dry Chenin Blanc, such as Savennières, is known for its complex, rich, and sometimes age-worthy character.

Quarts de Chaume and Coteaux du Layon are among the most prestigious sweet wines, produced from late-harvested or botrytized Chenin Blanc grapes.

Red Cabernet Franc from Saumur and Saumur-Champigny display vibrant fruit flavors and a refreshing acidity.

Rosé d'Anjou wines are made from a majority of Grolleau Noir (a grape permitted in very few other wine appellations).

Crémant de Loire is the key sparkling wine, made using the traditional method (méthode traditionnelle).

The Saumur area is the third largest sparkling wine appellation in France after Champagne and Alsace with more than 12 million bottles of Saumur Mousseux produced each year. Unlike Champagne it is based on the Chenin blanc grape.

Anjou-Saumur terroir is varied soils, including schist, limestone, and sandstone, with a mild, temperate climate.

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Touraine

Touraine, centered around the historic towns of Tours and Amboise, is a diverse appellation that produces a wide range of wines, including Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Cabernet Franc, and Gamay.

Tourraine is known for its excellent value wines, offering a variety of styles to suit different tastes and occasions.

Vouvray, produced from Chenin Blanc is the flagship wine of the region. It can range from bone dry (sec) to lusciously sweet (moelleux), with a distinct minerality. Dry Vouvray wines tend to exhibit flavors of honeyed pear, quince, and chamomile, while sweeter styles can display notes of apricot, peach, and honey.

Chinon is renowned for its red wines made from Cabernet Franc. These wines can range from light and fruity to more structured and age-worthy, with flavors of red berries, herbs, and earthy undertones.

Bourgueil is a prominent appellation producing elegant, light, and aromatic reds from Cabernet Franc.

Vouvray and Montlouis-sur-Loire produce notable sparkling wines using the traditional method.

Winemakers in Touraine often use stainless steel for whites to preserve freshness and fruitiness, while reds may see some oak aging for added structure and complexity.

Touraine terroir is predominantly limestone and clay soils, with a continental climate that is warmer and more consistent than the coastal regions.

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Centre-Loire

At the eastern end of the Loire Valley, the Central Vineyards are home to some of France's most prestigious white wines made from Sauvignon Blanc.

Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé are the most famous appellations, producing crisp, mineral-driven Sauvignon Blanc wines with flavors of citrus, green apple, and flint.

The terroir is Kimmeridgian marl, flint, and limestone soils, with a continental climate that experiences warm summers and cold winters.

Red Wines: Some Pinot Noir is also grown here, though it is less famous than the whites. Winemaking Methods: Whites are typically fermented in stainless steel to preserve freshness and minerality, with some producers experimenting with oak fermentation to add richness. Terroir & Wine Styles

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Sancerre (AOC in 1936)

Sancerre is located in "Upper Loire", in the eastern part of the Loire Valley, near the city of Orleans.

The distance to the Atlantic diminishes the maritime influence and gives the region a more continental climate.

Sancerre is famous for its crisp and aromatic white wines made from Sauvignon Blanc grapes. These wines exhibit notes of citrus, green apple, and minerals, with a bright acidity and a refreshing finish.

In the AOC, only Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir (from 1959) are permitted. Sauvignon Blanc represents about 80% of the production.

The terroirs of Sancerre are the "Terres Blanches" (clay-limestone white soil) in the west, the "Caillottes" (limestone and very stony soil) in the center and the "Argiles à Silex" (flint and clay soil) in the east.

The Silex terroir produces the most sought-after Sancerre thanks to their elegance and their intense minerality. Located alongside the Loire river, it is a very ‘early-ripening’ soil. The flint stones accumulate heat from the sun during the day and radiate at night which accelerate the maturity of the grapes.

Terres Blanches is a "late-ripening" terroir made of thick clay layers entertwined with flat, white limestone stones. This terroir is rich in fossils and white stones that have the particularity of whitening while drying in the sun. The Terres Blanches terroir gives a strong aromatic concentration, tension and ageing potential to the wines.

The Caillottes soil is made of small limestone pebbles mixed with clay. It is dating from the Kimmeridgian era (Oxfordian Jurassic). The white pebble stones hastening the grapes maturity through the reflection of the sunlight into the vines . This Terroir is known for aromatic intensity and airy wines.

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Pouilly-Fumé (AOC in 1937)

Pouilly-Fumé is another famous Sauvignon Blanc appellation.

It is located at the Loire river, opposite to its neighbour Sancerre, and has the same temperate, slightly continental climate.

Pouilly-Fumé produces wines with a similar profile to Sancerre but with a slightly smokier character, attributed to the more flinty soils of the region.

The soils of Pouilly-Fumé are Kimmeridgian Marl, Hard Limestone (Calcaires) and Flint Clay.

Wine Region Loire