Stage 3
Wines by Region
The Loire Valley
The Loire Valley is the largest vineyard region in France and contains the largest river, which stretches for 1000 kilometres. The climate varies across the areas; in the Nantais in the far west the climate is Maritime and this influence lessens the further in-land you come. The climate in the Central vineyards is continental.
The Loire Valley is divided into 4 areas:
The Nantais
On the Atlantic Coast, which is famous for it, Muscadet wines. The most important of these is Muscadet de Sevre-et-Maine, which is a dry white wine that is light and tangy. There is a separate appellation for the wines made ‘sur lie’, which means they have matured on the dead yeast cells and this provides a further dimension of flavour.
Anjou-Saumur
Famous for its sparkling Crémant wines made from Chardonnay and also Chenin Blanc.
Touraine
The most famous wine from here is Vouvray made from the Chenin Blanc grape. The best known red wine from this region is Chinon which is made from Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon, both important grape varieties in Bordeaux also.
Central Vineyards
This is the home of the most famous Loire wines – Sancerre and Pouilly Fume. Both these wines are made from Sauvignon Blanc and it is very difficult to tell them apart. The climate in the Central Vineyards is cool and dry which produces wines that are high in acidity, medium bodied with moderate or pronounced vegetal flavours. There is often a hint of smokiness due to the limestone and flint soils on which the vines are grown which are similar to those found in parts of Chablis in Burgundy.
Red and rosé Sancerre is produced using the Pinot Noir grape which is very light grown in this cool region.
Vin de Pays de Jardin de la France is produced all over the region from grape varieties such as Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay.