It is not complicated with wine in the Loire Valley: there is some of it from the mouth, with the muscadet around Nantes, until its source in Ardeche, with the coasts of Forez! Between the two, 70,000 hectares of vineyards, 80 different appellations, more than 30,000 winegrowers!
And once you've been told that they grow 11 red grape varieties, as many white grape varieties and that they also produce rosés and sparkling wines, you'll be dizzy!
It is not always easy to find your way around. Here is our article to help you choose your next tastings and wine experiences.
Choosing a wine
We will say it often, but for us, wine is a subtle balance between: a soil, a grape variety and a wine grower. It is from the assembly of the 3 that is born a taste, necessarily unique and which will be more or less pleasant for you.
This is the second important point we want to stress, wine is a personal taste, not an exact science. We are all more or less sensitive to aromas, acidity or astringency. Even more powerful, did you know that we all see colors with different shades?
Finally, and this is our last point, to drink a glass of wine is also to live a unique moment: at a precise moment of your life, in a very particular place, as an aperitif or with a dish in sauce, alone or with your group of friends... And we can assure you that depending on the circumstances, your glass of wine will not taste exactly the same twice.
To summarize, choosing a wine is :
- bet on a label,
- confront him personally with his taste
- marry him at a time of life
In this article, we will try to help you on the first point with a description of all the Loire appellations. The exercise is a bit tedious, but it turns out to be exciting in the end.
To get in the mood, we will start by sharing our taste and telling you about our beautiful moments with a wine.
At the very end of the article, we will give you some tips to improve your taste, because wine is not learned on a blog but by tasting and tasting again (but you can still finish this article).
Keeping in mind that we will never pretend to choose for you,wine is a personal adventure!
The Loire Valley wines: the vineyard
Loire wines or Loire Valley wines?
Before going into the details of the appellations, let's start with the basics, what is a Loire wine? Be careful, there are traps...
Well no, it's not the same thing, the Loire Wines will take you from Nantes to the source of the Loire in the north of the Ardèche, while the Loire Valley Wines will stop between Orleans and Nevers in Sancerre.
This division is purely administrative, and we do not see why Saint Pourçain (historical wine of the Loire) and other Côtes Roannaises should be excluded. We will therefore talk about Loire Wines!
Are all Loire wines produced along the Loire?
The Loire River structures most of the vineyard, and most of the appellation areas touch the royal river.
But sometimes, the vine has taken the path of schoolchildren, straying on along tributaries of the Loire (hillsides of Vendômois along the Loir or Quincy along the Cher...) or in the surrounding countryside (Menetou-Salon near Bourges or the appellation Haut Poitou near Poitiers...).
It is therefore necessary to be a little flexible and to think that a Loire wine is produced near the Loire River!
How many vineyards in the Loire
It is commonly accepted (even if it is much more complicated, but it is necessary to accept to generalize) to divide the Loire vineyard into 5 vineyards corresponding to different climates, soils and landscapes:
- Pays Nantais vineyard: from the mouth of the river going towards the ocean after Nantes, to the surroundings of Ancenis, between Nantes and Angers. The vineyard is quite flat, and regularly swept by the Atlantic storms.
- Vignoble d'Anjou: which takes you from the west of Angers to Saumur. The vineyard is well present on the 2 banks of the Loire which winds through wide plains. The humid wind from the ocean is still being felt.
- Touraine vineyards: from Chinon to Orleans, the cradle of Loire wines and its main production area. The vineyard follows the river and goes up its tributaries. Its climate is more protected than its western neighbors, it begins to suffer the continental influence.
- Center vineyard : from the town of Gien, southeast of Orleans, to Sancerre, north of Nevers. The landscape begins to deepen, the vineyard to be cultivated in terrace and the climate becomes changing according to the reliefs.
- Auvergne vineyards : from the south of Nevers to Saint Etienne, along the Loire and Allier rivers. This time, it's the mountains and its ancient volcanoes, with a sometimes harsh weather, summer and winter.
In view of the extreme geological diversity of the Loire soil, it is not possible to draw generalizations by vineyard, we will have to come back to this by appellation. Logically enough, we find clayey-limestone and schistose soils (heritage of the Central and Armorican Massif), many sandy-silt soils (heritage of the presence of the Loire River) and, more atypical, soils of tuffeau, the white stone of the Loire.
A little bit of history of the Loire Valley Wines
- Antiquity: The question of the origin of the wine in the Loire is as disputed as a sports match, some seeing it arriving by Nantes via the sea, others seeing it going up the Rhône. One thing is certain, vines have been cultivated in the Loire since at least the 4th century and the Romans had a hand in this.
- Middle Ages: under the influence of the Church, then of the lords and bourgeois, the culture of wine develops. The Loire wines acquire a good reputation in the kingdom of France and in the neighboring and invading England.
- Renaissance: the heyday of Loire wines corresponds to the golden century of the French Renaissance, the 16th century. François Rabelais makes Gargantua and Grandgousier amateurs of chinon and other bourgueil.
- Revolution: a large part of the vineyard suffers, due to a capricious climate (winter 1708 and 1709), but also to the ravages of the Vendée wars (1793-1795). The vines will take nearly a century to recover.
- Contemporary: Despite the phyloxera epidemics in the 18th century, 1936 marked the real revival of the Loire vineyard, with the creation of the first appellations.
Our 5 best red wines of the Loire Valley
We are now going to share with you our 5 best red Loire wines.
This list of appellations is subjective and corresponds to some nice experiences we had with red wines from the Loire.
We just want to guide you in your discovery of this rich (but so complex...) vineyard and in no way limit you in your discovery of Loire wines!
1. Sancerre
For a long time, I only knew Sancerre for its very mineral white wines. One evening, a few years ago, while dining in a restaurant on the port of La Flotte, on the charming Ile de Ré, a sommelier suggested a red sancerre to accompany fish and meat.
You should not stop at its very pale color. When it is well made, it has a lot of character, thanks to its grape variety, pinot noir, and its terroir. Pinot noir is the king of Burgundy, which is not so far away when you are in Sancerre.
The second nice surprise with this appellation is its vineyard. After 3 hours of driving from Angers, you arrive in a relatively flat landscape and suddenly, a hillock covered with vineyards stands in front of you! The nature is beautiful and generous, the village is magnificent and of character, the house of the wines of sancerre enthralling with its exposure in basement...
It should be reserved to accompany subtle dishes, fish or meat, but I confess that I prefer it simply before the meal, to fully enjoy the expression of pinot noir.
Some of the domains we have tasted and liked:
2. Chinon
Four years ago, I embarked on a wine tour in the vineyards of Chinon. The idea is simple, walk, taste, share....
I didn't know much about the appellation, even if its fame had reached me, but I had often been disappointed. I understood better after this experience...
The area of the AOC Chinon is very vast (my feet confirm....), with different terroirs and some climatic curiosities. While talking with the winegrowers of the Chinon area, I discovered that the specifications of the AOC were quite broad, allowing for beautiful experiments, but giving wines that are sometimes very different from one winegrower to another.
We are generally on very aromatic wines, quite powerful (for the Loire) and very well structured, but there are sometimes beautiful (or not so beautiful) surprises.
The advantage is that the range of Chinon food and wine pairings is as vast as the appellation!
3. Saumur-Champigny
I chose this appellation to accompany my wedding dinner, tying myself to this wine for better or worse!
It is very likely that you have already tasted a Saumur-Champigny. This wine has indeed seduced many restaurateurs, for its ability to be drunk young. The tannins are not aggressive, nor are they absent, they are supple from the moment they are bottled and they support very well a few years of aging.
By playing with the age of the vines, we obtain well-structured wines that allow the Cabernet Franc to give its full aromatic potential. You can marry it with quite tasty dishes without worry, it will defend itself!
Let's hope that your bottles will age better than my wedding...
4. Saint Pourcin
Let's be honest... A few years ago, if you had told me that a wine from Auvgerne would enter my top 5 Loire wines, I would not have believed you.
It was during a trip through the Massif Central that I was offered to taste a Saint Pourçain in a small inn. Having a natural attraction for the Pinot Noir grape variety, I was guided to this appellation.
Good for me! Despite the premontane climate, the wine retains some tannin, while being very mineral. Pinot finds there an environment favourable to the simple and frank expression of its character, which I like so much.
It is a wine that you should not hesitate to pair with charcuterie, grilled meats, or simply enjoy as an aperitif.
Some of the domains we have tasted and liked:
5. Saint-Nicolas de Bourgueil
In the subtle wines of Touraine, it is my favorite. This kind of wine does not tolerate approximation, at the risk of becoming insipid or of not sharing anything.
It is while discovering the vineyard so particular, condensed around the village of Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgeuil, that I said to myself that it was necessary to dig this appellation. We are a few kilometers after Saumur, when the countryside hesitates between Anjou and Touraine. Strange chimneys protect the vines from frost.
So much attention results in wines that have kept some substance and with a beautiful aromatic power (one does not go without the other in general). I love to serve it with meats or fish cooked without artifice. It does not try to fight, but supports the dish it accompanies.
Some of the domains we have tasted and liked:
Our 5 best white wines of the Loire Valley
We are now going to share with you our 5 best white wines of the Loire.
Same precaution as for the red wines, this list of appellations that spoke to us, is totally subjective and should not discourage you from trying other ways!
1. Savennières
While I was in Anjou for only a few days, I was invited to the charming village of La Possonnière, which is located in the Savennières appellation area.
An opportunity to discover this wine of which I was unaware until then, so much it was still confidential at the time, although cultivated for a very long time in Anjou.
I was transported by its accuracy, combining minerality and matter, in a harmonious whole allowing the chenin to express itself. The schist soil gives it the characteristic flavor of gunflint. Even if its expression is less present than in its cousins of the Sancerrois, it transports me each time, distinguishing it from the common wines.
Moreover, good fairies have been bending over the vineyard for the last twenty years, which has seen the arrival of talented young winemakers who are pulling the appellation upwards.
The character of the Savennières allows it to accompany fish in sauce and cheeses of character (Norman for example!).
Some of the domains we have tasted and liked:
2. Pouilly-fumé
After discovering Sancerre, you just have to cross the Loire to discover the vineyard of Pouilly. But the ways of wine being impenetrable, it is in a wine bar in Nantes that I got to know him better.
The flint and limestone soils of the appellation warm up the Sauvignon grapes. The wines become rounder, more structured and give off the same flinty aroma mixed with citrus notes.
You will have understood, it is especially as an aperitif that I appreciate this wine, even if it can accompany seafood and poultry, with happiness.
Some of the domains we have tasted and liked:
3. Chaume
This name prevented me from sleeping peacefully for a few months. Not that I have abused this marvelous sweet wine that grows around the place called Chaume a few miles from Layon, but I had to follow, in a professional capacity, the tribulations of this appellation in the early 2000s.
Whoever has worked or lived in Anjou, will know on the tip of his tongue, the mellow wines of Anjou which are scattered in no less than five appellations and which have made the fortune of the Anjou wine region for decades.
The hillsides of the Layon provide generous sunshine for the Chenin, and the autumn fog that rises from the river from September onwards will provide it with just the right amount of noble rot to encourage late harvests. We will then have wines with a high level of sweetness and alcohol. On the hyperselective grape variety of Chaume and even more so on the quarter of Chaume, we work on balances that give perfectly balanced wines after a few years.
Some of the domains we have tasted and liked:
4. Muscadet-côtes-de-grand-lieux
When I moved to Nantes, I had a rather degraded image of Muscadet, just good to accompany a dish of mussels (which I never liked anyway). In the same way that in Anjou you have to know your layon, Muscadet is a must in Nantes.
It must be said that here too, brilliant winegrowers have been able to raise the appellations. On the other hand, you will have to choose your camp between the production basins. Maybe my origins are in Le Havre, but I have a soft spot for the coasts of great places, the closest to the ocean.
The sea spray gives iodized notes to the melon of Burgundy, for this wine indisputably on the freshness. You can forget about mussels and turn to seafood and fish in sauce and even look for agreements with our dear Norman cheeses (who has not tasted a muscadet on a Pont-L'évêque farm, still has a lot to learn about life...).
Some of the domains we have tasted and liked:
5. Touraine-Chenonceaux
One of the last appellations born in Touraine. I must admit that when the restaurant owner offered it to me, I thought he was trying to sell me an appellation for tourism, I was almost offended! A few explanations later, I let myself be tempted and I have not regretted it.
The challenge for the winegrowers was to find their own way within the Tourraine appellation and to cultivate this specificity. By concentrating on the Sauvignon grape variety, by practicing a strong selection of the grapes, they knew how to take full advantage of their flint-rich terroir (and yes, again, I must believe that I like it!).
The result is a wine with a touch of acidity on the attack and a nice fruity roundness afterwards.
About the rosé wines of the Loire Valley
As I have turned away from rosés for a few years, it would be dishonest to rank them. For the moment, I will describe it and as soon as the nice days are back, I promise to review it!
How many rosés in the Loire?
I warn you our winegrower friends did not make in simplicity... A distinction must be made between:
- The regional protected designation of origin"Rosé de Loire" which corresponds to Anjou and Tourraine (295 communes!!!) and to wines with a dry character without sweetness
- The protected designation of origin"Rosé d'Anjou" for more powerful wines with red fruit aromas
- The protected designation of origin"Cabernet d'Anjou" for tender wines with a beautiful aromatic power
- The 27 protected designations of origin that are allowed to produce rosé also all along the Loire, from the Vendée to the Auvergne.
Find your way through the 50 shades of rosé in the Loire
Rosé has long been the driving force of Loire wines, and still is in export, especially with the rosé of Anjou. With the revaluation of the vineyard, the whites and, to a lesser extent, the reds are becoming interesting to produce again for the winegrowers.
The rosé of the Loire had a very bad reputation, that of a heavy and sulphurous wine which gave a headache. I must confess that I had some bad oenological encounters with this color...
However, the arrival of new winegrowers, the rise in quality of rosé, and competition have had a salutary effect on rosé wines in the Loire.
There remains this complexity in the denominations which makes the discovery difficult. A few simple things to guide you:
- The richest in sugar are a priori the Cabernet d'Anjou, we speak of soft rosé wines. The more confidential Cabernet-de-saumur appellation, on the other hand, offers fresh and light rosés.
- The rosés of the Loire Valley can have extremely variable characteristics depending on the grape varieties used (grolleau, cabernet franc and sauvignon, pineau d'aunis, gamay, pinot noir), the terroir and the creativity of the winegrower. Anything is possible, knowing that we are dealing with a rosé that must remain dry, without apparent sweetness.
- The rosé of Anjou will often be more powerful than the rosé of the Loire, with more fruity and greedy notes than the rosé of the Loire.
- Rosés made only from gamay (Saint-Pourçain for example) and pinot noir (sancerre rosé or cheverny rosé for example), will often be lighter and finer than rosés from Anjou.
- Even if it is not an exact science, the rosés of a winemaker will often be theimage of the reds produced on the estate in terms of power, the terroir often being the same.
About sparkling wines in the Loire Valley
Perhaps a little simpler geographically than the rosés, but just as formidable in tasting. Again, I need to review, so I'll start with a descriptive article to help you find your way around and we'll talk ranking in a few months.
Sparkling wines, fine bubbles and even sparkling wines, what are we talking about?
The general principle is quite simple: a sparkling wine is a wine that produces bubbles and foam when the bottle is opened.
There are 3 "levels" of effervescence:
- pearl wine : slightly effervescent
- sparkling wine: the feeling of effervescence lasts in the mouth
- sparkling wine: bubbles and foam form as soon as the bottle is opened and in the glass
"Fines Bulles" is the new name for sparkling wines. Over the (bad) years, the term had indeed become a pejorative.
Does the Loire champagne exist?
Unfortunate, you shouldn't even ask the question! Only sparkling wines produced in the"Champagne" appellation area (north-eastern France) are entitled to this name.
But the question comes up regularly for 3 reasons, in our opinion:
- Champagne is the most famous sparkling wine in the world which has become almost a generic name like "fridge" or "jeep".
- The majority of sparkling wines from the Loire region are obtained using the famous"méthode champenoise" which consists of adding a dose of yeast during bottling. This technique is used for both champagne and crémants de Loire.
- There was a time, quite ancient (19th century), when the great houses of Saumur (Ackerman, Bouvet Ladubey...) sold"Saumur champagne". The AOC Champagne, which definitively protects the name, has only existed since June 29, 1936.
Champagne or Fines Bulles? One of the favorite debates of the French! 2-3 thoughts to fuel the conversations:
- The terroir and the climate are quite different between Champagne and the Loire, so the wines are different and it becomes a question of taste (see beginning of the article).
- Statistically, there must be as many bad champagne producers as there are fine bubbles, it remains to find the good ones in the two regions.
- The champagne market is largely driven by export sales. Prices can be affected by this. But if your taste pushes you towards champagne, listen to it, it is inevitably right!
The fine bubbles appellations in the Loire
Well, it was too simple until now, it must become a little more complicated! There is indeed in the Loire :
- The protected designation of origin Crémant de Loire which covers the territories of Anjou, Touraine and even goes up towards Orleans until Cheverny
- 5 appellations that have the right to produce sparkling wines in their appellation: Vouvray, Montlouis-sur-Loire, Saumur, Anjou and Tourraine
You will find mostly fine bubbles in white, but also in rosé.
Find your way through all the bubbles of the Loire
We have an even larger appellation area for Crémant de Loire than for rosé, with several soils and climates, and several possible blends of grape varieties. So many possibilities to find different wines in your glasses upon arrival.
A few points of reference:
- We advise you to start by learning about the Vouvray and Montlouis-sur-Loire wines which, being on a more uniform territory and having a more directive specification, will have very specific characteristics that are easier to identify. They use only Chenin for their fine bubbles and produce only whites. The Vouvray will present an aroma of brioche, the Montlouis will be more often on aromas of apple and white flowers.
- For crémants, it is important to know that Saumur is the epicenter of the appellation, with large ancestral houses that make large volumes. They have interesting and even good vintages, but their approach to wine is necessarily different. We recommend that you try their premium cuvée (you may find the standard cuvées a bit bland) and compare it with a crémant from a smaller producer, from Angers for example.
Loire Valley wines: the appellations
What is the purpose of an appellation
In order to understand a wine label (which is a regulatory jewel), you will need to master the 3 possible denominations:
- Appellation d'Origine Protégée (European protection) or Appellation Controlée (French protection): it guarantees to the consumer that all the steps of the wine making process have been realized according to a recognized know-how and in the same geographical area.
- Protected Geographical Indication (PGI), formerly Vin de Pays: it guarantees to the consumer that at least one stage of the production of the wine has been carried out in a geographical area and that this gives it its specificity.
- Vin de France or Vin Sans Indication Géographique (SIG), formerly Vin de table: these wines can specify a vintage if 85% of the grapes used come from the year in question, and a grape variety if 85% of the grapes used come from this variety.
The wines produced in AOC/AOP must scrupulously respect a strict schedule of conditions which will envisage:
- the typicity of the wine (organoleptic examination color, olfaction, acidity...)
- the yield (number of liters produced per hectare: in general, a low figure is a sign of quality), plus and volumes of wine produced
- types of grape varieties (with more or less precise rules for blending grape varieties depending on the AOC)
- the viticultural practices that determine the methods of vine maintenance, harvesting, but also wine production (methods of aging, blending ...)
Wines produced under the PGI label must also scrupulously respect a strict set of specifications, but on a smaller number of points.
2 conclusions from this little reminder:
- The names are in no way a guarantee of quality, they provide more or less precise information to the consumer on the place and conditions in which the wine was produced.
- In the same appellation, and even more so in IGP, you can have different wines, for example made from different grape varieties. Everything depends on the constraints of the specifications and the choices of the winegrower.
Winegrowers and appellations
Once all-powerful, the AOCs/PDOs have been losing some of their glory since the early 2000s. 4 reasons for this, in our opinion:
- regulations torn between the protection of the brand image of the AOC and the necessary space for the creativity of (young) winegrowers;
- a typicality which necessarily induces a small dose of subjectivity with all the contestations that this can generate;
- an increasingly well-informed public of consumers, who can detach themselves from the appellation to seek out the winegrower
- distribution channels (Internet, export...) that have multiplied and opened up, offering new brand strategies and outlets for winegrowers.
This being said, the names remain a powerful sales tool and indispensable for the consumer who is not initiated to the meanders of the wine world or simply to the terroir he comes to discover.
How many appellations in the Loire
The Loire offers no less than :
- 60 AOC/AOP
- 6 PGI
As we have seen, the first AOCs in the Loire region date back to 1936, but the most recent ones date back to 2011 (côte du vendomois)!
The majority of the wines concerned have changed from "vin de Pays" to IGP since 2009.
AOC and AOP in the Loire Valley
In this section, we will focus on a factual description of the different AOC and AOP (as indicated in the specifications).
Let's go up the 800km of the royal river and discover the 60 AOC/AOP of the Loire.
The Vendée fiefdoms
We are along the Atlantic coast, facing the roaring ocean, on a land without much relief swept by the winds. Some vines in the Sables d'Olonne area even have their feet in the salt marshes.
The wines are quite light and greedy, often unclassifiable. You will find Vendée fiefs in red, rosé and white.
The AOC Muscadet
We go up a little to approach Nantes, with its famous muscadet. Here too, we are on lands that often meet the Atlantic clouds, but the relief is more present and the ground is marked by the end of the Armorican massif.
Composed of a single grape variety, the misnamed "melon de Bourgogne" (which you will find almost only in the Loire Valley...), muscadets are white wines renowned for their freshness and lightness.
4 appellations for 4 different terroirs:
- Muscadet
- Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine and "Crus Communaux
- Muscadet Côtes de Grandlieu
- Muscadet Coteaux de la Loire
The AOC gros plant du Pays Nantais
We are still near Nantes, on the same terroir as the Muscadet, with a single grape variety again, the Folle Blanche, also sometimes called Gros Plant. Adapted to provide high yields, this variety was largely dominant in the Nantes vineyard in the 17th century, before being supplanted by the melon de Bourgogne.
Same climate, same soil, but a different grape variety, we have particularly light dry white wines.
The AOC les coteaux d'Ancenis
We start to move away from the Atlantic and have to cross our first small relief, the hills of Ancenis. The winds are calming down, the sun is getting a little more generous.
Equidistant from Nantes and Angers, this appellation gives lively and aromatic red and rosé wines and, in very sunny years, can give beautiful sweet white wines. The dominant grape variety is Gamay.
The AOC Anjou Côteaux de la Loire
We are now resolutely in Anjou, west of Angers, with a rather confidential appellation, Anjou-coteaux-de-la-loire.
Chenin, the white grape variety of the Loire, is cultivated on a schist and limestone soil, which warms up quickly, making it possible to obtain a sweet wine that is distinguished by its lightness.
The AOCs of Layon, Aubance and Bonnezeaux
We move away from the Loire to follow two of its tributaries, the Layon and the Aubance. The valleys are slightly steep, the vines benefit from good sunshine and the autumn fogs (which are just sublime to observe from mid-September) favor a late harvest. The grape variety is almost exclusively Chenin.
These 5 appellations, located on different soils, but bordering each other, give sweet and even syrupy wines, among the most famous of the Loire and even beyond:
- The Aubance hillsides
- Coteaux du Layon and villages
- Chaume,1er cru
- Quart de Chaume, Grand Cru
- Bonnezeaux
The AOC Savennières
We cross the Loire, but remain west of Angers. The vineyards are on the hillsides and plateaus overlooking the Loire. It is for us, one of the most beautiful vineyards of Anjou.
Here too, Chenin is king, but this time for very well-balanced dry white wines, which gain in strength but remain very smooth. The producers like to say that it tastes like the flint used to sharpen knife blades.
3 appellations for neighbouring terroirs:
- Savennières
- Savennières Roche aux Moines
- Serrant flow
The AOC Anjou
Here we are in the heart ofhistoric Anjou, near Angers, on the south bank of the Loire. The soil still bears the traces of the Armorican massif with schistose soils. The climate continues to calm down, the mildness of Anjou also extends to the vineyard.
4 appellations Anjou :
- Anjou, cabernet, chardonnay, sauvignon... for dry white, sweet, red and rosé wines, which will be light and fresh!
- Anjou-Village and Anjou-Village Brissac where the Cabernet Franc reigns supreme, synonymous with freshness and tense wines, but which are beginning to take on a little substance.
- Anjou-gamay which has made the gamay grape variety its raison d'être and gives wines with melted tannins and a characteristic fruitiness.
AOC rosés and Cabernet d'Anjou
We are on the same terroir as the AOC Anjou, but this time we vinify the grapes in rosé, with 2 appellations which are distinguished by the grape varieties:
- Cabernet d'Anjou, which is limited to Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon for tender wines, but which remain relatively balanced.
- Rosé d'Anjou, which allows itself all the mixtures in the red grape varieties cultivated in Anjou, with a small preference for the Grolleau. This results in fruity and very tasty wines.
The AOC of Saumur
Change of scenery and floors with the beginning of the tufa floors, which come from the neighboring Paris basin.
- Saumur, a bit like Anjou, here we have made the diversity of the grape varieties (about fifteen) a strength. Whatever the blends, the wines remain supple and fresh.
- Saumur Champigny: temple of the cabernet-franc which offers red wines with very supple tannins which reveal the very beautiful aromas of red fruits.
- Saumur-Puy-Notre-Dame: once again, Cabernet Franc is used to make wines that are more robust but still harmonious.
- Coteaux-de-Saumur : the soil gives a characteristic freshness to this sweet wine made from Chenin.
The AOC Chinon
We leave the Anjou region for the Tourraine region, following the Loire River from the south. The appellation is quite extensive, irrigated by the Vienne river, and offers a mosaic of soils: tuffeau on the slopes, sandy gravel terraces and clayey tops.
In red wines, largely dominant in the appellation, the Cabernet Franc gives fruity wines, with present tannins but which remain elegant. In white wines, the power of the terroir and the traditional chenin grape variety, gives wines quite round.
Before continuing our journey along the Loire, let's take a small step aside to introduce you to an appellation completely detached geographically from the river. With the same characteristics, we classify it as a Loire wine.
The AOC Haut-Poitou Wine
We are south of Chinon and a little above Poitiers. The climate is of the Aquitaine oceanic type, without excess, neither of temperature, nor of precipitations. The soils are made of clay with flint and the vineyard is mainly present on the hillsides and structured in small islands, nicely called "fiefs of vine".
The red and rosé wines are mainly made from Cabernet Franc, which can be complemented with Gamay, Merlot or Pinot Noir. The whites are a blend of sauvignon-white and gris (also called fié-gris). The wines are light, supple and fruity.
Here we are back in the Loire after this (short) escapade in Poitou!
The AOC Saint Nicolas de Bourgueil
Still on the border of Anjou and Tourraine, but this time on the north bank, we are on an ancient terrace shaped by the river, which gives mostly sandy-gravel soils.
Bathed in sunlight, the Cabernet Franc gives here intense wines with very present tannins.
The Bourgueil AOC
All around the area of the AOC Saint-Nicolas Bourgeuil, extends the AOC Bourgeuil. The water has receded from this large terrace on two levels, leaving gravel on the lower one and tuffeau on the upper one.
The Cabernet Franc will give very aromatic and tannic red wines on the tuffeau soils and lighter on the gravels,
The Touraine AOC
We continue our progression on the Loire, with an area of appellations occupying a wide band of 100 km located on both sides of the city of Tours. The landscapes are unevenly shaped by the many rivers that crisscross them, offering a multitude of soils for the vine.
The Tourraine AOC :
- AOC Touraine, like AOC Anjou and AOC Saumur, this appellation area combines different grape varieties and soils to offer a wide range of wines with little tannin and quite lively.
- AOC Touraine-Amboise, on a very characteristic flinty clay soil, the Gamay in red and the Chenin in white give structured wines but which remain ample.
- AOC Touraine-Azay-le-Rideau, on clay-limestone soils, from the Chenin grape variety for the whites and Grolleau dominated for the rosés. They will be fine and elegant, while the whites will be fuller.
- AOC Touraine-Chenonceaux, cabernet franc for the reds, sauvignon for the whites, on the famous clay-siliceous soils of the perruche type, for powerful reds and round whites.
- AOC Touraine-Oisly, an AOC dedicated to white wine made from the Sauvignon grape alone. The wines are lively and fine.
- AOC Touraine-Mesland, the gamay gives red and rosé wines with a beautiful structure born from the clay-siliceous soils and its protected climate. The chenin-based whites will gain in roundness with the contribution of chardonnay.
- AOC Touraine-Noble-Joué, the pebble and flinty clay soils give very round rosés with morello cherry aromas.
A new stop on the road of the Loire, to speak to you about 2 appellations called regional because they gather several appellations for very specific wines:
- The Rosé de Loire: the area extends from Ancenis to Blois and thus includes the areas of Anjou and Tourraine appellations. It produces a much drier rosé without sweetness, in comparison before the Cabernet-d'anjou and the Rosé-d'anjou. These wines are blends of grolleau, cabernet franc and sauvignon, pineau d'aunis, gamay and pinot noir!
- Crémant de Loire: the area extends from Ancenis to Cheverny above Blois. For sparkling whites or fine bubbles, we use a blend of chardonnay, chenin and arbois, for rosés, a blend of cabernet franc and sauvignon, grolleau, pineau d'aunis, gamay and pinot noir.
The AOC Vouvray
We are very slightly east of Tours, on the right bank of the Loire. The vineyard is mostly located on a plateau on a tufa soil for the hillsides and clay-limestone for the plains.
The chenin grape variety gives still and sparkling wines with a freshness.
The AOC Montlouis-sur-Loire
From the Vouvray area, we cross the Loire to reach the AOC Montlouis-sur-loire. Between the Loire and the Cher, the plains have been loaded with pebbles and sands which, combined with a southern exposure, give very refreshing dry and sparkling wines.
The AOC Cour-cherverny
We continue our journey along the Loire, past Blois, to reach the Cour-cheverny appellation area. We leave the soils of Tourraine, for the sands and clays characteristic of the Sologne. The vineyard is crisscrossed by three rivers which give it a hilly aspect.
In this AOC, only the Romorantin grape variety is grown, which produces delicate and lively white wines.
The AOC Cheverny
Halfway between Blois and Orléans, we are in the Cheverny appellation area, still on Sologne land. Here, pinot noir, gamay and cabernet franc are grown for the reds and rosés and sauvignon and chardonnay are combined for the whites.
The reds will be delicate and fresh, while the whites will be more temperate.
The AOC Orléans
Here we are in Orleans, the northernmost vineyard of the Loire wines. The vines are planted on the alluvium of the river, synonymous with siliceous gravel soils.
- The AOC Orléans: the reds and rosés will be produced from Cabernet Franc, Meunier or Pinot Noir and the whites only from Chardonnay. The wines are light and fruity, with a freshness.
- The AOC Orléans-Cléry: only the Cabernet Franc is grown here for very tasty but fresh wines.
Before going further south, let's go back a bit to follow 2 tributaries of the Loire: the Loir and the Cher.
The AOCs along the Loir
We are in the vicinity of Vendôme, a little north of Tours, for 3 appellations:
- The AOC Coteaux-du-Vendomois: we are on flinty clay hillsides, for reds that marry cabernet-franc, pineau d'Aunis, pinot noir and gamay and whites dominated by chenin, completed with Chardonnay. This results in full-bodied wines.
- Jasnière: facing south, this small appellation cultivates only the chenin grape variety which gives here elegant and fresh wines.
- The AOC Coteaux du Loir: hillsides that open onto a very wide valley, and soils that have some tufa. all the grape varieties of the typical Touraine appellations are cultivated here to produce fresh and fruity wines.
The AOCs along the Cher river
We are going to walk between Tours and Bourges, along the Cher and one of its tributaries, the Arnon, for these 4 appellations and 1 IGP:
- The AOC Valançay: fine waterways run through these soils of clay and flint. The Tourraines grape varietiesare grown here for red and rosé wines, all in finesse and freshness, and more supple whites, but just as much on freshness.
- IGP Côteaux du Cher et de l'Arnon: this IGP offers mainly white wines made from chardonnay, sauvignon and pinot blanc, but also red and rosé wines made from gamay and pinot. The wines are on the finesse and freshness.
- AOC Quincy: almost at the height of Bourges along the Cher, we enter the Quincy appellation area. Change of scenery, we are on large plateaus at 120m altitude, on siliceous soils. The Sauvignon grape variety is grown exclusively here, to produce supple and particularly aromatic wines.
- AOC Reuilly: just across from the Quincy area, but along the Arnon, a tributary of the Cher, the Reuilly appellation area is a bit more hilly. Sauvignon is grown for the whites, pinot and pinot-gris for the reds and rosés. The wines leave a large place to the expression of the fruit supported by a flexible structure.
- AOC Châteaumeillant: we are now going up the Arnon almost to its source, 60 km south of Bourges. The vineyards are located on hillsides at an altitude of 250 to 300m. Gamay, pinot and pinot-gris are grown here to produce very light and fresh reds and rosés.
Back to the Loire. We had left each other after Orleans. After this city, the Loire begins its slow ascent towards the Massif Central and its source over about 450 km to reach 1551 meters of altitude.
The AOC Coteaux du Giennois
We are about 60 km south of Orleans, mainly on the right bank of the Loire. The vines are planted on ancient terraces of the Loire with a siliceous and gravelly soil and run along the river for about 60 km.
We grow Gamay and Pinot for fruity reds and rosés with a supple texture and Sauvignon for light and fruity whites.
The AOC Sancerrre
This time we are about halfway between Orleans and Nevers. Located on a hillock that seems to come out of nowhere, on the left bank of the Loire, this appellation area benefits from exceptional climatic conditions and varied soils (marl, limestone and siliceous) that give a thousand variants to the wines.
The Pinot grape variety will give us aromatic red wines with melted tannins and a supple structure. In white, we will have with the only sauvignon, structured wines, even robust for certain vintages and we will find the aroma of "gunflint" already met in the Savennières appellation.
The AOC of Pouilly
Opposite the area of the Sancerre appellation, on the other side of the river, stands the terroir of the 2 Pouilly appellations:
- Pouilly-Fumé: the vines are facing west, Sauvignon is grown in flinty soil and marl, which gives very fruity and elegant whites, with the famous "gunflint" aroma typical of these soils.
- Pouilly-sur-Loire: on the same terroir, but with a grape variety originating from the Alps, the chasselas, which gives fresh and crisp white wines.
Nearby, you can find 2 IGP of Loire wines:
- IGP Côtes de la Charité: gamay and pinot are grown for red and rosé wines, and sauvignon, chardonnay and pinot gris and blanc for white wines. The wines are fruity and the whites retain a certain finesse.
- IGP Coteaux de Tannay : Still close to Sancerre, but further east, between Burgundy and the Loire, the producers of the IGP cultivate mainly melon and chardonnay for white wines that are round but still lively. The red and rosé wines are made from pinot noir are fruity and light.
The AOC Côte Roannaise
We continue our slow ascent of the Loire to reach Roanne, 150 kilometers south of Nevers. We are (finally) in the Massif Central, at 300 meters of altitude. The soils are now granitic.
The Gamay grape variety is grown exclusively here, producing particularly balanced and fruity red and rosé wines.
The AOC Côtes-du-Forez
We gain a few more meters in altitude (between 400 and 600m) but are protected from the vagaries of the weather by the Forrez Mountains. Basalt of volcanic origin is mixed with the granite soil.
The only grape variety in the appellation area is Gamay, which produces supple, fresh and fruity red and rosé wines. The vines on basaltic soils give wines with more character, more tannins.
Once again, we leave the Loire for one of its tributaries, the Allier, which will take us to the last two appellations of the Loire.
The AOC Saint-pourçain
We are on the left bank of the Allier, a little over 50 km south of Nevers, slightly west of Moulins and the Côte-du-Forez appellation. We are between 250 and 400 meters of altitude and the soil is a mixture of sand and gravel, inherited from the river and the granite of the Massif Central.
For the whites, we associate with the chardonnay, a grape variety found only in Saint-pourçain, the tressalier. A blend that gives us dry, lively and quite tender wines. For the reds and rosés, we use Gamay and Pinot Noir, for fine, full-bodied wines.
The wines of Côtes-d'Auvergne
And to finish this (small) overview of the Loire wines appellations, a very particular area, the Côtes d'Auvergnes:
- It extends over 80 km and nearly 267 hectares, north and south of Clermont-Ferrand.
- It includes 1 AOC and 1 IGP in a puzzle of vineyards, the fruit of the history and complex geography of the Puys chain (born of the Auvergne volcanoes) which has sculpted the land.
- Although AOC since 2009, it has kept the right to keep its 5 local names, which correspond to particular pieces of the puzzle (Madargue, Châteaugay, Chanturge and Boudes (red wines) and Corrent (rosé wine)). This explains why you will not find 2 websites to give the same count of the Loire appellations.
For the AOC, you will find whites made from chardonnay, and reds and rosés from gamay and pinot noir (50% maximum).
For the PGI, the winegrowers have more latitude on the grape varieties used, and on the possible blends. You will be able to find 100% pinot noir red wines.
The specifications provide for wines of character with fruity and spicy notes.
Wine tourism: the vineyards of the Loire Valley
