Val de Loire

At the mouth of the Loire river, the Pays Nantais is soothed by an ocean climate and sheltered from major variations. The soil, which consists of shales, gneiss and sedimentary rocks, is particularly suitable for wine growing. Vines have existed in this region since Roman times, but it was not until the end of the 17th century that this region′s most famous wine, Muscadet, came into existence, thanks to the introduction of the Melon de Bourgogne grape.

AOC Muscadet Sèvre et Maine : this wine owes its name to two rivers - the Sèvre Nantaise and the Petite Maine. It is supple, fine and has a good bouquet.

AOC Muscadet des coteaux de Loire : this is a full and robust wine, characterised by a gunflint taste.

AOC Muscadet : produced throughout the entire area, this wine, with its pale greeny-yellow appearance, is dryer yet still fine with a good bouquet.

AOVDQS Gros plant : it is produced in the same area as Muscadet. This white wine from the Folle Blanche grape is fruitier and dryer than Muscadet.

Did you know ?

Le Muscadet sur lie: "Lie" is the French word for "lees" (the light layer which is deposited at the bottom of the vat). It is the result of the fermentation of dead yeast cells and deposits after the wine has fermented. The process of winemaking on lees is a traditional technique that involves leaving the wine to ferment slowly sitting on its lees which it eliminates naturally.
Thanks to its fermentation, the wine retains its youth and freshness, with a small amount of dissolved carbon dioxide, giving it a slight tingling sensation (pearling) when you taste it.

The Angevin vineyard, with its rare complexity, benefits from a privileged mild and wet climate influenced by the ocean. The vine in this region is also very old and was mentioned frequently in poems from various periods in history. Although it extends only 50 km along the banks of the Loire, it is marked by many different types of soil and wine. Anjou, which is made from primary shales, provides a very varied range of wines: dry and mellow whites, reds and also rosés. The Saumurois, with its sedimentary soils dominated by freestone and chalk, also produces varied wines, including wines with fine bubbles. Chalky soil carries and forms the vines, whereas the subsoil is penetrated by legendary caves, mushroom beds and cavedwellers’ residences. In the Saumurois the wines are delicate like limestone, whereas wines from Anjou have more character due to their soils of origin and the local wine producers.

AOC Anjou rouge : developed from Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Pineau d’Aunis grapes, this beautiful ruby-coloured wine is fresh and light.

AOC Anjou Gamay : a supple and extremely fresh wine produced exclusively from the Gamay grape.

AOC Saumur rouge et Saumur Champigny : These two AOC wines, which are produced from an encépagement of Cabernet Franc, Cabernet sauvignon et Pineau d’Aunis are found on a chalky subsoil. Both have a dark ruby red colour and are well known for their digestive and tonic qualities. Saumurs reveal a mouth dominated by red fruits whereas Saumur Champignys are often livelier and fruitier.

AOC Rosé d'Anjou : predominantly made from Groslot, this semi-dry wine is fruity, with an inimitable freshness.

AOC Rosé de Loire : this wine, which is made from several grapes, including the Cabernet Franc, Gamay and Groslot, is sound and light.

AOC Cabernet d'Anjou : this wine, which is made from Cabernet Franc or Cabernet Sauvignon, has a fruity bouquet dominated by raspberries.

AOC Savennières : this wine, which is made from Chenin Blanc, is produced from vines cultivated on purple sandstone and shales. Recognised as a fine and dry vintage, it is at its best if left to improve for three to five years.

AOC Anjou blanc : essentially made from Chenin Blanc.

AOC Côteaux de Layon : the grapes for these great sweet and strong white wines are harvested using successive sorting, like Sauternes; this means that only overmature grapes with a withered appearance are harvested. These grapes, which are almost candied, are obtained thanks to the action of a fungus called Botrytis cinerea which generates the Noble Rot. With their beautiful colour and their nose with notes of quince, acacia and dried fruits, these wines taste potent and delicate.

AOC Saumur blanc : made from a mixed encépagement with a Chenin, Chardonnay and Sauvignon base, this wine is drier, sharper and more acidic than Anjou Blanc. With its pale yellow colour, this wine is fresh and fruity and has a nose dominated by citrus fruits.

Did You Know ?

Le Pére Cristal. This legendary grape grower from the Saumurois, who set up in Parnay in 1886, dedicated his life to his vines and his wine. He succeeded in sharing his passion firstly with important people from the region, then with major world figures, including Clémenceau and King Edward VII of England.

Referred to as the “Garden of France” by Rabelais, this region enjoys a temperate climate and complex soil containing a mixture of limestone, gravel, sand and clay. This promotes the growth of the vine, but also flowers, fruit and … chateaux. Does the marvellous Loire Chateaux visit not start from Indre et Loire ?

AOC Bourgueil et Saint Nicolas de Bourgueil : Both AOCs share an encépagement dominated by Cabernet Franc. They also enjoy a favourable microclimate: protection against the north winds and exposure to the South. The Bourgueil appellation area, which sits on hillsides with clay-limestone soil, produces tannic wines with a remarkable fullness. The St Nicolas-de-Bourgueil appellation area, which sits on gravel covering the freestone, produces more supple and fruity wines.

AOC Chinon : Chinon reveals a high level of diversity depending on the soil the vine grows in: the wine is light and fruity when it grows on gravely terraces but more robust and with a fullness when it grows on the clay-limestone and clay-siliceous plateaux.

AOC Vouvray : these white wines produced from the Chenin Blanc grape can be mellow, dry or semi-dry, still or sparkling. High-quality soils, sunshine and late harvests using successive sorting make for fine and distinguished wines. If they are kept for a few years, these wines reveal a complex bouquet: quince, apple and acacia.

The other Touraine AOCs : the Touraine appellation area, which is situated upstream of Chinon, contains village declinations: Touraine Amboise, Touraine Mesland and Touraine Azay-le-Rideau. The variety of soils provides a wide range of wines. The Gamay grape is generally dominant in the red Touraines, giving a fruity taste and rich aromas of red fruits. The white Touraines may be produced from a multitude of grapes: Chenin Blanc by a great majority, but also Chardonnay and Sauvignon. When they are produced from Pineau d’Aunis, the freshness and slight peppery notes of the rosés, also very fruity, come as a surprise.

Did You Know ?

The legend of Touraine wines began when the future Saint Martin, who was travelling from Pannonia, a Roman area in Eastern Europe, reached the banks of the river Loire. He had given away half of his cloak en route but he had never allowed himself to become separated from a small fragile shoot that he carried with him: a Pineau seedling.
When he reached Vouvray he was overawed by the landscape and set the seedling in a bird’s bone like a flower in a slim vase. The plant grew and he put it in a lion’s bone, then a donkey’s bone and finally into the good Vouvray ground. The following year, country people from the area harvested three pints of wine. When they drank the first pint they sang like birds, when they drank the second pint they became as strong as lions and when they drank the third pint they started to bray like donkeys.

In the Centre region, the furthest to the East of the Vallée des Rois, the vineyard is particularly known for two appellations, Sancerre and Pouilly Fumé.

AOC Sancerre : the Sancerre vineyard sits on clay soils and limestone land. Produced from Sauvignon, Sancerre Blanc, white or green and slightly mellow, perfectly complements the small prestigious local cheese known as the Crottin de Chavignol. Produced from Pinot Noir, Sancerre Rouge is light and fragrant.

AOC Pouilly Fumé : the Pouilly vineyard is exposed to a semi-continental climate. It is a major dry white wine with a Sauvignon base and a smoky gunflint taste.

AOC Menetou-Salon : this AOC principally concerns white wines, but also a few red and rosé wines. With the same soil as Pouilly and produced from Sauvignon and Pinot Noir grapes, these wines are best drunk while they are in their youthful prime.

AOC Quincy et Reuilly : both appellations are produced from the Sauvignon grape. In Quincy, a limestone terrace covered with gravel and sand produces a dry, light white wine with a delicate bouquet, whereas in Reuilly the clay-limestone soils produce a fruitier and more robust wine.