The Loire is the longest of France's wine rivers. It rises in the mountains of the Ardèche, south of the famous appellations of the northern Rhône, travels north to Orléans, then meanders west to Nantes, and the sea. And along the last 750 kilometres of that, wines are made. Not all are famous wines, such as Sancerre, Pouilly-Fumé, Vouvray, Chinon, Saumur, Anjou and Muscadet. There are humbler wines, too, romantically named 'Vins de Pays du Jardin de la France' ('country wines from the garden of France').
And the variety is astonishing. There are dry whites and sweet, red wines and rosé, and sparkling wines. It is the only French region that truly has something for everyone.
Around Nantes, Muscadet reigns, crisp and tangy. Made from the neutral Melon de Bourgogne grape, the best of Muscadet gets its character from maturation 'sur lie', in contact with the bready, rich yeast lees. In the Anjou region, the white Chenin Blanc stars, making steely, dry whites (Savennières), and opulent, long-lived dessert wines (Coteaux du Layon, Quarts de Chaume, Bonnezeaux). Upriver in Saumur, there are fragrant reds made from Cabernet Franc (Saumur Rouge, Saumur-Champigny), as well as several large companies making sparkling wine. And, of course, Anjou and Saumur have most of the Loire's rosé, with the basic Anjou Rosé and more exciting Cabernet (Franc) de Saumur.
Further upriver is Touraine, around the city of Tours. More Cabernet Franc reds, richer and softer - Chinon, Bourgueil and St-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil. Vouvray is another Chenin Blanc wine, made dry and austere (sec) in the lesser years, generously sweet (moelleux) in the great ones. Sauvignon Blanc, in the form of Sauvignon de Touraine, comes in to challenge Chenin's white wine dominance.
And Sauvignon Blanc takes over just after the Loire turns south at Orléans, in the vineyards of the Upper Loire, most notably Sancerre and Pouilly Fumé (not to be confused with the Chardonnay Pouilly Fuissé in the Mâconnais). Steely, gooseberry-scented and ultra-dry, these are darlings of the restaurant trade. There are also reds and rosés made from Pinot Noir in Sancerre. Menetou-Salon, Reuilly and Quincy also make Sauvignon Blanc whites.
