French Wine: Guide to the Loire Valley Wine Region in France

The Loire Valley wine region is situated on the banks of the Loire river, the longest in France. The river’s source is the volcanic mountains of the Massif Central, from which it flows northward before turning west to empty into the Atlantic Ocean. The area where the river flows from east to west—from Orléans to the Atlantic coast—is the major winemaking area. One of the northernmost wine regions in Europe, the Loire faces the struggles of other cool-climate growing regions like Champagne, namely frost and low sugar levels.

Evidence of winemaking in the upper Loire can be found as early as the first century BC, when the area was part of Gaul. Kilns used to produce winemaking amphorae (clay storage vessels) have been found from this time. Wine production spread mostly through the Christian presence that began in the third century. The area remained under Roman rule until 475, when it was conquered by the Visigoths.

Around the end of the eleventh century, Dutch merchants accessed the region via the Loire river and began exporting Loire-made wines to a growing market in Flanders and England. Today, the river is considered too shallow for transportation, and most Loire Valley wines are enjoyed locally since the wines are best when they’re fresh and don't take very well to storage. There are two major exceptions: the world-renowned appellations Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé.

The large Loire Valley wine region is split into four subregions. Starting at the Atlantic Ocean and moving inland along the Loire river, they are:

1. 1. Pays Nantais: Located southeast of the city of Nantes and closest to the Atlantic coast, this area comprises the westernmost portion of the valley, where the Loire River empties into the Atlantic Ocean. Four Muscadet appellations dominate the area. Of the four, two are especially important: Muscadet-Sèvre et Maine and Muscadet Coteaux de la Loire are neutral, dry white wines made with the Melon de Bourgogne grape and produced in larger quantities here than any other appellation in the Loire Valley.
2. 2. Anjou-Saumur: The western Loire's next subregion stretches from Anjou in the northwest to Saumur in the southwest. Anjou is best known for its Rosé d'Anjou, traditionally made with the sweet native grape Grolleau, but it also produces reds (Cabernet d'Anjou and Anjou Gamay) and a dry white (Anjou Blanc). Saumur also produces a rosé wine: Saumur Mousseux, a sparkling wine usually made with some Chenin Blanc. Other notable appellations include Saumur-Champigny (light Cabernet Franc), Coteaux du Layon (medium-sweet Chenin Blanc), and Quarts de Chaume and Bonnezeaux (sweet, botrytized Chenin Blanc).
3. 3. Touraine: This region in the middle Loire is centered around the town of Tours. Touraine is known for red wines (Cabernet Franc) from Chinon and Bourgueil, white wines from Vouvray and Montlouis, and Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc from Cheverny. The rest of the subregion's wine-producing area falls under the large and varied-in-terroir Touraine AOC.
4. 4. Upper Loire: This area comprises the easternmost portion of the valley, just after the Loire river bends from traveling north to traveling east. Its home to two of the Loire's most famous appellations: Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé. Both areas are famous for their dry white wines made from Sauvignon Blanc grapes. The Upper Loire also encompasses Quincy, France's second-oldest appellation, and Menetou-Salon, a small area often compared to Sancerre.

The Loire Valley has more varieties of grapes and styles of wine than any other wine region in France. Some of the most popular grape varieties include:

1. 1. Melon de Bourgogne is a neutral-flavor, reliable white grape variety that Dutch traders introduced to the Muscadet region in the seventeenth century. Its best known appellation is Muscadet-Sèvre et Maine, a light, acidic wine often paired with seafood.
2. 2. Sauvignon Blanc is a white grape that dominates in the upper Loire and is used to produce the Loire's two most famous wines, Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé. It's also used in Menetou-Salon and many white wines in the middle Loire.
3. 3. Pinot Noir is a popular red grape that is found in most of the red wine blends and rosés produced in the Upper Loire.
4. 4. Cabernet Franc is the most important red wine grape in the middle Loire, where its used to make red wine, rosé, and sparkling wine. Associated appellations include Chinon and Bourgueil, both of which make medium-bodied reds, the latter of which contains more tannins. The presence of tuffeau stone—a well-draining calcareous rock used to build châteaux in the region—in the sandy soil makes these areas especially suited to Cabernet Franc.
5. 5. Chenin Blanc is a versatile white grape predominantly grown in the middle Loire and used in both dry and sweet wines as well as sparkling wines like Crémant de Loire. Notable appellations include Savennières, an appellation in the Anjou region that produces a dry Chenin Blanc known for its longevity, and Vouvray, home to the most plantings of Chenin Blanc.
6. 6. Cabernet Sauvignon, a red grape, might be the world's most-planted variety, but it only accounts for only a small amount of plantings in the Loire Valley, due to climate: Cabernet Sauvignon prefers a warm one.
7. 7. Malbec is a black grape known as Côt in the Loire Valley, primarily used for blended red wines.
8. 8. Gamay Noir is an ancient red grape from Burgundy that ripens early, a useful trait in the cool climates of the Loire. It is most important in Anjou and Touraine.
9. 9. Chardonnay is a white grape typically used in blends for both white and sparkling wines. Learn more about Chardonnay in our guide here.
10. 10. Grolleau Noir is a red variety only found in the Loire (specifically Touraine) that is losing popularity due to its thin, acidic flavor. It can be part of rosé appellations including Anjou, Saumur, and Touraine, but not their red wine versions. Its typically blended with Gamay to make Rosé d'Anjou.

Traditional winemaking in the Loire Valley follows a few trends:

1. 1. Prevention of malolactic conversion: The malolactic conversion process transforms malic acid (very acidic) to lactic acid (less acidic). By preventing this process, Loire wines retain their characteristic acidity.
   
2. 2. Fermentation: This process typically takes place in stainless steel containers, and any aging happens in the bottle. In the 1980s, some winemakers began experimenting with barrel-aging their white wines to produce fuller-bodied, softer wines.
3. 3. Chaptalization: A common process in cooler climates, chaptalization involves the addition of sugar during the fermentation process to increase alcohol content and extend the fermentation period to improve flavor. In hotter years, chaptalization is unnecessary.

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