📍 Loire Valley

The Loire Valley is a wine region along the Loire, France's longest river, from the Massif Central to the estuary near Nantes. The regional wine IGP Val de Loire covers 14 departments of its basin. Soils change from west to east: the ancient Armorican Massif around Nantes and in Anjou, the white chalk of Saumur and Touraine, the volcanic rocks of Auvergne.

Around Nantes and in Anjou the climate is oceanic, in Touraine a continental influence is felt, and in the centre it is semi-continental; rainfall is 600–700 mm a year. The stretch of the valley between Sully-sur-Loire and Chalonnes-sur-Loire has been on the UNESCO list since 2000.

According to the InterLoire council, more than 100 grape varieties grow here, 7 of them main ones: Cabernet Franc, Chenin, Melon, Sauvignon, Gamay, Chardonnay and Grolleau. Each has its own soil: Melon the granites of Muscadet, Chenin the tuffeau and schists of Anjou-Saumur, Sauvignon the flinty clays of Touraine, Cabernet Franc the limestones of Chinon and Saumur. About 90 % of IGP Val de Loire wines are single-varietal.

Muscadet is only a dry white from Melon, with no more than 10 % Chardonnay; after the harsh winter of 1709, Melon became the main grape here. Sancerre, in the Cher department, makes whites only from Sauvignon, and reds and rosés only from Pinot Noir.

Why it matters to you. The name “Muscadet” has nothing to do with Muscat grapes, and Sancerre is not only white. Most Loire wines are single-varietal, so the grape is often named on the label. Whites are served at 4–10 °C, reds at 15–18 °C.