Wine in La Loire

Within the wider Coteaux du Layon district, the Bonnezeaux wine appellation produces sweet white wines from Chenin Blanc grapes. Its wines have a strong reputation among sweet wine lovers and are produced with noble rot grapes using a methodology introduced by Jean Bovin - this methodology is now used more widely than by just Bonnezeaux appellation growers.

The wine from the appellation of Bourgueil is grown on the north of the Loire river. These vineyards produce red wine using the Cabernet Franc grape - though some do contain small quantities of Cabernet Sauvignon grape. Covering over 1,200 hectares, the vineyards are flat in topography and are relatively porous. Dependant on whether the ground is limestone or gravel, the wines can be more or less aromatic, sometimes with raspberries or violets.

The vineyards of this AOC region are located on the south bank of the Loire river. Reds are made from Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir and Gamay grapes and tend to be light. Whites are often Sauvignon mixed grapes (Blanc and Gris) with Chardonnay, Arbois and Chenin Blanc components; they tend to have overtones of citrus and hints of mineral. The separate Cour-Cheverny appellation is produced in the same district from Romorantin grapes.

Grown along the Vienne river, the grapes making up AOC Chinon wines are almost always Cabernet Franc, producing soft reds. The vineyards cover close to 2,000 hectares of land and those situated closest to the river tend to produce fruity and light wines. Further up the slopes, the wine produced is stronger and ages better. Many of the vineyards in this region are sited in the grounds of little châteaux.

This VDQS wine region, covering 200 hectares, produces some sweet and dry wines from Chenin Blanc or Pinot Gris grapes and reds and rosés from Gamay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc grapes. Their reds and rosés can be light, fruity and distinctive when made predominantly with Gamay.

The wine producing region of Coteaux du Layon, in the wider Anjou region of the Loire, produces sweet white wines. Situated mainly along the Layon river, the vineyards producing this AOC cover over 1,400 hectares of land growing the Chenin Blanc grape. The level of 'sweetness' varies between vineyards and vintages and the flavour of the wine tends to improve with age.

This wine appellation produces white wines from the Chenin Blanc grape. Many of the vineyards use biodynamic methodology to produce natural wines. The wine-growing area covers just 65 hectares, has a particularly high flint content. Its lovely floral wines are little-known but are popular with those who try them. They are known to age well.

Many of the wineries in this region produce their wines in old stone quarries. The vineyards producing Montlouis wines face south on the Cher river and are influenced by the flinty clay soils. They produce only dry, demi-sec and occasionally moelleux sweet, white wines using the Chenin Blanc grape.

The gentle hilly countryside of this region produces Muscadet appellation wines using the Melon de Bourgogne grape. It is the most produced wine in the Loire and most of these wines fall into the Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine appellation. Named due to the location of the vineyards between the Sèvre and Maine rivers, these wines are dry and white. Muscadet, in general, should be drunk young.

Lying just across the Loire river from Sancerre, these vineyards seem to date back to the 5th century. Its Chassalas grape has the AOC denomination of Pouilly-sur-Loire and its Sauvignon Blanc grape has the AOC denomination of Pouilly-Fumé. The egg-shaped berries of the Sauvignon Blanc grape are covered in a smoke-coloured grey bloom, hence the name Fumé, which also refers to the distinct smoky aroma which is a result of the outstanding land of the Pouilly/Loire vineyards.

Generally thought of as the best sweet white wine appellation in the Loire, its wines are produced under extremely tightly controlled conditions. Like Bonnezeaux wines, it falls within the Coteaux du Layon district and is made exclusively with Chenin Blanc grapes. This is a prestigious appellation and the small number of growers in the area closely protect the Quarts-de-Chaume title.

Making predominantly crisp Sauvignon Blanc white wines, the Sancerre region is famous worldwide. Wines produced in the region fall under the Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC) and have done so since 1936 making it one of the first areas in the region to gain this quality mark. These wines are not usually oaked and tend to have a distinct fruity taste. Red wines produced in the region tend to be made from Pinot Noir grapes. Although not officially classified as such, Sancerre wines from Bué, Chavignol and Ménétréol-sous-Sancerre are thought to be distinctive and of extremely high quality.

This wine appellation is made with Chenin Blanc grapes and produces mainly a dry white wine that ages well. In fact, many of its wines need to be drunk after a period of aging. Located on the north bank of the Loire in the Anjou region, the wine-growing area covers approximately 300 hectares. Historically this appellation produced sweet wines, but today very few are produced.

Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil wines are, like the Bourgueil, grown on the north of the Loire river, in an area just under 1,000 hectares in size. With similarly porous soil, they tend to have strong tannins. These wines, made using mainly Cabernet Franc grape, are usually fruity and lighter than the Bourgueil, due to the nature of the soils.

This wine appellation produces a rosé wine made with Pinot grapes: Noir, Gris and Meunier. Having only had appellation status since 1999, it is relatively little known and grown over just 25 hectares of land. This unique rosé is flowery and has flavours of rich fruits.

AOC Touraine-Amboise wines come under the wider Touraine appellation and are produced just to the east of the town of Amboise. White wines are produced using Chenin Blanc grapes and vary in their levels of dryness. They are deep flavoured and fruity. Reds and rosés blend Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Côt and Gamay Noir grapes. Like the whites, they can both be fruity with a good depth of flavour.

Covering an area of approximately 45 hectares, this AOC covers white and rosé wines. The whites are made with Chenin Blanc grapes and the rosés with mainly Grolleau. Their wines are crisp and dry with gentle aromas.

This AOC wine is made from Côt (Malbec), Gamay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Gris, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes. Located on the south side of the river Cher and just outside the Touraine district, this small wine-growing area produces mainly Sauvignon Blanc wines. It is only 100 hectares in size.

Made virtually exclusively with the Chenin Blanc grape, this wine has a tendency to want to be a little bit sparkling, even its still crisp whites! Occasionally a small quantity of Arbois grape is blended to make the Vouvray wine. Producing some of the most excellent Chenin Blanc wines, Vouvray is the largest producer in France. It can have a strong exotic and fragrant aroma which ages and develops a into more roasted finish. Still Vouvray is often drunk as an aperitif.