"time in Angers (Anjou): With over planted under vine, the Loire Valley is about two-thirds the size of the Bordeaux wine region. Due to its location and marginal climate, the overall quality of a vintage has a dramatic effect on the quality of the region's wines—more so than with other French wine regions. The most common hazard is that the cool climate will prevent the grapes from ripening fully and developing the sugars needed to balance the naturally high acidity of the grapes. During these cool vintages the Sauvignon blanc based wines are lighter in color, less fruity and have"
"Cheverny AOC Cheverny is a French wine region in the Loire Valley that makes dry white wines, light red wines and ""rosé"" wines. The area received AOVDQS (""Appellation d'Origine Vin Délimité de Qualité Supérieure"") status in 1973, and then AOC (""Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée"") on 26 March 1993 when new regulatory laws were passed. The wine region is spread over 532 hectares, within 24 communes of the Loir-et-Cher department. The white wines are composed of Sauvignon blanc grapes, at a proportion of 60%–80%, blended with Arbois (grape), Chardonnay or Pineau Blanc de la Loire grapes. A small proportion is made into"
"After World War II, the wines gained a reputation in the Paris bistro scene as an easy drinking white wine equivalent to Beaujolais. In the late 1970s and 1980s, a wave of quality consciousness helped elevate the reputation of Sancerre as an elegant and food friendly white wine that became a popular feature on restaurant lists across the globe. Sancerre is part of the ""central vineyards"" of the Loire Valley, so named not because they are in the center of the Loire but rather because they are nearly in the center of France. Together with neighboring Pouilly-Fumé, the region makes"
"hectares) of vineyards planted as of 2006, it is the single largest producer of Chenin blanc-based wines in France by a sizable margin, with only the Anjou wine region of the Coteaux du Layon coming close. Most of the vineyards are planted on a plateau with a southern aspect facing towards the river. Viticulture and wine production in the region is dictated almost completely by the climate characteristics of a particular vintage with cooler climate years shifting productions towards dry and sparkling wines while warmer vintages seeing increased production of sweet and even botrytized wines. The harvest in Vouvray is"
"Cour-Cheverny Cour-Cheverny is a commune in the Loir-et-Cher department in the Centre-Val de Loire region of France. The commune's land extends across the Loire Valley and across the Sologne region. Its inhabitants are known as Courchois. The Cour Cheverny ""Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée"" (AOC) was recognized in 1997. Geographically it corresponds to the commune of Cour-Cheverny and 10 other communes in the surrounding area. The single grape variety used is Romorantin, from which a dry, white wine is produced. The Cheverny AOC, which was also recognized in 1997, covers a wider area but also includes the commune of Cour-Cheverny. The wines"
"historic towns such as Amboise, Angers, Blois, Chinon, Nantes, Orléans, Saumur, and Tours, but in particular for its castles, such as the Château d'Amboise, Château d'Angers, Château de Chambord, Château de Montsoreau, Château d'Ussé, Château de Villandry and Chenonceau, and also for its many cultural monuments, which illustrate the ideals of the Renaissance and the Age of the Enlightenment on western European thought and design. On December 2, 2000, UNESCO added the central part of the Loire valley, between Bouchemaine in Anjou and Sully-sur-Loire in Loiret, to its list of World Heritage Sites. In choosing this area that includes the"
"Sancerre (wine) Sancerre is a French wine Appellation d'origine contrôlée or AOC for wine produced in the area of Sancerre in the eastern part of the Loire valley, southeast of Orléans. Almost all of the appellation lies on the left bank of the Loire, opposite Pouilly-Fumé. It is well regarded for and primarily associated with Sauvignon blanc. Some Pinot noir is also grown, accounting for around 20% of the region's production, making mostly light red wines under the designation of ""Sancerre Rouge"". A rosé style from Pinot noir is also produced in a style similar to Beaujolais. White Sancerre was"
"American chef Bobby Flay, the white sauce beurre blanc was allegedly invented in the kitchen of Château de Goulaine by the head cook, Madame Clémence Lefeuvre. Château de Goulaine The Château de Goulaine is a former castle, now a château, in the Loire Valley located near Nantes, France. This castle has been home to the family of the marquis de Goulaine for over a thousand years. Château de Goulaine is also the estate-bottled wine produced at the château. In the 12th century, when the Duchy of Brittany was independent, the first Goulaine, Jean de Goulaine, then captain of the city"
"about 33 inhabitants per km². The main cities are Nevers, Cosne-sur-Loire, Varennes-Vauzelles, Marzy, Decize, Imphy, Clamecy and La Charité. Only two cities reach 10 000 inhabitants. It indicates the characteristic of the department, which is predominantly rural. Nièvre is also well known for its white wine, Pouilly Fumé. The vineyards are scattered around villages including Pouilly-Sur-Loire, which lends its name to the appellation, Tracy sur Loire, Boisgibault, Saint Andelain. The word fumé is French for ""smoky"", and it is said the name comes from the smoky or flinty quality of these wines. The only grape allowed in the Pouilly-Fumé AC"
"Reuilly AOC Reuilly is an ""Appellation d'origine contrôlée"" (AOC) in the Loire Valley wine region of France, which takes its name from the Reuilly commune in the department of Indre, situated in the center of France. The Reuilly vineyards consists of located in 7 communes: Reuilly and Diou in Indre and Lazenay, Chéry, Lury-sur-Arnon, Preuilly and Cerbois in Cher. The soils are made up of sandy-gravelly soil and clayey-chalky soil (Kimmeridgian marl). Three different grape varieties are grown: Sauvignon blanc, Pinot noir and Pinot gris. The AOC, recognized by the decree in 1937 for white wines made from Sauvignon and"
"the most heavily planted. The Anjou region of the Middle Loire is situated around the town of Angers and is known primarily for the rosé wines based on the Grolleau and Cabernet franc, including the ""Rosé d'Anjou"" and the ""Cabernet d'Anjou"". White wine made from the Chenin blanc is known as ""Anjou Blanc"" while ""Anjou Rouge"" is often made from Gamay. Some of the higher quality wines are often labeled with the AOC designation ""Anjou-Villages"". The Chenin blanc grape has been planted in the region since at least 845 AD when it was planted at the Abbey of Glanfeuil. Throughout"
"Tuffeau stone Tuffeau stone — in French, simply tuffeau or tufeau — is a local limestone of the Loire Valley of France. It is characterized as a chalky or sandy, fine-grained limestone, white to yellowish-cream in appearance, and micaceous (containing some white flakes of mica, or muscovite). The soft stone is extracted from numerous quarries and has made a major mark on the architectural landscape of the Loire and its tributaries — especially the valley's world-famous chateaux. Tuffeau dates to the Mesozoic era (Upper Cretaceous Turonian stage). The Loire Valley formed the floor of a vast sea 90 million years"
"la Loire"" (""of the Loire""). Loire Valley is a UNESCO listed World heritage Site since 2000, it is located both in the administrative regions of ""Pays de la Loire"" and Centre-Val de Loire. Although majority of the châteaux of the Loire Valley such as Montsoreau, Angers, Saumur or Brézé in ""Pays de la Loire"" are located in the ""Maine-et-Loire"" departement, ""Pays de la Loire"" has numerous prominent monuments, such as the castles of Laval, and the Nantes Château des Ducs de Bretagne, the Royal Fontevraud Abbey (the widest monastic ensemble in Europe), and the old city of Le Mans. In"
"Savennières wine Savennières wine is a white wine, usually dry, produced from Chenin blanc around Savennières in the Loire Valley. The vineyards are situated on the north bank of the Loire River, in the Anjou-Saumur subregion. There are three ""Appellation d'origine contrôlées"" (AOCs) for Savennières wine: Savennières, covering most of the vineyards, and the enclaves Savennières-Roche-aux-Moines and Savennières-Coulée-de-Serrant. The area allowed for Savennières AOC spreads over 3 hills of schist, located on the northwest (right) bank of the Loire river, totaling about , situated in three communes: Savennières, Bouchemaine and La Possonnière. Of these, about are actually planted with vineyards."
"Chenin blanc Chenin blanc (known also as Pineau de la Loire among other names) is a White wine grape variety from the Loire Valley of France. Its high acidity means it can be used to make everything from sparkling wines to well-balanced dessert wines, although it can produce very bland, neutral wines if the vine's natural vigor is not controlled. Outside the Loire it is found in most of the New World wine regions; it is the most widely planted variety in South Africa, where it is also known as Steen. The grape may have been one of the first"
"Saint-Véran AOC Saint-Véran is an ""Appelation d'Origine Contrôlée"" (AOC) for white Burgundy wine from the Mâconnais subregion, located in the department of Saône-et-Loire. The geographical area of this appellation extends over 8 communes and is divided into two small islands separated from each other by the Pouilly-Fuissé appelation. It is made up of the villages of Davayé, Prissé and Solutré-Pouilly in the north, and Chânes, Chasselas, Leynes, Saint-Amour and Saint-Vérand in the south. All these villages are located in the extreme south of the Mâconnais subregion and of the Burgundy wine region as a whole. The Saint-Véran appelation came into"
"Pouilly-Fumé Pouilly-Fumé is an ""appellation d'origine contrôlée"" (AOC) for the dry sauvignon blanc white wine produced around Pouilly-sur-Loire, in the Nièvre département. Another white wine produced in the same area but with a different grape variety is called Pouilly-sur-Loire. Pouilly-Fumé is made purely from sauvignon blanc, a type of vine whose clusters are formed of small ovoid grapes, pressed against each other and resembling small bird eggs. At maturity, these grapes are coated with a grey bloom, the color of smoke — which explains why Pouilly winegrowers talk of ""white smoke"" to describe the type of vine or the wines"
"Touraine AOC Touraine is an ""Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée"" (AOC) in the Loire Valley wine region in France that produce dry, white wines and red wines rich in tannins. The AOC status was awarded by a decree of December 24, 1939 (modified by the decree of August 29, 2002). The wine-growing area extends over departments of Indre-et-Loire, Indre and Loir-et-Cher and comprises a total of 70 communes and it is thus a ""subregional"" appellation covering the same area as a number of local AOCs. The white wines are made from Chenin blanc grapes (known locally as Pineau Blanc de la Loire),"
"following 24 communes can claim Cheverny appellation: Candé-sur-Beuvron, Cellettes, Cheverny, Chitenay, Cormeray, Cour-Cheverny, Feings, Fougères-sur-Bièvre, Fresnes, Huisseau-sur-Cosson, Maslives, Les Montils, Montlivault, Mont-près-Chambord, Muides-sur-Loire, Ouchamps, Saint-Claude-de-Diray, Saint-Dyé-sur-Loire, Saint-Laurent-Nouan, Sambin, Seur, Tour-en-Sologne and Vineuil, as well as a part of the Monthou-sur-Bièvre commune. Cheverny AOC Cheverny is a French wine region in the Loire Valley that makes dry white wines, light red wines and ""rosé"" wines. The area received AOVDQS (""Appellation d'Origine Vin Délimité de Qualité Supérieure"") status in 1973, and then AOC (""Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée"") on 26 March 1993 when new regulatory laws were passed. The wine region is spread over"
"most of the Middle Loire experiences a continental climate, the Coteaux du Layon receives more climatic influence from the Atlantic Ocean, which promotes the development of ""Botrytis cinerea"", than in nearby Vouvray or Montlouis. While all three AOCs produce sweet, botrytized wine there tends to be less vintage variation in the Coteaux du Layon. The cool continental influence in Montlouis and Vouvray lends itself to producing a wide range of Chenin blanc including grapes with the necessary balance of acidity to sugar needed to produce sparkling wine. In the AOC of Savennières, there is less fog and mist from the"
"than hand pickers. One of the best known producers in the region is Didier Dageneau who, until his death in 2008, was an influential voice in the area advocating the reduction of yields and the use of organic viticulture. Pouilly-Fumé only produces white wines while Sancerre produces red, white and rosé wines. The white Sauvignon blanc based wines from this region has characteristic gooseberry and grapefruit flavors with the Pouilly-Fumé version typically being more full bodied and rich in texture. The red Pinot noir wines are very light in both body and color that are not very similar to other"
"located directly across the Loire River from the commune of Sancerre. The soil here is very flinty with deposits of limestone which the locals believed imparted a smoky, gun flint flavor to the wine and hence ""Fumé"", the French word for ""smoky"" was attached to the wine. Along with Sémillon, Muscadelle and Ugni blanc, Sauvignon blanc is one of only four white grapes allowed in the production of white Bordeaux wine. Mostly used as a blending grape, Sauvignon blanc is the principal grape in Château Margaux's ""Pavillon Blanc"", In the northern Rhône Valley, Sauvignon Blanc is often blended with Tressallier"
"aux Moines) are highly regarded by international wine critics. The Savennières ""Appellation d'Origine Controlée"" (AOC) spreads over 3 hills of schist, located on the right (northwest) bank of the Loire river, totaling about 300 hectares, of which about half are currently in production. Savennières Savennières is a commune in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France. It lies near the Loire River south west of Angers and is best known for its production of highly rated white wine. With production predominantly centred on the Chenin blanc grape, it is famed for its particularly long-lasting dry white wine comparable to that of"
"are new. 100% malolactic fermentation takes place. Grape variety: Chardonnay Vineyard holding: Château de Chamirey Château de Chamirey is a wine producer in the town of Mercurey, in Burgundy, France that produces white and red wine. They are best known for their Monopole wines, the Les Ruelles 1 cru red and the La Mission 1 cru white. The estate holds in Mercurey. of the estate's holdings are premier cru, of which are monopole vineyards The château dates back to the early 18th century. At the end of the 18th century, a fire destroyed the adjacent chapel. The château was acquired"
"is generally divided into three areas. In the northwest, the Valdigne area south of the commune of Courmayeur is home to the highest elevated vineyards in Europe at 3,937 feet above sea level. The white grape Prié Blanc (also known as Blanc de Morgex)is the main production grape in the area and is used to produce the wine ""Blanc de Morgex et de la Salle"" in both a still and sparkling wine style. Due to its high elevations, the area has never been affected by phylloxera louse which has allowed the vineyards of this area to remain with ungrafted rootstock."
"in the world. Chevalier-Montrachet sits higher up the same hillside as the Montrachet appellation, producing arguably one of the best white wines in the world. In 1913 Domaine Louis LATOUR purchased this 0,51 hectare vineyard from the widow of Léonce Bocquet, who initiated renovations of a part of the Clos de Vougeot. This vineyard carries the name ""Les Demoiselles"" in hommage to the daughters of an early 19th-century Beaune General, Adèle and Julie Voillot, who were the owners of the vineyard and who died without marrying. Maison Louis Latour Maison Louis Latour is an important négociant-éléveur of red and white"
"Montsoreau Montsoreau is a commune of the Loire Valley in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France on the Loire, from the Atlantic coast and from Paris. The village is listed among the most beautiful villages of France and part of the Loire Valley UNESCO World Heritage Site. In 2015, the French contemporary art collector Philippe Méaille associated with , president of the French department of the Maine-et-Loire signed an agreement to turn the Château de Montsoreau into a museum of international contemporary art for the next 25 years. The Château de Montsoreau became home for Méaille extraordinary collection of radical"
"to continental. The Nièvre vineyard is spread over , with 120 winemakers annually producing approximately . This varietal Sauvignon is similar to those of the vineyards of Sancerre. It should not be confused with Pouilly-Fuissé, a chardonnay wine from the south of Burgundy (Mâcon). Pouilly-Fumé Pouilly-Fumé is an ""appellation d'origine contrôlée"" (AOC) for the dry sauvignon blanc white wine produced around Pouilly-sur-Loire, in the Nièvre département. Another white wine produced in the same area but with a different grape variety is called Pouilly-sur-Loire. Pouilly-Fumé is made purely from sauvignon blanc, a type of vine whose clusters are formed of small"
"Château de Chamirey Château de Chamirey is a wine producer in the town of Mercurey, in Burgundy, France that produces white and red wine. They are best known for their Monopole wines, the Les Ruelles 1 cru red and the La Mission 1 cru white. The estate holds in Mercurey. of the estate's holdings are premier cru, of which are monopole vineyards The château dates back to the early 18th century. At the end of the 18th century, a fire destroyed the adjacent chapel. The château was acquired by the Marquis de Jouennes in 1932 and in 1934 he decided"
"Romorantin Romorantin is a traditional French variety of white wine grape, that is a sibling of Chardonnay. Once quite widely grown in the Loire, it has now only seen in the Cour-Cheverny AOC. It produces intense, minerally wines somewhat reminiscent of Chablis. Legend has it that Romorantin was introduced to the Loire by King Francis I of France (1494–1547). The commune of Romorantin-Lanthenay is not far from the grape's stronghold in the Cheverny AOC, suggesting that the grape's name reflects a geographical connection - the king was from the region. DNA fingerprinting has shown that it is one of many"
"Sancerre and Pouilly-sur-Loire are known for their crisp and herbaceous Sauvignon blancs. Some producers in the area are experimenting with oak aging their Sauvignon blanc to give them more rounder and softer appeal. The villages of Bourgueil, Chinon and Saumur are known for their Cabernet franc based wines that range from light and fruity in Saumur to rich and velvety in Chinon. The Muscadet wines from the Pays de la Loire are made from the Melon de Bourgogne grape and are known for their citrus and mineral notes. In addition to the main production grapes, several local grapes are also"
"Château Cheval Blanc Château Cheval Blanc (French for ""White Horse Castle""), is a wine producer in Saint-Émilion in the Bordeaux wine region of France. As of 2012, its wine is one of only four to receive the highest rank of Premier Grand Cru Classé (A) status in the Classification of Saint-Émilion wine, along with Château Angélus, Château Ausone, and Château Pavie. The estate's second wine is named Le Petit Cheval. In 1832, Château Figeac sold 15 hectares/37 acres to M. Laussac-Fourcaud, including part of the narrow gravel ridge that runs through Figeac and neighboring vineyards and reaches Château Pétrus just"
"Coteaux du Layon Coteaux du Layon is an ""Appellation d'origine contrôlée"" (AOC) for sweet white wine in the Loire Valley wine region of France. Coteaux du Layon is situated in the Anjou district of the region, along the river Layon, which is a tributary of the Loire River. Six of the villages (communes), namely Beaulieu-sur-Layon, Faye-d'Anjou, Rablay-sur-Layon, Rochefort-sur-Loire, Saint-Aubin-de-Luigné and Saint-Lambert-du-Lattay are allowed to add their name to that of the appellation. Usually, the ""de"" or ""sur"" part is dropped, to give names like Coteaux du Layon Beaulieu and Coteaux du Layon Saint-Aubin. Furthermore, two villages within the Coteaux du"