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Loire Valley (French: Vallée de la Loire or Val-de-Loire) is a wine region of France, the third largest after Bordeaux and Burgundy. It is the largest white wine region in the world, and the second largest for sparkling wines.
edit Tasting
Loire Valley wines come in four families from the four main winegrowing zones, West to East along the river.
In Pays Nantais, on the Atlantic Coast, the most famous wines are Muscadet made from melon de Bourgogne, a relative of Chardonnay. Muscadet-sur-lie means the wine is bottled straight from fermentation on its lees (sediment, mainly dead yeast cells) which is meant to give it depth of flavor and texture.
In Anjou-Saumur, the main grape is Chenin Blanc, but the whole gamut of wines are produced here, including some appellations (like Savennieres) that inspire reverence.
Touraine is divided between Chenin Blanc (in Vouvray and Montlouis) and Cabernet Franc (in Bourgeuil, St Nicolas de Bourgeuil, and Chinon), though all types of grapes are grown here.
In Eastern Loire (also called Centre), Sauvignon Blanc is king. Main appellations are Sancerre, Pouilly Fume, Menetou-Salon, Reuilly, and Quincy.
edit Facts and figures
- Main red varietals: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Gamay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris
- Main white varietals: Sauvignon, Aligoté, Chardonnay, Melon de Bourgogne, Folle Blanche, Chasselas, Chenin Blanc
edit History
Like in most wine regions of France, winegrowing was developed in Loire Valley by the Roman conquerors. Monks took over this culture for the following centuries, helped by the Loire river which offers an ideal access for wine trade and distribution.
edit Geography
The Loire is the longest river in France, flowing from the center of the country all the way out to the Atlantic. It is also fairly Northerly. These two facts affect viticulture.
The length of the river means that it covers a lot of geological and climatic variation. One of the benefits of all this variety is that the Loire Valley is the only region in France to produce excellent wine in every category: red, white, rose; still and sparkling; dry and sweet.
The Paris Basin, a vast chalk bed made of fossilized sea shells, is the notable geographic feature of the Eastern end of the Loire. It starts around Sancerre and goes through to Saumur.
Just past Saumur, the Loire passes into terrain known as the Massif Armoricain - a massif being an ancient mountain rage - with granite, schist, slate, and sandstone. These are the soils in Anjou and the Nantais.
edit Climate
Being Northerly means that the Loire is a cool region for growing grapes, translating to wines that are lighter bodied and higher in acid.
In Pays Nantais, the ocean brings important variations in temperature from one year to another -- however the average annual temperatures and precipitations are those of a rather warm climate.
In Anjou and Touraine, the ocean keeps winters warm and summers cool, sometimes bringing early springs. Humidity is very strong, especially in the fall, which helps developing "noble rot" on the grapes.
Climate is a bit harsher in Centre, which the oceanic influence doesn't reach. Winters are cold and summers are hot. Spring freezes threaten the vines every year.
edit Viticulture
Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc, the classic Loire grape varietals, will grow in both the chalky soils and the schistous, rocky soils but with remarkably different results. That is why wines from the Loire are fantastic demonstrations of the expression of terroir in the grapes.
edit See also
