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The Loire Valley

The Loire Valley is a beautiful place, steeped in history and tradition. Much of this history manifests itself through the numerous châteaux that are dotted about the valley, one of the most beautiful being the Château de Chenonceau. This is a masterpiece of Renaissance architecture, with a ballroom which straddles the Cher River. The Loire also has some marvellous wines, and it achieves greatness with the sweet wines of Vouvray, Coteaux du Layon, Bonnezeaux and Quarts de Chaume.
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Loire Valley

The Loire Valley

The Loire Valley divides up into four huge viticultural regions, with Muscadet on the Atlantic Coast, Anjou et Saumur further inland, then the region of Touraine and then much further inland, separated from the other three regions is Sancerre. Other than Sancerre, where the grapes used are Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir, the main grapes for the region are Muscadet, Chenin Blanc (both white) and Cabernet Franc (red).

Muscadet
I'll deal quickly with this region, which spreads inland some fifty or so miles from the Atlantic coastline. The wine is all produced from the Muscadet grape, a lesser quality variety also known as Melon de Bourgogne. Basic Muscadet is produced by the bucket load, and is probably worth avoiding, unless you have discovered a producer whose wines you have already tasted and enjoyed.

There are, however, a few more well defined regions within Muscadet that are worth looking out for. These are Muscadet Côtes de Grand Lieu, Muscadet Coteaux de le Loire and Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine, the latter having the best reputation of these three appellations. In all cases look for the words 'sur lie' on the label. This means that the wine has been allowed to rest on its lees (dead yeast cells) for some time after fermentation, imparting a touch of richness to the otherwise dry and steely wine.