The "royal river" (Liger in Breton) covers a distance of 1,000 kilometres from the Massif Central in south-central France to the mouth of the Atlantic Ocean. It gave its name to this huge wine-growing region of around 70,000 hectares. Like all bodies of water, it has a positive effect on viticulture or creates the conditions for it by forming valley slopes. The Loire rises south of Lyon, flows first in an arc to the north and then turns west at Orléans. In doing so, it crosses twelve départements and takes in a total of ten tributaries. There is significant viticulture on both banks of the Loire over a stretch of around 400 kilometres, with vineyards spread over many areas. UNESCO designated the "Val de Loire" (Loire Valley) a World Heritage Site in 2000.
Viticulture was founded by the Romans. In the 11th century, the wines of the Loire were popular in England and Holland and were imported in large quantities. In the 12th century, the Cistercians established the famous Coulée-de-Serrant vineyard near Savennières. On the banks of the Loire, French kings and many nobles built themselves magnificent hunting lodges and châteaux; in total, there are over 400 châteaux along the Loire and its tributaries. The most beautiful ones date from the Renaissance under King Francis I (1494-1547). He brought Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) to his court, who lived in the Château Clos Lucé (not far from Château Amboise) until his death. The canonised Joan of Arc (1412-1431) met King Charles VII (1403-1461) for the first time at Chinon to motivate him to fight against England.
Due to its size, the region has climatic conditions ranging from continental in the Massif Central to Atlantic at the Loire estuary by the sea. In combination with the different soil conditions, this also results in a wide variety of wine types. And yet they share a commonality of fresh acidity, fruitiness and delicacy of flavours, which is due to the northern location of most appellations. The region is primarily a white wine area. The two main varieties Sauvignon Blanc and Pineau de la Loire (Chenin Blanc) produce dry to noble sweet wines. Above all, the sparkling wines are famous; the Saumur area developed into the second sparkling wine centre of France after Champagne. The most important red grape varieties are Breton (Cabernet Franc), Gamay, Malbec (Cot) and Grolleau Noir. From these, rosé wines, vins gris and fruity red wines are produced, most of which are intended for quick consumption.
For the sake of clarity, the large Loire region can be divided into four sections from west to east. In the west, on the Atlantic coast at the lower course of the Loire, around the city of Nantes, lies the large section Pays Nantais with the white Muscadet wines produced according to the Sur lie method. The second section is the Anjou-Saumur area with numerous enclaves. The third section is dominated by the Touraine area, also with numerous island appellations. The fourth section, in the historic province and former duchy of Berry in central France, is clearly separated from the other three sections and is the most southerly. To the east lies the wine-growing region of Burgundy or Beaujolais.
Serious sources on the internet are rare - and Wine lexicon from wein.plus is one such source. When researching for my articles, I regularly consult the wein.plus encyclopaedia. There I get reliable and detailed information.
Thomas Götz
Weinberater, Weinblogger und Journalist; Schwendi