Sipping Our Way Through The Loire

By the time you read this, I’ll be sipping wine in the Loire Valley. What started out as a gift to my mom—a trip see the beaches of Normandy—has somehow turned into a wee bit of a wine trip for moi.

When I was planning the trip, I admit I didn’t know much about the Loire (rhymes with low tar), other than what I’d learned while researching a post on French wine regions. But between that and checking out a map showing its proximity to Paris, it seemed like a no brainer to visit this fascinating region. Here’s why.

Lore of the Loire

The Loire Valley region, known as the garden of France, is roughly 300 square miles, about the size of New York City.  It encompasses the middle part of the Loire River, the longest river in France , and runs east to west in the central part of the country. Loaded with chateaux, historic towns and wine, it can’t be beat for a classic French countryside experience. (Or so I hope. I wrote this before I left and will have to confirm upon my return.)

Wines of The Loire: From East To West

In terms of wine, the Loire region boasts a tremendous variety. Heading from east to west, here are the different areas and their wines:

• In the easternmost part of the Loire Valley you have the Pouilly Fume/Sancerre region. Both Pouilly Fume and Sancerre are very drinkable dry white wines that are quite popular worldwide.
• Head a bit west and you run into the town of Tours, known for its renaissance chateaux. Tours is smack dab in the middle of the Vouvray region, known for its honeyed, sparkling wines.
• Keep heading west and you come to Chinon and Bourgueil, which produce the valley’s most celebrated–and relatively inexpensive–red wines. Made from Cabernet Franc grapes with a little Cabernet Sauvignon blended in, these wines are known for raspberry and pencil lead flavors. Sounds odd, but I am willing to give it a try!
•  Due west is the town we are staying in, Saumur. It’s known for making the second best red wines in the area and for its sparkling white wines as well. That variety, coupled with chateaux, castles and underground cellars, seemed to make it a great place to call home for a night.

Go West Till You Find Muscadet

•  Continuing west (which is what we plan to do), you hit the region of Anjou, known for its sweet white wines made from the Chenin Blanc grape.
•  And finally, where the Loire River meets the sea, you have the last wine region of the valley, Nantes. Nantes is the home of Muscadet wine. Not to be confused with Muscat, which is a sweet wine from France, or Moscato, a sweet wine from Italy, Muscadet is a dry white wine that pairs well with seafood. That’s great since Nantes is on the coast. Muscadet was the Loire Valley’s first claim to fame, yet it is still considered a good value wine.

I’ll be trying as many of these wines as possible and will report on some favorites once I get home.

Next week, meet me in the Champagne region, another wine center I sneaked on to our trip. Cheers, ma chere!