Region · Loire, France
Loire Valley
LWAHR
France's longest cellar
What should I drink from here?
From Muscadet on the Atlantic to Sancerre and Pouilly in the east, with Chenin in the middle. The Loire is not one wine. It is a river of them.
- citrus
- chalk
- quince
- gooseberry
- wet stone
Muscadet (Melon de Bourgogne) is the oyster wine: lees-aged, saline, cheap when it shouldn't be. Anjou and Touraine are Chenin country — Vouvray, Savennières, Saumur. The central vineyards are Sauvignon: Sancerre, Pouilly-Fumé, Menetou-Salon.
Reds exist and are underrated: Cabernet Franc from Chinon, Bourgueil, and Saumur-Champigny — pencil shavings, red fruit, a chill recommended. Rosé from Anjou is serious more often than not.
If you want to learn French wine without a second mortgage, start here.
At the table
Service
Whites 46–50 °F (8–10 °C); Cabernet Franc 54–57 °F (12–14 °C).
