Chinon Rouge Harmonie | Lambert Béatrice et Pascal

The Loire Valley is one of the largest and most interesting wine regions in France, located west of Burgundy: here, viticulture is practiced right along the namesake river. Various types of wines are produced, including whites, reds, rosés, sparkling wines, and even sweet wines. The Loire is especially famous for its excellent white wines, particularly from Sauvignon and Chenin Blanc grapes, though it also has a noteworthy production of red wines, mainly based on Cabernet Franc and Gamay.
The Loire Valley is also famous for Muscadet, a wine renowned for its ideal pairing with shellfish, made from the Melon de Bourgogne grape, which is called Muscadet in this region.

The climate in the Loire Valley is generally quite cool; both the temperature and the latitude place the region almost at the limit for the survival and cultivation of vines. This results in a particularly low sugar content in the grapes, producing wines that are light, low in alcohol, and characterized by high acidity. When barrels are used for maturation, the outcome includes robust wines with toasted notes, features that differ from what can be considered the classic styles of the region.

The region stretches along the course of the Loire River, the longest in France. The most suitable areas start from the cities of Nevers, Bourges, and Orléans. From these territories come the most famous wines of the region: AOCs such as Sancerre, Pouilly-Fumé, Vouvray, Savennières, Quarts de Chaume, Montlouis, Chinon, Bourgueil, Menetou-Salon, and Muscadet. The most important area of the Loire Valley is in the north, itself divided into three zones: one more westerly, near the Atlantic coast (around Nantes), where the AOC Muscadet is found, a central one with the AOCs Anjou-Saumur and Touraine, and an eastern one (south of Orléans), with the AOCs Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé. The production in the two outer areas focuses on white wines, while in the central area the production is varied, with whites, reds, rosés, sparkling wines, and sweet wines made from grapes affected by Botrytis Cinerea. The Loire Valley also has a vast area of Vin de Pays production.