What you should know about Loire Valley wine
Vineyards and winemaking are deeply rooted in a culture and heritage of French people. That is why France is the country widely recognized for its production and consumption of wine. French people love their wine and usually cannot refuse a glass or two during the dinner or even lunch đ. Also, wine lovers from all over the world come here to taste this delicious liquor and to please their taste buds.
There are a couple of regions in France that are famous for producing and selling wine. We can distinguish regions such as Alsace, Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne, and Loire Valley, where you can find different types of wine, according to the specific region. But let me tell you something more about the Loire Valley wine region.
Loire Valley region
The region of Loire Valley, also called the Garden of France, is located in central west France and is well known for its attractive landscapes, stunning castles, and old villages. The combination of the beautiful landscape with the cultural heritage determines the uniqueness of the valley. But there’s something more to that. The Loire Valley region is also well known for the wine that its producing. It is the most diverse wine region of all France that produces wines in every style. We can find there 86 different wine appellations with a wide choice of red, rosĂ©, white and sparkling wine.
Loire Valley wine
The Loire Valley wine has its unique flavors that are made from different types of grapes. The grape varieties we can find in the Loire Valley wine region are Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Gamay, Pinot Noir, Chenin Blanc, Muscadet, and Chardonnay.
Among all of the exquisite wines of the Loire Valley wine region, I would recommend trying Coteaux-du-Layon which is a sweet white wine made from Chenin Blanc grapes. Its delightful fruity flavors may be perfect for those who need a little bit of sweetness in their life. Second one worth trying is the Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil which impresses with its soft, fruity taste. It is made mainly from Cabernet Franc grapes with up to 10% of Cabernet Sauvignon. You can choose between rosĂ© and red wine. When it comes to Anjou wine, it has its winegrowing influence for over 1,000 years. This wine is especially known for its fresh fruits flavors and it’s usually found as red or rosĂ© wine. The next wine I would recommend you to try is the Muscadet, made from Melon de Bourgogne grapes. Muscadet wines are usually dry and light bodied. So, if youâre a big fan of this type of wine, it might be perfect for you! The last but not least is the Vouvray which has white dry, off-dry, sweet and sparkling wines since itâs made of Chenin Blanc grapes. Its flavor is considered very fresh with the range from full to opulent.
Visiting cellars
In Loire Valley there are 5 smaller regions where you can find a lot of tourist cellars: Anjou, Centre-Loire, Pays Nantais, Saumur, and Touraine. Take a tour in one of the cellars where you can have a guide who will explain everything to you. Also, you can try the famous Loire Valley wine! To taste some of the finest wines I would highly recommend you to go and visit one of those cellars: Cave des Producteurs de Montlouis-sur-Loire, Cave des Vines de Bourgueil, Domaine de la VinçonniĂšre, Ackerman, Domaine Lelais or ConfĂ©rie des Vignerons de Oisly et ThĂ©see. Each one of them has in their basements different types of wines so Iâm sure you will find something for yourself!
If youâre not a fan of visiting the cellars you should check out also the wine bars where you can taste Loire Valley wine with some local food. And maybe you will get to know the secrets of pairing wine with some culinary specialties! đ
You can also check out those 3 other interesting articles: