Loire Valley 2

The Loire River originates in southern France and is the longest river in France with the total length of around 1,000km. It begins heading north towards the city of Orléans where the river turns and heads towards the Atlantic Ocean passing through the cities of Tours and Nantes. Concentrated along the Loire and its tributaries, the wine producing region is situated between central France and Nantes. This area is temperate and passes through the transition zone from continental climate to maritime climate on the far western coast. Known as ‘Jardin de la France’ (The Garden of France) which attracts many tourists with beautiful scenes and many historical towns and Châteaux. Soils along the Loire are diverse which are mostly limestone in the Anjou and Saumur areas. The limestone rock in the region is called ‘Tuffeau’ which has been used to build houses and chateaux.  The long underground passages resulted by quarrying the rocks have been used to store and age wine for centuries. In the Touraine area, the soil is clay-limestone with sand and gravel. At Sancerre in the central France, the soil also consists of limestone.  These soil conditions are reflected on the diverse types and delicate tastes of Loire wines. Most of the wines are fruity and suitable for early consumption with most being white wines from the cooler northern climate. This wine regions are divided into four major areas.