FRANCE’S LOIRE VALLEY WINE REGION
Chinon in the Loire Valley
Photo source: Winekeller
Our suggestions for exploring France’s Loire Valley wine region:
France’s Loire Valley wine region: an introduction
The Loire Valley region in France is located in the middle stretch of the River Loire river in the centre of the country, spanning 270 kms, with an area of some 800 square kms. It’s one of the most beautiful and interesting regions of France, with plenty of impressive towns and charming villages to explore, historic castles, stunning countryside and of course the food and wine here is pretty good too!
The Loire Valley is not an official region of France, it is actually part of the 'Centre' region and is made up of the 5 departments of Eure-et-Loir, Indre-et-Loire, Loir-et-Cher, Loiret and Indre et Cher. The region is also often referred to by the historic regional names of Orleans (northern part) including the city of Orleans, Berry (south-east) and Touraine (south-west).
The most popular section is a middle section of the river Loire between Sully-sur-Loire, east of Orléans up to Chalonnes, west of Angers. This whole section is listed and protected as a UNESCO World heritage Site (one of ten European wine regions to be classified as such.)
What is the Loire Valley most famous for?
This ‘World Heritage Site’ section of the Loire Valley is defined as an ‘exceptional cultural landscape of great beauty, comprising historic cities and villages and great architectural monuments’, but it is probably most famous for its historic, renaissance castles (the chateaux of the Loire Valley) and its excellent Loire Valley wines.
Loire Valley wines
The Loire Valley wine region is one of the world's most well-known areas of wine production and the third largest appellation region in France. It comprises several different French wine regions situated along the River Loire and over 50 different appellations, from the Muscadet region on the Atlantic coast to the Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé just southeast of the city of Orléans in north-central France.
The River Loire is France’s longest river - just over 1000 km - and it covers a wide variation of climates and soils and grape varieties, of which over half are white. In general, the wines of the Loire can be defined as light and refreshing and although the region is most famous for its white wines, there are some excellent red and rosé wines, as well as sparkling and sweet wines. Discover Loire Valley wines here.
Loire wines map:
Source: Vins du Val de Loire
Travelling upriver from the Atlantic Ocean, the first Loire wine region is the vineyards around Nantes, planted mainly with the grape variety, Melon de Bourgogne and this region is the home of ‘Muscadet’.
Next are the vineyards of Anjou-Saumur where there are some 19 appellations. This is the home of the Loire Valley wine region’s signature grape variety and wine, Chenin blanc, but Cabernet franc is also a popular red grape variety here.
Then onto the Touraine wine region, where in terms of white wines, Sauvignon blanc joins Chenin blanc and Cabernet franc, with Côt (Malbec) and Gamay producing some excellent red wines. Sauvignon blanc then reigns supreme as you travel further upriver into the vineyards of Centre-Loire, famous for its Sancerre and Pouilly-sur-Loire wines.
The vineyards of the Loire Valley wine region
Photo source: Winekeller
Loire Valley white wines
Loire Valley white wines are made mostly from three single grape varieties and the best known are as follows:
Muscadet wine - made from Melon de Bourgogne grapes - a dry and little bit salty wine, often made and sold as ‘Muscadet-sur-lie’, where it ages on the yeast to produce a more complex wine. Pairs superbly with shellfish;
The Chenin blanc grape variety - a personal favourite of ours and the base of many different Loire wines including the famous Vouvray and Montlouis appellations - also a base for many sparkling Loire wines - Saumur and Crémant de Loire;
Sauvignon blanc - an aromatic grape which produces some of France’s most well-known wine appellations - Sancerre and Pouilly.
Loire Valley red wines
The Bordeaux grape Cabernet franc produces lovely fragrant, fresh red wines. The most famous Loire Valley red wines are Chinon, Bourgueil and St-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil, all in western Touraine and made with Cabernet franc.
Loire Valley rosé wines
The Loire Valley produces some excellent rosé wines, especially in the Touraine region and many will have heard of ‘Rosé d'Anjou’, popular rosé wines made from Grolleau, Gamay and Cabernet franc grapes grown in the region of Anjou, around the city of Angers. Other very respected rosé wines include the dry Rosé de Loire and the off-dry, delicately-scented, Cabernet d'Anjou.
Recommended Loire Valley vineyards and wineries
The Loire Valley wine region is France’s best rated for customer satisfaction, with many wineries open to the public for wine tours and wine tastings. See here for information about Loire Valley wineries to visit and see recommendations in each separate wine travel blog
Château du Chambord
Photo source: Winekeller
Loire Valley wine region - Travel guide and useful information
The Loire Valley is one of the most beautiful, interesting and historic regions of France to explore. There’s so much to see and explore, but the good news is that if you stick to the most famous middle-section of the Loire Valley, around the river, everything is within easy reach and you can cover a lot in a few days! However, a note of caution, if you love your history and castles, then you can end up spending a whole day getting lost in just one of the stunning Loire châteaux!
Ideally we would advise spending at least 3 days in the Loire Valley - that way you’ll get to enjoy the river and countryside, visit a winery or two, explore a couple of the region’s most important towns and visit a famous château.
Getting to the Loire
There are airports in Nantes, Angers and Tours and the region is also fed by the national rail network. You can explore the Loire Valley by train using the ‘Interloire line’, which runs between Orléans and Nantes and stops at Beaugency, Blois, Amboise and Tours, from where you can easily access the region’s famous châteaux, towns and vineyards.
Cycling in the Loire Valley France
There is no better way to explore the Loire Valley (in our opinion anyway!) than by bike! Get information and inspiration here about cycling the Loire Valley. Our experience of taking your bikes to the Loire Valley is entirely positive - the bike paths are well maintained and numerous and bike storage is well supported as well as transport if you want to take your bike on the train for example.
Loire Valley bike tours
If you’re planning your own Loire bike tour, we suggest you do your homework and plan it properly - here’s a good place to start! You could also check out a guided tour option. For hiring bikes, check out Cyclo de Loire in Saumur.
Cycling the river Loire - Source: Winekeller
Château de Chenonceau
Château de Villandry Gardens
Château du Clos Lucé, Amboise
Châteaux of the Loire Valley
The Loire Valley in France is home to some of the finest and most historic castles and chateaux in the world - some elegant Renaissance homes, some imposing mediaeval fortresses. Many of these date from the 15th to 17th centuries when the region was much loved by many of the French Kings and noblemen, who competed to build ever more elaborate and luxurious chateaux.
The best Loire Valley chateaux
If you’re visiting the Loire Valley then you have to visit a château - but the thing is, which one??
Château de Chambord – commissioned by Francis I and conceived by Leonardo da Vinci – is perhaps the most iconic of the Loire châteaux. It’s certainly the most popular, most impressive and most flamboyant! You’ll need time to visit Chambord though - there are over 60 rooms to visit and extensive parks and gardens!
In Amboise, you can visit the Royal Château with its dazzling collection of Gothic and Renaissance furniture, as well as the Château du Clos-Lucé, the last home of Leonardo da Vinci and where you can learn about his incredible inventions.
Or there’s the royal fortress of Chinon, the site of many important and historic moments in European history!
Then there are the romantic châteaux of Azay-le-Rideau, built on the river Indre, with its southern façade rising above a mirror of water and the beautiful Château de Chenonceau on the river Cher.
Whilst visiting the Loire Châteaux you can’t help but linger to enjoy and admire the stunning gardens - two stand-out examples being the Château de Villandry and the Domaine de Chaumont-sur-Loire.
To take a deep dive into the most popular Loire châteaux and for a Loire valley chateaux map, see here.
Saumur on the river Loire
Tours in the Loire Valley
Visit Loire Valley towns and villages
Take time to explore some of the Loire Valley's beautiful and historic towns as well as its lovely villages. The most important towns include Tours, Amboise, Loches, Orleans, Blois and Saumur.
Accommodation Loire Valley
For lots of different types and styles of accommodation in the Loire Valley as well as useful information, restaurants and activities, see here.
Loire Valley food and wine
A highlight of a visit to this part of France is the chance to enjoy the fine food and wine. The wines of the Loire Valley pair perfectly with its regional produce and the wide variety of wines here mean that they pair well with meat, fish, cheese or dessert! The Loire Valley is also known for its selection of goat cheeses.
See here for some particularly good Loire Valley food and wine pairings, including the famous Muscadet white wine with oysters!
The western half of the Loire Valley’s ‘Anjou Saumur’ wine region is popularly known as L'Anjou Noir , so named because of its special, dark soils which have produced the most amazing ‘sweet’ Anjou Chenin Blanc wines over centuries - however today the wine world is excited by the potential of its stunning ‘dry’ wines…