Loire Valley Wine (Grapes, Sub-Regions, 10 Best Bottles to Buy)
Adorned by the beautiful Loire river tributaries, the Loire Valley wine region is home to an exciting range of wines - dry, sweet, rosé, red, white, and sparkling.
This 630-mile French wine region is a UNESCO World Heritage site stretching from Muscadet to Sancerre and Pouilly Fume.
Let’s discover the 10 delicious Loire Valley wines, their investment potential, and the best food pairings to go with them. We'll also take a look at the region’s winemaking practices and history.
Further reading
- Check out the other Popular French Wine Regions and their best wines.
- Also, discover France's Bordeaux Wine Region.
5 Major Grapes of the Loire Valley
The major grapes that dominate France’s Loire Valley vineyards are:
- Chenin Blanc: Used in dry, sparkling, and sweet wine styles, Chenin Blanc wines are light to full-bodied.
- Cabernet Franc: Cabernet Franc produces a range of light to medium-bodied wines with zesty acidity and splendid aging potential.
- Sauvignon Blanc: Loire’s Sauvignon Blanc wines range from fresh and light to complex and weighty.
- Gamay: Gamay produces light-bodied reds with gentle tannins. It has a strong presence in the region, thanks to Loire’s soils that resemble Beaujolais.
- Melon de Bourgogne: Melon de Bourgogne produces fresh, crisp, and lively wines. This white grape variety is known as the king of the lower Loire wine region.
Romorantin, Chasselas, Grolleau Noir, and Pineau d’Aunis are also grown in this region.
The Beautiful Loire Valley Wine Regions
The Loire Valley is divided into:
- Upper Loire: Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé
- Middle Loire: Touraine, Saumur, Chinon and Vouvray
- Lower Loire: Muscadet
Let’s look at the main grape varieties and wine styles of these regions.
1. Sancerre And Pouilly-Fumé
Sancerre and Pouilly-Fume are France’s most well-known white wine appellations. Sancerre also produces red and rose wines.
Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir are the key grape varieties of these regions. Pouilly wines often comprise Chasselas as well.
Sauvignon Blanc wines have a grapefruit and gooseberry flavor, while Pinot Noirs are light-bodied with red fruit flavors.
2. Anjou
Anjou is famous for its fruity rosé wine made from Grolleau and Cabernet Franc grapes.
The region also produces red and white wine bottles. The whites are made primarily from Chenin Blanc and are loved for their full-body, smoky nuances, and distinct minerality.
3. Saumur
Saumur, France’s third-largest sparkling wine appellation, produces bubbly Crémant de Loire from the Chenin Blanc grape.
Saumur’s morning fog creates the perfect condition for the noble rot. So, you can also find luscious Saumur botrytized dessert wines like Quarts de Chaume.
Saumur also produces herbaceous Cabernet Franc red wines.
4. Vouvray and Touraine
Vouvray and Touraine produce a diverse range of white, red, and rose wines.
The whites are primarily made from Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, and Chardonnay and deliver a unique minerality.
The reds are made from Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Gamay, and Malbec, while the rosés are usually a blend of Gamay, Pineau d’Aunis, Pinot Gris, and Pinot Noir.
5. Chinon
Chinon and its surrounding region are famous for producing soft but rich Cabernet Franc reds.
It also produces a Cabernet Franc rosé wine (with up to 10% Cabernet Sauvignon) and a Chenin Blanc white wine.
The red wines from this region are characterized by raspberry and graphite flavors.
6. Muscadet
The westernmost appellation of the Loire Valley, the Muscadet wine region produces excellent Melon de Bourgogne white wines.
The four Muscadet appellations that produce Melon de Bourgogne white wines are:
- Muscadet-Sèvre et Maine
- Muscadet-Côtes de Grand Lieu
- Muscadet Coteaux de la Loire
- Muscadet
These wines are full-bodied with a distinct freshness and musky aromas and flavors.
10 Magnificent Loire Valley Wines To Buy Now
Our top 10 Loire Valley wines are:
- 2003 Louis-Benjamin - Didier Dagueneau Pouilly-Fumé Astéroïde
- 1989 Clos Rougeard Saumur-Champigny Les Poyeux
- 1978 Clos Rougeard Saumur-Champigny
- 2005 Clos Rougeard Saumur-Champigny Le Bourg
- 1993 Clos Rougeard Saumur Blanc Brézé
- 1990 Philippe Foreau Domaine du Clos Naudin Vouvray Moelleux 'Goutte d'Or'
- 2007 Edmond Vatan Sancerre Clos la Néore
- 2018 Domaine Vincent Pinard Sancerre Chêne Marchand
- 2013 Bernard Baudry Chinon Le Clos Guillot
- 2019 Domaine de la Grange Cheverny Blanc
1. 2003 Louis-Benjamin - Didier Dagueneau Pouilly-Fumé Astéroïde ($2,659)
This rich, dry Cabernet Sauvignon has a beautiful dark golden color with citrus fruit scents. The palate has mineral flavors and a long finish.
2. 1989 Clos Rougeard Saumur-Champigny Les Poyeux ($1,215)
The classic Cabernet Franc red wine brilliantly expresses Saumur’s terroir with its black cherries, umami, and smoke aromas.
3. 1978 Clos Rougeard Saumur-Champigny ($697)
The medium-bodied Cabernet Franc from the Clos Rougeard winery has black currant and sour maraschino flavors with hints of juniper, sweet vanilla, and dried raspberry.
4. 2005 Clos Rougeard Saumur-Champigny Le Bourg ($680)
This spectacular Cabernet Franc from Clos Rougeard’s vineyard gives off mineral and smoky aromas followed by a beautifully balanced rusticity on the palate.
5. 1993 Clos Rougeard Saumur Blanc Brézé ($599)
This tropical and balanced Chenin Blanc white wine has honey, butter, and caramel notes with crisp fruit aromas.
6. 1990 Philippe Foreau Domaine du Clos Naudin Vouvray Moelleux 'Goutte d'Or' ($554)
This lush wine from the Philippe Foreau winery is a brilliant dessert wine with quince, honey, and caramel flavors.
7. 2007 Edmond Vatan Sancerre Clos la Néore ($521)
This green and flinty Sancerre white wine made from Sauvignon Blanc has a nutty, citrusy nose with earthy, vegetal textures.
8. 2018 Domaine Vincent Pinard Sancerre Chêne Marchand ($37)
This Sauvignon Blanc-based Loire white has apple, pear, and citrus aromatics. The palate is well balanced and velvety.
9. 2013 Bernard Baudry Chinon Le Clos Guillot ($20)
The savory Cabernet Franc wine has intense smoke and leather aromas with vanilla and spice nuances. The mouth has a refreshing acidity and smooth finish.
10. 2019 Domaine de la Grange Cheverny Blanc ($7)
This Chenin Blanc wine has lovely citrus aromas that enhance the gooseberry, lychee, and peach notes. Its soft acidity and buttery finish are pretty rich on the palate.
Investing In Loire Valley Wines
Some of the finest Loire Valley wines (red or white) can improve for over 20 years, especially the Chennin Blanc and Cabernet Francs. In fact, some Chenin Blancs from Vouvray have been known to age for a few decades.
No wonder these wines command good prices at auctions. For example, the 1921 Vouvray Le Haut-Lieu bottle from Domaine Huet was sold for more than $1000 in 2018.
These wines also show steady price appreciations. For instance
- The 2015 Louis-Benjamin - Didier Dagueneau Pouilly-Fume Asteroide grew by around 53% from $1032 in 2019 to $1585 in 2021.
- The 1990 Clos Rougeard Saumur-Champigny Le Bourg appreciated by 58% during the same period, from $1632 to $2590.
A reputed wine investment company like Vinovest can help you source an authentic Loire bottle for your collection and even store it in temperature-controlled warehouses.
Perfect Food Pairings With Loire Valley Wines
Anjou wines go best with red meats while young Muscadet and Sancerre wines pair beautifully with seafood.
For Touraine dry whites, go with the valley’s local goat cheese, and fruity desserts pair well with Vouvray’s sweet wine.
To give a wine enthusiast the ultimate dining experience, serve a Loire Valley wine at the perfect temperature.
- White, dry rose, and sparkling wine: 6-8°C
- Sweet white wine: 8-12°C
- Red wine: 14-16°C
Loire Valley: Viticulture And Winemaking
The Loire Valley wine region has more than 87 sub-appellations - each having its unique terroir and winemaking practices.
Anjou, Samur, and Touraine regions are relatively flat and have warm climates.
Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé are surrounded by three rivers and have a more continental climate with warm summers and snowy winters.
Further, the Loire river moderates the region’s climate, making it perfect for the grapes’ growth.
However, the valley’s cool-climate often prevents the grapes from ripening fully and developing the sugars needed to balance their naturally high acidity.
That’s why some winemakers use chaptalization to compensate for the grapes’ under-ripeness. For red wines, winemakers emphasize extending the maceration time to enhance the wine’s color and tannins.
Most Loire winemakers generally avoid barrel aging and malolactic fermentation, but some wineries have now started experimenting with them.
A Brief History Of Loire Valley Wine
Archeological findings suggest that The Romans planted the Loire Valley's first vineyards in the first century during their settlement at Gaul.
By the Middle Ages, these wineries were in the hands of monks. Under them, Loire wines became highly prized in the English and French courts.
In the 19th century, the Loire Valley wines lost to the cheaper ones from the south and the famous Burgundy and Bordeaux regions. However, since the introduction of the Appellation d’Origin Contrôlée (AOC) in 1935, the region’s wines have regained their quality and status.
Get The Best Of Loire For Your Collection
Loire Valley wines are diverse, versatile, and plain delicious - a perfect gift for a French wine lover.
If you’re tempted to own a splendid bottle from your favorite winemaker, Vinovest can help you buy, sell, and safely store your wine. So, sign up and build a high-performing wine portfolio.
