The Loire Valley is "an exceptional cultural landscape, of great beauty, comprised of historic cities and villages, great architectural monuments - the Châteaux - and lands that have been cultivated and shaped by centuries of interaction between local populations and their physical environment, in particular the Loire itself." (UNESCO World Heritage Sites Committee)

Val de Loire wines stand among the treasures of this beautiful area. There are a great variety of terroirs and wines, thanks to the diversity of the soils and climates : vins du Centre, vins de Touraine, vins d'Anjou et de Saumur, vins de Nantes...

"This wine rejoices sad hearts", wrote one famous prior in 1089. Val de Loire wines were already renowed in the Middle Ages, and later Rabelais, the famous French humanist, also celebrated them. In 1935, winegrowers decided to protect the mention of terroir, and the next year, they received an AOC -Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée – certification from the new created INAO. There are now 63 Appellations d'Origine Contrôlées in the Loire Valley, that gather rosé, white, red and sparkling wines.

The climate in the Loire valley is oceanic, and becomes more continental in the inside lands, but remains mild. That can explain the characters of certain Loire wines, syrupy and sweet.

The area produces dry white wines , half-dry wines, sweet wines, rosé, red wines - mostly light- and sparkling wines. The type of vines are mainly sauvignon and chenin muscadet for white wine, gamay and cabernet franc for red wines. The wines are usually made from a single grape variety, like nowhere else on the French territory.

Val de Loire rosés taste of red berries, cherry, rose and pepper, red Val de Loire of red and black berries, fig, violet, tobacco, liquorice ; dry white Val de Loire wine develops aromas of white flesh fruit (apple, pear, peach), citrus fruit, lime tree, honeysuckle, ginger, and sweet wines, aromas of exotic fruit (ananas, mango, grapefruit), honey, cinnamon...

Val de Loire wines (Loire valley wines) - classement appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC)

Anjou
Anjou Côteaux de la Loire
Anjou Gamay
Anjou Mousseux
Anjou Petillant
Anjou Villages
Anjou Villages Brissac
Aubinges (Menetou Salon)
Beaulieu sur Layon (Côteaux du Layon)
Blanc Fume de Pouilly
Bonnezeaux
Bourgueil
Cabernet d'Anjou
Cabernet de Saumur
Cheverny
Chinon
Côteaux de l'Aubance
Côteaux de Saumur
Côteaux du Giennois
Côteaux du Layon
Côteaux du Layon Chaume
Côteaux du Loir
Cour Cheverny
Cremant de Loire
Faye d'Anjou (Côteaux du Layon)
Humbligny (Menetou Salon)
Jasnieres
Menetou Salon
Menetou Salon (Menetou Salon)
Montlouis
Morogues (Menetou Salon)
Muscadet
Muscadet Côteaux de la Loire
Muscadet Côtes de Grandlieu
Muscadet Sevre et Maine
Parassy (Menetou Salon)
Pigny (Menetou Salon)
Pouilly Fume
Pouilly-sur-Loire
Quantilly (Menetou Salon)
Quarts de Chaume
Quincy
Rablay sur Layon (Côteaux du Layon)
Reuilly
Rochefort sur Loire (Côteaux du Layon)
Rose d'Anjou
Rose de Loire
Saint Ceols (Menetou Salon)
Saint Nicolas de Bourgueil
Saint-Aubin de Luigne (Côteaux du Layon)
Saint-Lambert du Lattay (Côteaux du Layon)
Sancerre
Saumur
Saumur Champigny
Savennieres
Savennieres Coulee de Serrant
Savennieres Roche aux Moines
Soulangis (Menetou Salon)
Touraine
Touraine Amboise
Touraine Azay le Rideau
Touraine Mesland
Touraine Mousseux
Touraine Petillant
Vignoux sous les Aix (Menetou Salon)
Vouvray
Vouvray Mousseux
Vouvray Petillant

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