The Loire valley is home to a wide range of wines, from Muscadet in the west, through Saumur-Champigny and Chinon, to Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé in the east.
The diversity of the region is evident in the assortment of grapes used.
Melon de Bourgogne is used for Muscadet, while Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc feature heavily in appellations such as Vouvray and Saumur-Champigny.
By the time you reach Sancerre at the eastern end of the valley, Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc are more commonly found.
The Loire Valley’s many wine appellations follow the meandering Loire river, the longest in France, and can be approximately divided into three sectors:
Grape varieties Sauvignon Blanc for the whites, Pinot Noir for the reds and rosés.
Terroir Clay and limestone slopes, Kimmeridgian marl, silex and flinty soils
Grape varieties Sauvignon Blanc, plus a small amount of Chasselas under the Pouilly-sur-Loire appellation
Terroir Limestone, silex, marlstone and clay
Famed for its Chenin Blancs, the Middle Loire also produces world-class Cabernet Franc and is home to one of the largest sparkling wine appellations in France.
Main grape varieties Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Gamay and Grolleau for reds. Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay for whites
Terroir Anjou Villages has schist-based soils for ageworthy reds. Anjou Villages-Brissac stretches overs ten communes, also on schist-based soils
Grape variety Cabernet Franc (up to 10% Cabernet Sauvignon is also allowed)
Terroir 50% gravel terraces, 50% Turonian limestone (tuffeau)
Grape variety Cabernet Franc (up to 10% Cabernet Sauvignon is also allowed)
Terroir 75% gravel terraces and 25% Turonian limestone (tuffeau)Chinon
Grape variety Cabernet Franc (up to 10% Cabernet Sauvignon is also allowed) for the reds, Chenin Blanc for the whites
Terroir Alluvial terraces, limestone slopes and clay soils
Top producers Domaine Bernard Baudry, Domaine Philippe Alliet, Charles Joguet, Olga Raffault
These five appellations produce sweet wines made from Chenin Blanc, using either late-harvest or botrytised grapes.
Terroir A large diversity of soil types, including sandstone, schist and quartz
Grape variety Chenin Blanc.
Terroir Turonian tuffeau and clay
Terroir Calcareous-clay (argilo-calcaire), with a high clay content
Grape variety Chenin Blanc
Terroir The famous tuffeau made up of sedimentary rock from the Turonian era, composed of chalky, sandy marine limestone
Grape varieties Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon
Terroir Tuffeau, as above
Grape variety Cabernet Franc
Appellation name for a tiny amount of sweet wine made from Chenin Blanc
Sparkling wines produced primarily with Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay and Cabernet Franc
Grape variety Chenin Blanc
Terroir Schist. Two lieux-dits have cru status: La Coulée de Serrant (7ha) and La Roche-aux-Moines (17ha)
Terroir Large diversity of soil types, including flinty clays, sand and gravel
Main grape varieties Côt (local name for Malbec) and Cabernet Franc for the reds. Sauvignon Blanc and Chenin Blanc for the whites. Pineau d’Aunis, Gamay and Pinot Gris for the rosés
Grape variety Chenin Blanc (up to 5% of Orbois is also allowed)
Terroir Calcareous clay (argilo-calcaire), with flint-clay
Best known for its ‘Sur Lie’ bottlings of Muscadet, produced from the Melon de Bourgogne grape.
Grape variety Melon de Bourgogne
Terroir Sandy soils around the lake of Grandlieu, southwest of Nantes. Soils rich in foliated metamorphic rocks such as silica, schist and gneiss. A mosaic of soil types such as amphibolite and gabbro
Loire Valley winemaker Nicolas Joly has said he will withdraw his vineyard of the La Coulee de Serrant from the region's wine trade body after accusing the group of failing to respect organic and biodynamic wine producers.
Find out about our Decanter World Wine Awards 2014 Loire judging panel with biographies of the Regional Chair Jim Budd plus Andy Howard MW, Beverley Blanning MW, Chris Hardy, Chris Kissack, Margaret Rand, Rebecca Palmer and Stephen Skelton MW.
This year's Decanter World Wine Awards Regional Trophy for Sweet Loire over £15 went to Château la Varière, Les Guerches, Quarts de Chaume Grand Cru 2011 (11%)
This year's Decanter World Wine Awards Regional Trophy for White Loire under £15 went to Les Vignerons du Pallet, Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Le Pallet 2009 (12%)
A Loire Valley winemaker who disobeyed France's appellation system has escaped with only a token fine, in what his lawyer described as a 'slap in the face' for officials.
France's highest court has quashed opposition to the creation of a Quarts de Chaume Grand Cru in the Loire, and producers hope it could prove a blueprint for the region.
Prosecutors in France's Loire region have asked for a local winemaker to be fined for allegedly tricking consumers by wrongly linking his vin de table to the appellation controlee system.
Many producers in the Loire will be crossing their fingers for next year after a ‘difficult and complicated’ 2013 harvest, but there could still be some attractive wines.
A hail storm at in the early hours of Monday morning has caused widespread damage across much of the Loire communes Vouvray and Reugny.
Fancy a Sleeping Beauty château with your crottin? Fiona Sims picks some of the food and wine highlights of the Central and Upper Loire.
Loire producer Domaine des Baumard has provoked fury by challenging the new Quarts de Chaume Grand Cru appellation in France's Supreme Court.
François Chidaine, a leading figure in Loire viticulture, has resigned from InterLoire’s executive claiming the organisation is incompetent and bureaucratic.
Quarts de Chaume in Anjou is awaiting ministerial approval to become the Loire's first Grand Cru.
A small Loire producer of natural wines faces two years in jail or a hefty fine for labelling his wines wrongly.
In a difficult economic environment, French wine exports have risen dramatically so far in 2011.
The Loire is the latest wine region to announce that its harvest will be one of the earliest on record this year.
One of the Loire’s most diverse regions, Anjou-Saumur offers wines in a wide range of styles, the greatest being reds from Cabernet Franc and sweet whites from Chenin Blanc. JIM BUDD looks at the best producers and the great vintages
A dividing line between northern and southern France, the Loire Valley is filled with colour, beauty and regional differences
A drive around the Loire Valley with a couple of trusty companions provided the starting point for building a cellar, by PAUL JOHNSON
To the west of France, the Loire has many of the same climatic influences as Champagne. ROGER VOSS gives a guide to the best sparkling wines produced in the region
ALAN SPENCER highlights the top producers and the top wines of the Loire Valley, running through the appellations and styles
