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The Loire Valley is a key wine region of western France. It is important for both the quantity of wine it produces annually and the diversity of its wine styles. Although it is often overshadowed by France's more famous regions – such as Bordeaux to the south – the Loire has played a vital role in French wine history for centuries and this continues today.
The Loire river flows lazily for just over 620 miles (1000km) between its source in the hills of Auvergne and the plains of the Pay Nantais, where it flows into the Atlantic Ocean. When compared to other great wine rivers, such as the Rhone, the Loire's meandering progress and related topography seem positively pedestrian.
The Loire's lack of dramatic riparian geography has certainly had its influence on the style of the region's wines and their current place in the world. The modern fame of wine regions seems to depend on the strong identity of either their scenery or their wines – and often both (the Cote d'Or is a nearby example). With such a wide repertoire of wines spread over so many miles of similar landscape, the identity of the Loire is rather diluted; this explains why it is often regarded as a series of smaller regions rather than a single very large one. The Pay Nantais, Anjou, Saumur, Touraine and the various appellations collectively referred to as Upper Loire all make their own contribution to the Loire as a whole. Even wines from Auvergne, along the very earliest stretches of the river, are now making themselves more widely known.
The extent of the wider Loire wine region means that few general statements can be made about its terroir in terms of either soil or climate. The maritime climate of the west becomes progressively more continental towards the south and east. The soils also vary considerably along the river's length; the tuffeau of Anjou is replaced by limestone and flint in Pouilly-sur-Loire and, ultimately, by volcanic, granitic soils in Cotes du Forez. The wine styles also change. The Loire whites vary from light and delicate (Muscadet) through racy and herbaceous (Sancerre), to sweet and honeyed (Quarts de Chaume). The region's sparkling wines add a further element. They are of vital importance to the health of the Loire wine trade, and are actively promoted (and consumed) as an affordable, high-quality alternative to champagne. Loire reds are perhaps less varied than the whites, although a spicy, tannic, deeply scented Cabernet Franc from Bourgueil is a far cry from a fruity, light-bodied Gamay of the Fiefs Vendeens.
The Loire is not only home to a large number of AOCs; it is also a significant source of Vin de Pays wines – second only to the heartland of the category, Languedoc-Roussillon. These are produced under 20 different titles, the most prolific of which is Vin de Pays du Val de Loire (previously known as the more evocative Vin de Pays du Jardin de la France).
Altogether, the Loire wine region produces more than four million hectoliters of wine each year. It is home to 70 appellations and roughly 175,000 acres (70,000ha) of vines, spread across 14 administrative departments. Its vineyards start in the hills where Provence, Languedoc-Roussillon and the Rhone wine regions meet. They then pass within 40 miles (65km) of Condrieu, Beaujolais, Macon and Chablis, before the river turns west to form what is generally recognized as the 'proper' Loire Valley. Here, historic names such as Vouvray and Savennieres, Chinon and Saumur-Champigny complete the extensive portfolio of wines in France's largest wine region.
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