The Loire Valley runs for around 1,000 kilometres across central France, from the volcanic hills of the Auvergne to the Atlantic coast at Nantes. Along its length it produces sparkling wine, still whites in a dozen styles, rose, and red, from a variety of grapes that would be difficult to grow as successfully almost anywhere else in France. It is one of the great wine valleys of the world, and it remains one of the least understood outside the country.
Three bottles, three grapes, three very different expressions. Together they make a reasonable introduction to what the Loire does well.
Glass one: Domaine Vacheron, Sancerre Blanc 2022 - around £38
Sancerre is the Loire's most famous white, and for good reason. Made from Sauvignon Blanc grown on flint and limestone soils in the upper Loire, it is the wine that first established Sauvignon as a variety capable of genuine complexity and longevity - qualities that the New Zealand versions, for all their immediate charm, do not always share. Vacheron is one of the great family producers in the appellation, farming biodynamically across a range of parcels. Their Sancerre has a piercing freshness and a minerality that comes specifically from those chalky soils: gooseberry and grapefruit on the nose, a stony quality on the palate, and a long, clean finish. Drink it with asparagus, goats' cheese, or river fish. Or drink it as the aperitif it deserves to be.
Glass two: Domaine Huet, Vouvray Sec Le Haut-Lieu 2020 - around £32
Vouvray is Chenin Blanc's heartland, and Huet is Vouvray's greatest producer. The Haut-Lieu vineyard was planted before the Second World War and the vines produce fruit of remarkable concentration. In dry years the Sec (dry) style is the wine to choose: textured and complex, with quince, apple, and wax, and an acidity that gives it a tension that Chardonnay rarely achieves. What surprises people who encounter Chenin Blanc for the first time is the depth of flavour it carries without heaviness. This is a wine you can think about, and one that will develop in the bottle for another decade at least. Serve it at 10 to 12 degrees with roast pork, creamy sauces, or simply on its own as something that demands your attention.
Glass three: Philippe Alliet, Chinon 2021 - around £28
Chinon is Cabernet Franc at its most convincing, and Philippe Alliet has been one of the appellation's leading voices for forty years. The wine is lighter in body than most red wine drinkers expect from Cabernet, but what it trades in weight it makes up in precision - red fruit, pencil shavings, a gentle earthiness, and a freshness that makes it one of the great food wines in France. Serve it at around 14 degrees, which is cooler than most reds but correct for this style. It is at home with charcuterie, roasted chicken, or a simple roast duck. And it rewards more careful drinking than its price might suggest.
What else to know
The Loire's diversity extends well beyond these three. Muscadet from the western end is one of the world's best seafood wines. Savennieres, another Chenin appellation, produces some of France's most age-worthy dry whites. Bourgueil and Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil offer more Cabernet Franc at accessible prices. And the sparkling wines of Saumur, made by the traditional method from Chenin Blanc, remain among the best value in the category.
If you have been drinking the same Sauvignon Blanc or Chardonnay for years and want somewhere new to explore, the Loire is a good place to start. It will not run out of things to offer you.