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When asked to name the great wine-growing regions of France the answer from Brits will inevitably be the usual suspects – Burgundy, Bordeaux, Champagne and Alsace. However, wine holidays in the Loire Valley are becoming increasingly popular, and rightly so. It’s one of the biggest wine-growing regions of France, and offers an amazing variety, especially whites.

The best-known wines of the Loire are the likes of Sancerre, Muscadet, Vouvray and Poilly-Fume, but there are literally hundreds of others, and many tiny wine-makers who are completely passionate about what they do. Even better, they are happy to have tastings and answer any questions. The Loire is easily reached from England, either by plane or, increasingly popular, by train via Rail Europe. The Loire is roughly 150km from Paris, so it’s perfect for a wine holiday or even just a long weekend break. An excellent idea is to go on a minibus tour with a guide – it saves a lot of time, it’s informative and you can drink as much alcohol as you want. Odyssee en Val de Loire do wine-tastings, chateau visits (with a discounted entry) and even trips to Paris and Versailles if you fancy.

The Loire river gives the region its amazingly fertile nature, and has a range of different soils, from flinty to chalk to limestone. It’s this – the French call it ‘terres blanche’ meaning 'white earth' - which gives the region its wide variety of flavours from a comparatively small range of grapes.

A typical small wine producer is Poupat et Fils, in Rivotte (45250 Briare, +33 (0)2-38-31-39-76, domainepoupat@hotmail.fr). Philippe Poupat produces rosé, white and red AOC quality-certified Coteaux du Giennois wine from a small vineyard. Here Mr Poupat grows the three classic grapes for the area, sauvignon blanc, gamay and pinot noir. His rose is a classic Loire style, light, fruity with lots of fresh notes of strawberry and raspberry jam. For €5.50 it’s an absolute steal, and it’s even cheaper by the case. His 2008 Rivotte is made from Sauvignon Blanc, and again is a classic example of the Loire – fresh, limey and with citrus notes. This has a distinct taste of the terroir of the region, you can almost taste the chalky soil and limestone. Mr Poupat’s wines are available in the UK from peterwattswines.co.uk.

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Orleans

 

In Orleans there are some excellent wine-shops. It’s a very handsome town and easy to navigate. Down by the river Loire, there is a wine shop which is heavily involved in the promotion of Loire Valley wines, and run by a real character. L’Ange Vins cave (43 rue du Poirier, 45000 Orléans, +33 (0)2 38 54 20 81, langevinscave@wanadoo.fr, www.langevinscave.com) is run by Sabine L., who was a sommelier at the famous Tour d’Argent restaurant in Paris one of the first women to hold the highly coveted role. She sells the big guns – Burgundy, Bordeaux and the Rhone wines – but believes the Loire wines are right up there in terms of quality, and is determined to get the world to realise it. She absolutely loves talking about wine, and can guide you through a tasting of Loire whites and reds, and which food to match with it. She will explain why the 2003 and the 2005 Touraines are so different despite having exactly the same amount of sunshine and rain, for example (the answer, to slightly spoil her story, is that in 2003 all the sunshine was in August – but it’s a great story when she tells it).

 

Chartres, more than just wine

 

The handsome town of Chartres is attracting a lot of British visitors, and not just for the wine tastings. For the summer, until September 2009, the town is illuminating its big buildings with an animated light show. For example the Musee des Beaux Arts has some of its paintings projected on its walls until midnight, and the massive cathedral has historical figures projected onto it. The Most impressive for my money is the old art deco post office, now a mediatheque, which is lit up in a phantasmagorical blitz of colour. Love or hate the buildings themselves, the light show is quite a sight. Also well worth doing is the night-time Cathedral tours (€12, July 10, 24, August 7, 14, 21, 28 @10pm). You get to go down in the crypt armed only with a guide and a candle, and see the cathedral from the inside in darkness. It’s not creepy at all, instead rather moving and peaceful – certainly better than during the day when it’s packed with people.

 

La Cave St-Lubin is a small wine shop in the centre of Chartres, but has a nice surprise (28B Rue du Soleil d'Or, Chartres, 28000, +33 23721 0000). When you enter look down – you are standing on a grille, under which you can see the cellar. It’s an extremely well-stocked one as well, selling wines such as Lafite Rothschild for €1,490, Chateau Talbot 2005 for €69, Montrachet Grant Cru for €349 and 2000 Barolo for €132. If that’s out of your range though don’t panic, it also sells plenty of good stuff for around the €5 mark, and the shop has tastings. Like most wine shops in the region, they are promoting Loire Valley wines so may have some great offers. Around 30% of its wines are from the Loire. Near the back of the shop you’ll find some of the most famous wines in the world, such as Chateau d’Yquem and Cheval Blanc, but look closely and you’ll see they are actually empty!

 

The old post office is right next to Chartre's Best Western Le Grand Monarque Hotel, a lovely hotel very popular with Brits as it boasts an excellent cellar (22 place des Epars, 28000 Chartres, +33 (0)2 37 18 15 15). Again the Hotel is promoting Loire wines, and in total offers 25,000 to 35,000 wines. The sommelier Nicolas Duclos – who speaks perfect English - is happy to recommend wines, and says British people love the steely style of Sancerre and Quincy wines. Asking him is a good idea, as there are 1,600 wines on the wine list, which could take a while to work through at dinner in the Michelin-starred restaurant. Guests can also go and have a look at the cellar. Obviously you can order whatever wine you want with your food, but if you order a real mismatch you’ll see the pain on Mr Duclos’ face. Just ask, and he’ll find one which might surprise you – just like the Loire itself.

 

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