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There’s a new free map and guide available from InterLoire (the official wine body for the region) to the vineyards of the Loire Valley available to download and in English:-

The light glistening on the river and its tributaries is a wonderful sight. The cellars carved into white limestone, magical châteaux, magnificent gardens, hillsides covered in vines ; hundreds of sights that still hold the memory of kings, queens, princes and artists like Rabelais, Ronsard, Balzac, Leonardo da Vinci, and Joachim du Bellay… The Loire vineyards offer charm, grace and surprise around every corner. It is a region for good living, a valley of abundance, a source of flavourful wines and generous aromas,and we would like to share all that with you.

This wine region (which does not include other appellations which are nevertheless close to the River Loire such as Sancerre, Pouilly-Fumé, Quincy, Menetou-Salon etc - these are all classified as “Vins du Centre” ) does cover the Loire from the Atlantic to Orleans and includes 68 separate appellations and has more than 7,000 wine producers making it France’s third most important vineyard.

For each winemaker there is a comprehensive entry - e.g. for one of our favourites, the Domaine Leduc-Frouin in Anjou:-

Domaine Leduc-Frouin
The Leduc-Frouin estate invites you to discover its wines in a guided tasting session. Guided tours upon request. Groups: tours and wine tastings, reservations necessary for meals.
Monday - Friday: 9 am -12 pm / 2 pm - 6 pm, Saturday: 2 pm - 6 pm, and mornings by appointment only.
AOC Anjou Blanc ; Anjou Gamay ; Anjou Rouge ; Anjou Villages ; Cabernet d’Anjou ; Coteaux du Layon ; Rosé d’Anjou ; Rosé de Loire ; Saumur Brut.
Antoine et Nathalie LEDUC La Seigneurie – Sousigné
T:02 41 59 42 83
info@leduc-frouin.com
www.leduc-frouin.com

This is an invaluable guide to wine touring in the region, which does offer many delights for the wine and food enthusiast and others.

Download the map and guide
For more on Domaine Leduc-Frouin see www.frenchduck.co.uk

Some of the Loire Valley’s most famous wines are likely to be in short supply and at increased prices in the next 12 months or so, following bad weather which is just one of the perils which winemakers face.

In the Spring the western end of the Loire, where it meets the Atlantic and home to Muscadet, was hit by severe frosts which hit just as the fragile buds were breaking - such that there will be little if any crop or wine from many estates. The vine can tolerate moderate frosts when it is dormant in the winter , but once the buds begin to break it can be very vulnerable. The Daily Telegraph (25 July 2008) reported that:

“Growers said yesterday that up to 70% of the Melon de Bourgogne grapes used to make Muscadet were killed by frost in April. A second bloom - which normally gives the vines a chance to recuperate - was also ravaged by cold and wet weather atthe start of the summer”

Then towards the end of June a severe hailstorm hit the vineyards of the Centre region, particularly around Poully-Fumé and to a lesser extent Sancerre. This is classic Loire Sauvignon Blanc territory.

It seems particulary rough on Muscadet, which has in recent years overcome its old reputation for producing cheap, thin, acidic wines - recent years have seen the appellation transformed with many more excellent whites from the region becoming available - still retaining their very dry and acidic character but with much more depth of flavour and fruit content.

For more info on Muscadet see www.muscadet.fr 

From 13-18 May 2008 the city of Nantes celebrates its local wine - Muscadet! 80 restaurants, winebars and wine merchants will be offering special menus featuring the local dishes of the region and its wines! With a winemaker available to answer all you questions about these crisp fresh white wines, this promises to be a good opportunity to revisit Muscadet wines, which were so popular years ago, but whose reputation was ruined by the production (or at least UK imports) of thin acidic wines.
Many examples tasted over the last year or so have restored my faith in the appellation, offering some wonderfully rich and complex wines, especially “sur lie”, which deserve to be taken much more seriously than as just a good wine with fish! It still is a good wine with fish and seafood, but it can also provide a worthy alternative to Sauvignon Blanc and Alsace Riesling.

For more info see www.vinsdeloire.fr

Yapp is good with Loire wines and offers a Muscadet de Sevre-et-Maine from Domaine de la Morlaine at £6.95: “Bone dry with a subdued saline nose and a braving citric zest on the palate.”