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The Telegraph (19 Aug 08) includes a boat trip up the Rhone Valley as one of its top 10 river cruises:

Navigating France’s mightiest river is a favourite for wine aficionados and foodies. A cruise through Burgundy and Provence gives you the chance to visit vineyards (think Côtes du Rhône and Châteauneuf-du-Pape), explore Lyon – the gourmet capital of France – and enjoy historic towns such as the fortified city of Avignon and the Roman ruins in Arles. The countryside is equally superb: its fields of lavender and sunflowers were an inspiration for artists such as Vincent Van Gogh, and as the river drains into the Mediterranean you’ll see the famous white horses of the Camargue.

The route includes many worthwhile stops for visits to suit all tastes, but it is also remarkably rich in potential wine visits as you’ll pass through appellations such as Costieres de Nimes, Cotes du Rhone (north and south), Lirac, Tavel, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, St Joseph and Hermitage - and if you branch onto the River Saone north of Lyon you can explore Beuajolais and southern Burgundy!

It should come as little surprise that rivers and canals tend to offer good access to good vineyards - vines often grow best on the steep valley sides with their good drainage and aspect to the sun.

A more modest trip than the Rhone, could be a canal trip from Auxerre (89 Yonne, Burgundy) close to Chablis and down the Canal de Bourgogne to Dijon and the Burgundy vineyards; or a trip down the Canal Lateral de la Loire for Sancerre AC, Pouilly-Fumé and Coteaux Giennois. By using the Canal du Nivernais and the Canal de Briare you could even manage a circular route via Auxerre.

Of course, Rick Stein’s French Odyssey was based on a canal trip along the Canal du Midi and the Canal Lateral de la Garonne and included the vineyards of Bordeaux, Cotes du Marmandais, Buzet, Fronton, Minervois, Corbieres and the Coteaux du Languedoc.

For another set of options try Hilary Wright’s book Water into Wine: A Wine Lover’s Journey Through The Waterways of France which also includes itineraries in the lower Loire. Cognac, Alsace, Lorraiine and the Lot.

For more info on the canals of France see the website for VNF (Voies Navigable de la France) now much improved and in English!

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 

Pouilly-sur-Loire (58 Nievre, Bourgogne), best known for its crisp Sauvignon Pouilly-Fumé wines, celebrates its wine festival on the banks of the Loire.
For more info see www.ot-pouillysurloire.fr

Sunday 30 July 2006 (Sunday 29 July in 2007) sees the annual Fete des Vins at Bonny-sur-Loire.(45 Loiret, Centre), Although close to both Sancerre and Pouilly-sur-Loire, the wines here are from the Coteaux Giennois (from near the town of Gien on the Loire) - whites from Sauvignon Blanc and Chenin, reds from Pinot Noir and Gamay. Chenin Blanc is the typical white grape variety in the Loire Valley wines - especially in the main section of the river - Bonny is on the cusp between the dominance of Chenin Blanc and Sauvignon from up-river vineyards such as Sancerre.
Although they lack the finesse of their more famous neighbours, they are good little wines and represent good value.
See map

A new wine route has been established in the middle Loire Valley (Route des Vignobles du Coeur de France), prompted by the opening of the new A77 autoroute to Moulins (running alongside the old N7) which makes Paris less than 2 hours from Sancerre (18 Cher, Centre).
The route actually starts at Gien on the Loire and passes through the Coteaux du Giennois (Gamay and Pinot reds, Sauvignon and Chenin whites); Pouilly-sur-Loire AC (whites unusually made from the Chasselas grape, more frequently used as a table grape); Sancerre, Menetou-Salon, Quincy and Reuilly - all making superb minerally Sauvignon Blanc and some light Pinot Noirs.The route ends near Vierzon and Bourges convenient for the A71 autoroute back to Paris.
There is also another branch of the route near Chateaumeillant, a little-known appellation a little further south, where the main grape is Gamay, balanceded by a little Pinot Noir. This area also produces a very light rose wine, or vins gris (what Americans might call a “blush”) which is light, dry, fresh and fruity.

The wine routes are usually well-signposted to pass all the main domaines, and this would be quite a delightful trip even if you were not interested in wine - Gien has a magnificent chateau by the Loire, Sancerre is a hill-top town surrounded by a dramatic landscape of vineyards, and Bourges is well worth visiting for its Gothic cathedral and medieval centre.

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