The wines of the Loire offer amazing variety, quality and value for money.  Best of all, they are usually ready for drinking within a relatively short period after bottling, meaning you can enjoy them during your stay here, not 5 years after you return home.

In the world-wide wine connoisseurs' "bible", Robert Parker* makes the following introduction to The Loire Valley:

The Loire Valley is by far France's largest wine-producing area, stretching 635 miles from the warm foothills of the Massif Central (a short drive west from Lyon and the vineyards of the Rhône Valley) to the windswept shores of the Atlantic Ocean in Brittany.  Most wine drinkers can name more historic Loire Valley châteaux than Loire Valley wines.  That is a pity, because the Loire Valley wine-producing areas offer France's most remarkable array of wines from a wide range of varietals, the best known being Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Pinot Noir, and Cabernet Franc.  Its vineyards are some of the world's oldest, yet Loire Valley wines remain relatively inexpensive.  Stylistically, the whites range from the bone dry to the amazingly sweet.  Similarly, the Loire's reds can be found in a wide variety of styles, from carbonic maceration (Beaujolais-like) wines meant for immediate consumption to age worthy, austere, yet serious Cabernets.

Over the last few years consumers have experienced soaring wine prices from the world's best-known regions, with California, Italy, and Bordeaux leading the way.  The wines of the Loire Valley, a little-known and underappreciated region, have the combination of quality and value that merits considerable attention from consumers.

* in "Parker's Wine Buyer's Guide" (6^th Edition, Simon & Schuster).

The established vineyards begin about 30 minutes' drive from La Cure. For those interested, there are notes on a few of the owners' favourites. These vineyards range from those producing upper-end Chinon cabernet franc, chenin blancs, sauvignons and rosé to those selling value for money and often surprisingly good sauvignon and cabernet in 10 litre casks. To help you hit the ground running, there is also a list of some of the better wines sold in the local supermarkets and wine shops.

Grapes from La Cure's vineyard - one of the smallest in the Loire!