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French Winophiles and Loire Valley White Wines
October 2025 brings our French Winophiles writers to a virtual exploration of the white wines of the Loire River valley. The Loire River is the longest river in France, extending over 1000km (600+ miles) from its source in the Massif Centrale west of Lyon all the way out to the Atlantic ocean near the city of Nantes. The land around the river is home to vineyards for nearly the entire distance with a wide variety of climates and exposures. While both red and white wine grapes are grown, our focus will be the whites. If you are a writer and would like to join, find the details in the text at the end of this post! We’ll be publishing on or before October 11, so don’t delay!

Loire Valley White Wines
The predominant white grapes planted in the Loire Valley include Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, and Melon B. Loire valley white grapes can be made into a variety of wines including sparkling, dry and sweet. Up in the headwaters of the Loire in the Loire Volcanique, the wines are mostly red, though some Chardonnay is grown. This is a less-known region, with few wines in export. Sauvignon Blanc is principal in the Centre-Loire with well known wines like Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé (not to be confused with Pouilly-Fuissé). Sauvignon Blanc also creeps into the Touraine region where it is the principal grape in Touraine white wines. Chenin Blanc is the main grape throughout much of the regions of Touraine and Anjou-Saumur. Again, villages supply the name and Chenin Blanc may not appear anywhere on the label. Look for names like Vouvray, Saumur Blanc, Savennières, and Quarts du Chaume (sweet). Near the Atlantic coast in the Nantais, the white wines are made of the Melon B grape and are named Muscadet. Finally, the Loire Valley has been one of the leading regions for natural wines; wines made from organic grapes with no additions or modifications up to bottling. Usually labeled Vin de France, they can be unpredictable, both good and not-so-much!

Preview of French Winophiles’ Posts
Here’s what our French Winophiles writers are working on for our event on Saturday Oct. 11

• Terri from Our Good Life shares “A Perfect Pairing: Sancerre Les Baronnes Henri Bourgeois with Creamed Spinach-Stuffed Chicken Breasts“
• Linda at My Full Wine Glass shares “Getting reacquainted with an old friend, Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine“
• Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm shares “Coq au Vin Blanc and a Sancerre from Loire Valley“
• Camilla from Culinary Cam shares “Melon de Bourgogne: Its Journey to Muscadet and an Array of Autumn Pairings“
• David at Cooking Chat shares “Vouvray Wine and Food Pairings“
• Jeff at Food Wine Click! shares “Pork and Apples with Château Soucherie Savennières“