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     卢瓦尔河谷是位于法国中部、卢瓦尔河中游的平原流域，方圆27500平方英里。这是法国最长的河流，全长约1020公里，沙质的堤岸，每年秋天进入汛期。Loire发源于法国南部古中央板块（massif central），这里集中了很多的葡萄园和历史名胜古迹。卢瓦尔河在流经过半的时候突然转向大海，本来北去的河流之间转向了西方。河流穿行在缓缓地山峦之间，绿色的田野和葡萄园成为了两岸迷人的风景，沿途有很多著名的葡萄园和历史悠久的城市。Loire是一条宽阔并且流速非常缓慢的河流。流进卢瓦尔河的几条支流，cher，indre，allier，vienne，也都是有自己的葡萄园和山谷。更多支流则形成了多种多样的小气候。

卢瓦尔河谷产区是法国第三大葡萄酒产地，最为著名的是旅游景区，在这条法国最长的平静河谷两岸，保存有文艺复兴时期建造的优美、雄伟的城堡。2000年被世界教科文组织列为人类文化遗产 ：从西部的卢瓦尔河畔夏龙（Chalonnes-sur-Loire）到东部的卢瓦尔河畔苏利（Sully-sur-Loire）。

这里也是法国南方与北方的交汇点，从大西洋到中央大区，两千年的历史，积淀了文化的丰富内涵，风土的多样性——从西部入海口的南特（Nantes）以及昂热地区属于海洋性气候，而河谷中部的索米尔（Saumur）到touraine一带，起伏的丘陵阻挡了海洋气流的影响，而更多遭受大陆气候影响，而touraine至中央大陆（Centre de la France），基本属于大陆性气候——孕育出了品种异常丰富的葡萄酒，拥有着丰富的葡萄酒种类——干白、桃红、干红、甜型葡萄酒以及起泡酒，应有尽有。 

在upper loire，著名的pouilly-fume和sancerr都采用sauvigon  blanc酿造出清脆，果味浓郁的白葡萄酒，它的品质享誉世界；在中部Touraine都兰和Anjou的广阔平原上你可以品味到众多的白葡萄酒和葡萄汽酒，这里也是loire红葡萄酒的重要产区；在卢瓦尔的西部则显得有些特别，这里有一种著名的葡萄品种melon de bourgogne（勃艮第蜜瓜），酿造的muscadet，可以说享誉全球。

melon de bourgogne勃艮第甜瓜作为单一品种，显得比较清淡，因此当地人为了加强它的口感，在酿制的时候采用一种特别的手法处理，即在葡萄酒发酵完成后不马上进行换槽去渣等程序，而是让死掉的酵母和酒渣继续在酒槽中和酒浸泡，一直等到第二年的春季在装瓶。这样的话密斯卡岱(Muscadet)的味道就会变得浓郁些，口感也更丰富。这种方法被称为“Sur Lie”。根据法国AOC的规定，这种在酒标上标有“Sur Lie”的酒必须等到３月的第３个星期四之后才可以上市。这有点像薄酒莱对于新酒的规定。这种规定主要是为了保证密斯卡岱(Muscadet)“Sur Lie”酿制法的品质。

卢瓦尔河谷 ( Vallée de la Loire)
    卢瓦尔河是全法最长的河流，沿岸的从上游到大西洋岸共分为四个产区。中央地方(Centre)、都兰(Touraine)、昂热(Anjou) 索米尔葡萄酒Anjou & Saumur 和南特区(Nantais)。

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南特区(Nantes)
　　靠近卢瓦尔河出海口，以出产密斯卡(Muscadet)白酒著名，此酒因葡萄品种而得名,是17世纪时由荷兰商人从勃艮第引进。品种的特性不是很强，酸度颇高，口味清淡，常有白色水果的清香，略带一点矿石的味道。密斯卡(Muscadet)通常不适合存放太久，以新鲜的果香取胜，通常还会留一点点发酵时留下的二氧化碳在酒中让酒有更清新的口感，这样的特性正好搭配各式的蚌壳类海鲜，特别是海鲜冷盘最为恰当。

The Muscadet region is located at the westernmost edge of the Loire Valley near the city of Nantes. In the 17th century, Dutch wine merchants laid the foundation for the Muscadet style by encouraging the villagers of Nantes to plant the early ripening Melon de Bourgogne grape to use in the production of their brandewijn-distilled wine with brandy added to it.[4] Following the devastation in 1709 of winter frost to many of the vineyards in the Loire-Atlantique, King Louis XIV ordered that the frost resistant Muscadet grape be given preferential treatment in the replanting of the area. Despite the inference of "Muskiness" in its name, Muscadet is a neutral flavor wine and the Melon de Bourgogne grape has no relation to the Muscat family of grapes.[10] The area's four appellation all produces white wine made from the Melon de Bourgogne grape.[5] The appellations are-

The wines of the Muscadet-Sèvre et Maine and Muscadet-C?tes de Grand Lieu appellation are often bottled sur lie straight from the tank that they are fermented in without any racking or filtering. This create wines that can be very cloudy and require decanting to remove sediments but also produces wines that can be fuller bodied and show extra dimensions of freshness.

昂热(Anjou)
　　安茹区地形多变，品种繁多，酿造法也很多元，造就了丰富多变的各式葡萄酒风格。Anjou以玫瑰红酒著名，但区内却同时是白诗南(Chenin blanc)白酒的最佳产地,而靠近索姆尔(Saumur)附近更出产质量优异的气泡酒，此外还有以品丽珠为主酿成的肥美红酒也有佳美酿造的一些不错的红酒。

Many Loire Valley wines are released in Burgundy style wine bottles.

The Anjou region of the Middle Loire is situated around the town of Angers and is known primarily for the rosé wines based on the Cabernet franc grape-including the Rosé d'Anjou and the Cabernet d'Anjou. White wine made from the Chenin blanc is known as Anjou Blanc while Anjou Rouge is often made from Gamay. Some of the higher quality wines are often labeled with the AOC designation Anjou-Villages.The Chenin blanc grape has been planted in the region since at least 845 AD when it was planted at the Abbey of Glanfeuil. Throughout the years it was known in the region under a variety of synonyms including Pineau de la Loire and Franc-blanc.

The area around Saumur is the third largest sparkling wine appellation in France after the Champagne region and the Crémant d'Alsace AOC with more than 12 million bottles of Saumur Mousseux produced each year. Unlike Champagne which is made with Chardonnay, Pinot noir and Pinot Meunier, Saumur sparkling wine is based on the Chenin blanc grape. The area around Saumur-Champigny produces red wine based on the Cabernet franc grape that is similar in profile to the wines produced in St-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil

都兰(Touraine)

都兰区因区内的历史古城图尔(Tours)而得名，Touraine区也同样生产各式的葡萄酒。这里离大西洋岸已有一段距离，界于海洋性气候和大陆性气候之间的过度地带，土壤以石灰质为主。几乎所有卢瓦尔河区内的品种都可以在这里找到，区内最有名的红酒产区包括产品丽珠(Cabernet-Franc)的希农(Chinon)、布尔格伊(Bourgueil)和布尔格伊-圣尼古拉(St.-Nicolas de Bourgueil)，是卢瓦尔河全区最精采的红酒产区。由于得天独厚的自然环境,品丽珠在这里有不错的水平，常有特有的铅笔心味，浓郁的红色水果香，搭配优雅的紫罗兰花香，有柔润的口感，常在年轻时即已相当平衡顺口。
　　白葡萄酒则以产白诗南(Chenin Blanc)的武弗雷(Vouvray)以及蒙路易(Montlouis)最为著名，出产的白葡萄酒类型相当多，依每年天气的条件从干型白酒到各式甜白酒都有生产，此外这里的气泡酒也相当著名。这里的石灰质土让白诗南即使在炎热的年份也有非常高的酸度，可以让甜型的酒维持相当清新的口感。

The region around Vouvray, Montlouis-sur-Loire and Touraine has some of the most diverse plantings of all the Loire region and makes a wide variety of white, red and rosé wines. For white wines the main grape is Chenin blanc but Sauvignon blanc and (to a smaller extent) Chardonnay is also planted. For red wines the main grape is Cabernet franc with some smaller plantings of Cabernet Sauvignon, Gamay and Malbec. The rosé wines are made from an assortment of Gamay, Pineau d'aunis, Pinot gris and Pinot noir. The villages of Vouvray and Montlouis are the largest appellations in the region and make only white wines from Chenin blanc. The wines can vary in sweetness from bone dry to very sweet moelleux wines that are often infected by noble rot.

For years the Touraine region would compete with the Beaujolais region for the release of an early bottling of Gamay that would rival the Beaujolais nouveau. While the competition is not so much of a focal point now, there are still some producers who release early bottlings of the wine around the same time as Beaujolais. The soil around the Touraine area is a variety of limestone with excellent drainage that is known as tuffeau which is the same material used to build many of the famous Loire Valley Ch?teaux.

中央地方(Centre上卢瓦尔地区)
　　卢瓦尔河上游大陆性气候的特征更为名显，主要生产白葡萄酒。葡萄园多半位于石灰质为主的山坡。本区以产干型的长相思(Sauvignon Blanc)白酒为主，著名的pouilly-fume和sancerr就在这里，当地的葡萄显得更加矿物感，柑橘类物质香气，不会很重的热带水果香气。另外也产一些清淡的黑品乐(Pinot Noir)红酒，紧挨着勃艮第地区还有一些佳美，霞多丽种植。

Sauvignon blanc and Pinot noir are the principle grapes of this region that is centered around the appellation of Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé. The two towns of Sancerre and Pouilly-sur-Loire (where Pouilly-Fumé is made) sit on opposite sides of the Loire river with Sancerre being about 10 miles (16 km) to the northwest of Pouilly. The Fumé is said to come from the silex flint interspersed with the limestone in the area that can give a smoky gunflint note to the wine. Another possibility for the name is the early morning fog created by the Loire river that can blanket the vineyards. Wines labeled with just Pouilly or Pouilly-sur-Loire are often made from the Chasselas grape.

Unlike many areas of France, the Sancerre region is heavily mechanized with the use of mechanical harvesting rather than hand pickers. One of the best known producers in the region is Didier Dageneau who, until his tragic death in 2008, was an influential voice in the area advocating the reduction of yields and the use of organic viticulture.[5] Pouilly-Fumé only produces white wines while Sancerre produces red, white and rosé wines. The white Sauvignon blanc based wines from this region has characteristic gooseberry and grapefruit flavors with the Pouilly-Fumé version typically being more full bodied and rich in texture. The red Pinot noir wines are very light in both body and color that are not very similar to other French expression of the grape like those in Burgundy. Smaller appellations in the region include-Vouvray and Touraine Winemakers in the region build underground wine caves out of tuffeau limestone, as in the Champagne region, in order to store wine at an ideal temperature and humidity.