“It takes time to develop a
wine as seductive as
Pouilly-Fume!”
Samuel Chamberlain
Vines, since the Roman times, were given a huge boost by the monasteries during the 9th-12th centuries, which also served the aristocracy very well, as their produce was mostly moved on barges.
The 'appellations d'origine controlee' numbers about 50 and covers over 150,000 acres, making it the fourth largest wine region in France.
In Montrichard, on the Cher, we sipped on Kirs made from Sauvignon blanc and crème de cassis, in the old market square below the romantic ruins of the 15th Century castle.
Sometimes they replaced the Loire Sauvignon blanc with Chenin blanc, and we didn't care or notice, we were just grateful to sit and relax.
Further down in Bourgueil in red wine county, the Kir is made from a Cabernet franc and is called a Cardinal or a Communard, which is useful to know.
Ask for a Kir Pétillant, it’s made with local sparkling wine, or a Kir Royal, using Champagne, or Kir Berrichon, made with red wine and blackberry liqueur (Crème de mûres).
Interestingly, and worth visiting, is a local liqueur maker in Distillerie Girardot, located in Chissay en Touraine, on the banks of the river Cher between Montrichard and Chenonceau.
We missed far more than we saw, but the intention and enthusiasm was always there.