Loire be used across the whole of the Loire Valley. The "Crémant de Loire" which refers to any sparkling wine made according to the traditional method of Champagne. The "Vin de Pays du Jardin de la France" refers to any varietally labelled wine, such as Chardonnay, that is produced in the region outside of an AOC designation. The area includes 87 appellations under the "Appellation d'origine contrôlée" (AOC), "Vin Délimité de Qualité Superieure" (VDQS) and "Vin de pays" systems. While the majority of production is white wine from the Chenin blanc, Sauvignon blanc and Melon de Bourgogne grapes, there are red
Loire French "départements" of Loiret, Loir-et-Cher, Indre-et-Loire, and Maine-et-Loire, the committee said that the Loire Valley is: "an exceptional cultural landscape, of great beauty, historic cities and villages, great architectural monuments – the Châteaux – and lands that have been cultivated and shaped by centuries of interaction between local populations and their physical environment, in particular the Loire itself." Architectural edifices were created in Loire valley from the 10th century onwards with the defensive fortress like structures called the "keeps" or "donjons" built between 987 and 1040 by Anjou Count Foulques Nerra of Anjou (the Falcon). However, one of the oldest