Savennières Savennières Savennières is a commune in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France. It lies near the Loire River south west of Angers and is best known for its production of highly rated white wine. With production predominantly centred on the Chenin blanc grape, it is famed for its particularly long-lasting dry white wine comparable to that of Vouvray. The area around Savennières is used for the production of white wine from Chenin blanc grapes. The wines are mostly dry, often produced in a powerful style, and the best examples (such as those produced by Nicolas Joly's Château de la Roche
Châteaux of the Loire Valley place where most of the French royalty preferred to spend the bulk of their time. King Louis XIV in the middle of the 17th century made Paris the permanent locale for great royal châteaux when he built the Palace of Versailles. Nonetheless, those who gained the king's favour and the wealthy bourgeoisie continued to renovate existing châteaux or build lavish new ones in the Loire as summer residences. The French Revolution saw a number of the great châteaux destroyed and many ransacked, their treasures stolen. The overnight impoverishment of many of the deposed nobility, usually after one of its members