Vouvray (wine) Loire Valley. The cold, steady temperature of these cellars served ideal for the advancement of sparkling wines made according to the traditional "méthode champenoise" that became popular in the 18th and 19th century. In 1936 Vouvray was created as an "Appellation d'origine contrôlée" (AOC). The boundaries of the AOC were defined around the village of Vouvray and seven nearby villages. Included among these villages were Chançay, Nouzilly, Vernou-sur-Brenne and Rochecorbon. Located along the right bank of the Loire river east of the city of Tours, the Vouvray region is situated on top a plateau that is dissected by small streams
Haute-Loire by a flight of 268 steps. Haute-Loire Haute-Loire (; ) is a department in south-central France named after the Loire River. Haute-Loire is part of the current region of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and is surrounded by the departments of Loire, Ardèche, Lozère, Cantal, and Puy-de-Dôme. The inhabitants of the department are called "Altiligériens" (English : Altiligerians). The department covers the upper reaches of the Loire and consists of the Loire Valley and the surrounding mountains in the Massif Central. It is one of the original 83 departments of France created in 1790 during the French Revolution. Parts of the department are included