Vouvray (wine) ginger, fig, apples and white flowers. Vouvrays are often paired with rich, hearty dishes and flavorful sauces. As Vouvray can be made in a wide range of sweetness styles, the wine labels may indicate the sweetness level by the terms "Sec", "Demi-Sec", "Moelleux" and "Doux". While these terms are not strictly defined, they tend to roughly fall into the guidelines below. Note that the residual sugar level may not equate to the level of sweetness that a taster will perceive in the wine due to balance of acidity in the wine. In some cases a producer's "Demi-Sec" wine may taste
Châteaux of the Loire Valley the banks of the Loire. In the late 15th century, Tours, then Blois, and later Amboise became the preferred locations of the French royal court. Many courtiers bought dilapidated castles built by the medieval Counts of Blois and Anjou, and had them reconstructed in the latest Italianate fashion. Leonardo da Vinci and other Italian artists arrived to design and beautify these residences. By the middle of the 16th century, King François I had shifted his throne from the Loire back to the ancient capital of Paris. With him went the great architects, but the Loire Valley continued to be the