Loire Valley (wine) time in Angers (Anjou): With over planted under vine, the Loire Valley is about two-thirds the size of the Bordeaux wine region. Due to its location and marginal climate, the overall quality of a vintage has a dramatic effect on the quality of the region's wines—more so than with other French wine regions. The most common hazard is that the cool climate will prevent the grapes from ripening fully and developing the sugars needed to balance the naturally high acidity of the grapes. During these cool vintages the Sauvignon blanc based wines are lighter in color, less fruity and have
Loire Turner, Gustave Courbet, Auguste Rodin, Félix Edouard Vallotton, Jacques Villon, Jean-Max Albert, , , and Jean Chabot. Garrett, Martin, The Loire: a Cultural History. 2010, Signal Books. "Pays de la Loire, waterways guide No. 10", Editions du Breil. pp 8–27, for the navigable section (guide in English, French and German) Loire The Loire (; ; ) is the longest river in France and the 171st longest in the world. With a length of , it drains an area of , or more than a fifth of France's land area, while its average discharge is only half that of the Rhône.