Loire Valley (wine) Melon de Bourgogne grape to use in the production of their "brandewijn"—distilled wine with brandy added to it. Following the devastation in 1709 of winter frost to many of the vineyards in the Loire-Atlantique, King Louis XIV ordered that the frost resistant Melon de Bourgogne grape be given preferential treatment in the replanting of the area. Despite the inference of "Muskiness" in its name, Muscadet is a neutral flavor wine and the Melon de Bourgogne grape has no relation to the Muscat family of grapes. The area's four appellation all produces white wine made from the Melon de Bourgogne grape.
Centre-Val de Loire Centre-Val de Loire Centre-Val de Loire (, "Centre-Loire Valley") is one of the 13 administrative regions of France. It straddles the middle Loire Valley in the interior of the country. The administrative capital is Orléans. Like many contemporary regions of France, the region of Centre was created from parts of three historical provinces: , , and . The name was chosen by the French government purely on the basis of geography, in reference to its location in north-central France (the central part of the original French language area), However, Centre is not situated in the geographical centre of France, and