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
Châteaux of the Loire Valley Châteaux of the Loire Valley The Châteaux of the Loire Valley (French: "Châteaux de la Loire") are part of the architectural heritage of the historic towns of Amboise, Angers, Blois, Chinon, Montsoreau, Nantes, Orléans, Saumur, and Tours along the Loire River in France. They illustrate Renaissance ideals of design in France. The châteaux, numbering more than three hundred, are the achievement of a nation of builders, starting with practical fortified castles in the 10th century to splendid residences built half a millennium later. When the French kings began constructing their huge châteaux in the Loire Valley, the nobility, drawn to