Loire be used across the whole of the Loire Valley. The "Crémant de Loire" which refers to any sparkling wine made according to the traditional method of Champagne. The "Vin de Pays du Jardin de la France" refers to any varietally labelled wine, such as Chardonnay, that is produced in the region outside of an AOC designation. The area includes 87 appellations under the "Appellation d'origine contrôlée" (AOC), "Vin Délimité de Qualité Superieure" (VDQS) and "Vin de pays" systems. While the majority of production is white wine from the Chenin blanc, Sauvignon blanc and Melon de Bourgogne grapes, there are red
Indre-et-Loire Indre-et-Loire Indre-et-Loire () is a department in west-central France named after the Indre and the Loire rivers. Indre-et-Loire is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790. It was created from the former province of Touraine. Tours, the departmental prefecture, was a centre of learning in the early Middle Ages, having been a key focus of Christian evangelisation since St Martin became its first bishop in c. 375. From the mid-15th century, the royal court repaired to the Loire Valley, with Tours as its capital, and at the confluence/crossing-point of the Loire and