Savennières Savennières Savennières is a commune in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France. It lies near the Loire River south west of Angers and is best known for its production of highly rated white wine. With production predominantly centred on the Chenin blanc grape, it is famed for its particularly long-lasting dry white wine comparable to that of Vouvray. The area around Savennières is used for the production of white wine from Chenin blanc grapes. The wines are mostly dry, often produced in a powerful style, and the best examples (such as those produced by Nicolas Joly's Château de la Roche
Loire lower Loire found its source upstream of Orléans in the region of Gien, flowing westward along the present course. At a certain point during the long history of uplift in the Paris Basin, the lower, Atlantic Loire captured the "palaeo-Loire" or "Loire séquanaise" ("Seine Loire"), producing the present river. The former bed of the "Loire séquanaise" is occupied by the Loing. The Loire Valley has been inhabited since the Middle Palaeolithic period from 40–90 ka. Neanderthal man used stone tools to fashion boats out of tree trunks and navigated the river. Modern man inhabited the Loire valley around 30 ka.