Find and buy your wine

There are many ways to buy a Loire wine: direct from the producer, from a wine merchant, in supermarkets or at wine fairs and shows. But before you buy it, it's time to select it. 

Here are our tips for finding and buying your Loire wine: 

Buying wines direct from the estate

Buying from winemakers remains an institution. For some, there's no substitute for direct, friendly contact with the growers of the Loire. Your cellar wouldn't be complete without the wine you've discovered in a restaurant, on a stroll, following a particularly judicious piece of advice, or with your nose to the wind during an escapade in the Loire vineyards: a wine with a story to tell.

Discover the wines of négoce houses

By definition, the négociant buys wine and markets it, sometimes under his own brand. Like the winegrower, the négociant has his own "touch", putting his own stamp on his vintages. Committed to the quality of their products, négociants  de Loire offer a wide range of vintages for tasting in their cellars.

See you at the vineyard's caves-coopératives

There are 15 cooperatives in the Loire Valley. It's often tourist prospecting or word-of-mouth that guides you to one of them. The cooperatives bring together member producers who meet very precise specifications. They offer structures open to the public that are worth the detour and reserve some excellent surprises.

Get advice from a wine merchant!

Don't hesitate to visit a wine merchant. He or she can advise you on the best food and wine pairings or opportunities to taste a Loire wine. Tell him your tastes, your expectations, your budget... He'll know how to advise you. He'll be happy to share his favorites with you, from small, well-born bottles to large, prestigious ones. His talent is to suggest or unearth for you the wonders and curiosities of the Liger vineyards.

Get great deals in medium and large supermarkets

All year round, these signs offer Loire Wines at excellent value for money. Autumn wine fairs, and sometimes spring wine fairs, are often great bargains, as long as you're there in the early days. Beware, however, of prolonged exposure of wines to light.

Meet the producers at fairs and shows

Regional fairs and other shows hold some excellent surprises. Here you can taste and buy Loire wines directly from the producers, and discover all their knowledge and know-how.

What wine to choose?

Aperitif with friends, dinner with family, romantic tête-à-tête, picnic, wedding or gourmet meal, there's a Loire wine for every occasion.

A Muscadet with seafood, a Chinon with roast poultry, a Loire rosé to sublimate strawberry tart, a Coteau-du-layon with foie gras mi-cuit, a Crémant-de-loire with chocolate fondant... Classic pairings work! You can also be more creative and daring: spicy cuisine with a Bourgueil, tagine with a Cabernet d'Anjou, sushi with a Savennières, roast Camembert with a Jasnières... In short, Loire wines go well with all your recipes. 

Which container to choose?

Customs have led winemakers to bottle wine directly, and buying in a cubitainer or barrel is becoming increasingly rare.

Wine sold in bottles offers excellent guarantees. Buying by the barrel or cubitainer means that you have to bottle your wine yourself. This requires a certain amount of organization, but can also be the pretext for a happy afternoon. 

The wine cooler or BIB (Bag In Box) is meeting with great success. The wine is contained in a vacuum-packed aluminum pouch protected by cardboard packaging. As the wine is drawn off, the aluminum bag shrinks, leaving the wine protected from the air. An open BIB keeps the wine for several weeks.

How to read a label?

The bottle's clothing, the label and back label are the only means of identifying its contents. Information is governed by very strict rules, for the benefit of the consumer.

Wines are now very stable and withstand transport very well. Avoid extreme heat and cold. Beware of long storage periods in the trunk of your car. Be patient: once they've arrived, wines need to rest for a few days before they can be enjoyed.

Alcoholic beverages are subject to fiscal taxes, which take the form of a duty capsule. This is affixed to the top of each bottle, or may be a document issued by the winemaker or the sales assistant in your store. Note that bulk wine must always be accompanied by this document.

On the document appear: the name of the seller, the cru, the volume, the number of containers, the recipient.

Transporting wine without a capsule or accompanying document is considered tax fraud and punished as such.