Loire wines: 2,000 years of history

The history of the Loire and its wines is intertwined, noblesse oblige, with the History of France. With the exception of the vineyards of the Pays Nantais region, planted by the Romans, the birth of viticulture in the Loire Valley can be traced back to the Vth century. From the 9th to the12th century, monasteries helped to develop the cultivation of vines. The infatuation of the kings of France with the vast territory that is the Val de Loire only contributed to this development.

The origins of the vineyard

The Nantes vineyard was planted by the Romans over 2,000 years ago. It soon became famous: as early as the 1st century, Pliny the Elder mentioned the existence of vineyards on the banks of the Loire. But it was only around the 5th century that the real birth of viticulture in the Loire took place.

In 582, Gregory of Tours first referred to the existence of the vineyards of Sancerre and Touraine. The creation of the vineyards around the Château de Chalonnes appears to be the combined work of the Comte d'Anjou and the Catholic authorities.

In the following centuries, the influence of Augustinian monks and Benedictines proved preponderant in the development of the various vineyards. The monks cultivated the vines and made the most of the many communication routes available in the Nantes region. The Sèvre, Maine and Goulaine marshes provided ideal access to the Loire, complementing the many Roman roads already established. Vines are grown all along the waterways, from the Vendée fiefs created in the 9th century to Saint-Pourçain in Auvergne.

At that time, the lack of secure land routes made the Loire a safer means of travel, facilitating trade and the development of the vineyards along its banks.

The rise of the Loire vineyard

The vineyards of Anjou experienced a real boom when Henry II Plantagenet, Count of Anjou, became King of England in 1154. He had Anjou wines served at court, a practice maintained by his successors John-earthless and Henry III. For almost a millennium, all the crowned heads of France and England contributed to the reputation of Loire wines.

Captitians, Plantagenets and Valois all encouraged the discovery of these princely vineyards, from the Court to the châteaux of the Loire. From the Middle Ages to the 15th century, the bourgeoisie was behind the expansion of vineyards around the towns of Angers, Saumur and Orléans, obtaining the abolition of the "droit de banvin", which granted the seigneurs exclusive rights to the wine trade.

When, in 1532, François I authorized the states of Brittany to maintain a right of foreign trade at their border of Ingrandes, Loire Wines experienced a new development. In addition to exports, the Loire facilitated the introduction of new grape varieties.

In the 16th century, François Rabelais wrote of Chinon wines made from the "Breton" grape variety, i.e. Cabernet Franc, which originated in the southwest and came by river from the Nantes region. At the same time, the author also mentions the "chenin" grape variety in his works. It was also around this time that the "folle blanche" variety made its appearance. This variety, whose vines are thick and fleshy, produces a wine that evokes this husky appearance: Gros Plant.

The search by the Dutch wine trade, based in Nantes, for wines suited to the tastes of its clientele led to an extraordinary boom in rural viticulture, which lasted until the middle of the 19th century, in the Sèvre-et-Maine and Layon valleys as well as in the Saumur region, as far as Vouvray.

The Loire vineyards come to a standstill

In 1709, a terrible winter hit the vineyards. Temperatures plummeted to -20°C. Barrels exploded, the ocean froze along the coast. As if to thank its host country, the Melon grape bravely resists, offering a wine with an assertive character: the Muscadet.

The French Revolution has devastating effects on the Loire vineyards, and more particularly on the vineyards of Anjou and Nantes, the scene of the Vendée wars.

The development of new means of transport, notably the railroads, forced the Loire vineyards to face up to competition from wines from the Midi. The desire to produce high quality wines was brought to a halt at the end of the 19th century by the phylloxera crisis, which destroyed a large part of the vineyards. This aphid from America attacks the roots of vines, destroying a large proportion of vineyards.

The consecration of the  de Loire vineyard

Once the crisis had been resolved, the quest for quality became a major preoccupation, giving rise to highly renowned appellations recognized as Appellations d'Origine as early as 1936.

Finally, in 2000 the Val de Loire (between Sully-sur-Loire and Chalonnes-sur-Loire) was classified as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Remarkable for the quality of its architectural heritage, with its historic towns and world-renowned châteaux, the Val de Loire is above all an exceptional cultural landscape. It bears witness to the exchange of influences and human values, and to the harmonious development of interactions between people and their environment over two thousand years of history.