As promised here is my post on Sensational Sancerre.

If you read my previous post:

Girl’s Trip – The Loire Valley…Must See Castles…and a Little Paris.

….. you are expecting this.  If not, keep reading, and then jump back and catch up on what you missed.

The Wine lovers of our group took a road trip to Sancerre. It was a bit of a mission as the town of Sancerre sits on the very eastern edge (left bank) of the Loire Valley and was 200 km away from our château based in Langeais. But if you love wine, and you’re into Sancerre (me!) then it’s well worth the pilgrimage.

Six of us loaded into our mini bus, and set out for the hillside medieval village of Sancerre; famous for its crisp, fresh, and fruity white wines – derived solely from the Sauvignon Blanc grape.

Why is it Called Sancerre, and Not Sauvignon Blanc?

This is a bit confusing, but in Europe, wine is named by the location first and the grape variety second.

Sancerre has been an AOC, appellation d’origine contrôlée, for white wine produced in the area of Sancerre since 1936.

Types of Wine in Sancerre

There are only two grape varieties grown in the Sancerre region: Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir (Red and Rosé).

Pinot Noir was awarded to Sancerre by the AOC in 1959.

These lesser known Pinot Noir (reds) are light to medium bodied, ruby in colour with a cherry aroma. The Rosé, not my favorite, was fresh and fruity but too acidic for my liking.

The area of production is not huge,  “(6900 acres), and yields roughly 22 million bottles per year (17 million white, 3 million red, and less than 2 million rose)”.

What Sets Sancerre Apart?

So why all the hype? Well other than it just tastes really good, I guess it would be the soil.

There are three types of soil:

• Chalky
• Limestone-gravel
• Flinty

Each type of soil offers a diverse complexity to the wine.

All those tasting notes make further discussion a bit too complex for this simple wine lover. So, I’ll leave that chart with you and you can delve deeper (on your own), if you wish.

Love Sancerre, but Hate the Price Point?

This is a commonality among Sancerre lovers. I love it, and I love to drink it. But I often don’t order it because of the price point. Solution? Check out the lesser known appellations within the Sancerre Valley.

• Pouilly Fume
• Menetou-Salon
• Quincy

After my trip to Sancerre, I learned they are just as tasty as Sancerre and usually at least a few Euros cheaper.

The Village of Sancerre

As mentioned Sancerre is a medieval hillside village pretty much smack dab in the middle of France.

According to local lore, vines have been planted here since early ancient times dating back to 582 AD.

The centre of the village is quaint with lots of cafes, restaurants, shops, and caves (wine tasting cellars).

We ate at a restaurant in the centre of the village but I won’t recommend it because the service was terrible and the staff were crazy rude. However, like most local spots in France, the food and the wine were superb. Oh well, you can’t win them all, right?

Some rude french people aside, the day trip to Sancerre was so much fun, and well worth every minute spent winding our way through the French countryside to get there.

All this wine talk has made me a bit thirsty and it’s late Friday afternoon.  So, I’m going to leave you and go scrounge around my wine fridge.  I’m pretty sure they’ll be a Sancerre in there somewhere.

Have a great weekend and thanks for reading. x

Disclaimer: I normally use my own photos unless I’m travelling with my talented photographer friend, Jamie Werner. All the great ones in this post and the previous post were taken by her. You can see more of her great captures in Guapas Under the Tuscan Sun & Girls Trip? Yes Please!!!  Thank you Amiga, you’re amazing. 

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