Loire

If you’re looking for white wine alternatives to Chardonnay, discover the Loire Valley wine region.

The Upper Loire

The two principal wines in this area are Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé.

• Sancerre is the lighter and more vibrant of the two.
• Pouilly-Fumé is slightly fuller than Sancerre and can have attractive flinty, mineral flavors. Pouilly-Fumé can be quite a fine wine when made by a good producer, such as Didier Dagueneau

The central Loire Valley

The central Loire Valley is known for both its white and red wines. The white Chenin Blanc grape makes better wine here than it does anywhere else in the world.

• Coulée de Serrant is a great dessert white wine made from Chenin Blanc
• Vouvray wines come in three styles: dry (sec), medium-dry (demi-sec), or sweet. The best wines of Vouvray, the sweet (moelleux), can be made only in vintages of unusual ripeness, which occur infrequently. 

Pays Nantais

Close to the Atlantic Ocean is the third wine district of the Loire Valley — Pays Nantais named after the city of Nantes, right where the Loire River empties into the Atlantic Ocean.

This area is the home of the Muscadet grape.