Tag Archives: Loire

France, Hiking

Hiking Sancerre

 

Flowing over 1000 kilometers from its source in south central France, the Loire River passes through a rich variety of geological and scenic landscapes. On its northbound trajectory, on the upper half of the river, it passes Sancerre, home to a great viticultural tradition, and start point for my hike, covering this small section of France’s longest river.

Vines and valleys define Sancerre and its surroundings. Add vistas and charm, and you have an idea of this appeal of this trail. Set along a crest fronting the upper Loire River, the town, like the wine, is uniquely memorable and easy to like for all the reason above.

View from the Esplanade

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France, Wines

Wine Notes: Sancerre

 

What I Learned

The Loire River, being over 1000 kilometers long, has several appellations along, or near it. Previous posts covered the wines of the lower half of the Loire, by Anjou, Amboise, and the famous chateaux of the Loire. This post concerns Sancerre, the appellation in the upper half of the Loire.

Sancerre is famous for its racy Sauvignon Blanc wines. Nowadays, a bit over 80 per cent of all wine production here is Sauvignon Blanc wine. It is a varietal wine made from Sauvignon Blanc grapes, which do exceptionally well in this area’s cooler, continental climate. (By contrast, the lower Loire has an Atlantic climate.) As most wine lovers know, Sauvignon Blanc wine is rather distinctive. Like Sauvignon Blanc wines world-wide, Sancerre Sauvignon Blanc exhibits a crisp, fruity, citrus sharpness, from the nose to the palette, and a fair amount of acidity. Flavor descriptions tend to include citrus, green gooseberries, and green apple.

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France, Hiking, Nutshell

Entre Vignes et Vallons: Trail in a Nutshell

 

Trail Name: Entre Vignes et Vallons

Trail Type: Short distance circuit; somewhat maintained, with mostly rough surfaces, and no marking on the trail. (See comment below.)

Length:

Total – 9 or 12 kilometers/ 5.6 or 7.5 miles

Convenient to: Sancerre, France

Marking:

None

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France, Hiking

A Tale of Two Pouillys I

 

Pouilly-Fume and Pouilly-Fuisse are two of my favorite French white wine appellations. Early in my wine-drinking career, I often confused the two. After all, the names are similar. But the wines themselves are from different regions, and quite distinctive. Therefore, I decided to hike the areas to get a closer look. I figured that visually there would inevitably be cues to keep the two villages, and hence the two wines, apart in my mind. This is the story of the first hike.

A hike through and around the village of Pouilly-sur-Loire is a hike through one of France’s best-known appellations: Pouilly-Fume. It lies in along the Upper Loire valley, practically across the river from another famous appellation: Sancerre. Unlike the other Pouilly, with its Chardonnay white wines under the Pouilly-Fuisse appellation, the Sauvignon Blanc varietal reigns supreme in the Pouilly-Fume wines of this region.

Pouilly-sur-Loire in the Rain

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France, Hiking, Nutshell

De Loire en Vignes: Trail in a Nutshell

 

Trail Name: De Loire en Vignes;

Trail Type: A medium distance circuit; varied surfaces, from grassy, or rough, to asphalted road; marking is spotty on the trail.

Length: Total – 12.84 kilometers/ 8 miles

Convenient to: Nevers or Sancerre, France

Marking: A combination of trail specific (yellow grapes on a white background, yellow directional marking, and nothing.)

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France, Hiking

Rambling Along the Ramberge

Amboise is a delightful town in the Loire River valley. It is also the center of one of the smallest appellations in the area, the Appellation Touraine Amboise Controlee. I finally had a chance to visit!

Amboise has a low-key, country town atmosphere. But there is nothing small about its attractions, which include a magnificent royal chateau, perched high above the river, a compact historical center, and the Clos de Luce, the final home of Leonardo Da Vinci. It is especially photogenic, set as it is along the impressively broad Loire, and against the backdrop of low green hills. Finally, there are the wines, notably the chilled Roses, especially appealing on warm summer days.

Chateau d'Amboise
Chateau d’Amboise

 

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France, Hiking, Nutshell

Entre Vignes et Ramberge: Trail in a Nutshell

 

Trail Name: Entre Vignes et Ramberge

Trail Type: Short distance circuit; almost exclusively paved, well maintained, and fairly well-marked marked.

Length: Total: 8 kilometers/5 miles

Convenient to: Amboise, France

Marking: Wooden plaques identify the trailheads (See above); Yellow lines, straight or bent to indicate direction, below.

Trail Signage for Left Turn
Trail Signage for Left Turn

 

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France, Hiking

Sailing through a Sea of Vouvray

Like the bow of a great ship, the plateau above Vernou sur Brenne separated the waters of the Brenne and the Cisse rivers. And like a ship, the deck was laden with goods: In this case the plateau was planted extensively with grapevines. Being within the Vouvray appellation, all these Chenin Blanc grapes were destined to become Vouvray wine – one of the best known white wines from France’s Loire Valley.

The vineyards are not apparent from the center of the little town of Vernou. The old center huddles between the banks of the little Brenne and Cisse Rivers and the tufa cliffs behind the town. This is where this short and easy hike begins. Following the shady embankment along the Brenne, a short segment of the trail leads steeply up the cliff and onto the plateau.

On the Trail on the Embankment
On the Trail on the Embankment

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