Upper Loire is an unofficial name used to group together the Loire Valley wine districts situated upriver (south and east) of Touraine. It groups together two of the most famous Loire appellations – Sancerre and Pouilly-Fume – with a number of lesser-known appellations like Orleans, Valencay, Quincy and Cotes du Forez.
The concept of an 'Upper Loire' sub-region is necessary because its constituent appellations are not grouped together by an administrative or historical region; the main thing they have in common is proximity to the Loire River. Most other French wine regions correspond closely to an administrative region or department (e.g. Alsace, Bourgogne, Champagne, Provence).
There is in fact a 'Loire' administrative department, but it lies hundreds of miles upstream from the heart of the Loire wine region. Ironically it is home to two of the least-known Loire Valley appellations: Cote Roannaise and Cotes du Forez. Unlike anywhere else on the Loire, this pair specialize in red and rosé wines made from Gamay. Their wine style and sandy, granitic soils mean that they have more in common with Beaujolais (just 30 miles / 50km to the east) than they do with any of the other Loire appellations.
One hundred miles north-west of the Cote Roannaise, the Loire flows between the towns of Pouilly-sur-Loire and Sancerre – two of France's most highly-regarded wine districts. The wineries and vineyards around these two towns focus almost exclusively on crisp, aromatic Sauvignon Blanc sold under the Pouilly-Fume and Sancerre appellation titles. More traditional, but much less famous, are their Chasselas-based whites sold under the Pouilly-sur-Loire appellation.
Immediately west of Sancerre are a cluster of lesser-known vineyard areas located quite some distance from the river. Their appellations are Quincy (purely Sauvignon Blanc), Valencay, Menetou-Salon and Reuilly (red, rosé and whites made from various varieties).
A little way downstream of Sancerre, the Loire flows through the Coteaux du Giennois (the area around the town of Gien), before continuing northwards to Orleans, and finally on into Touraine and the heart of the Loire Valley viticultural area.
The wines and terroirs of the Upper Loire are tangibly different from those further downstream in Touraine, Anjou and particularly the Pays Nantais. The moderate, moist, maritime climate of the Muscadet vineyards stands in clear contrast to the drier, near-continental conditions found in Sancerre, a full 200 miles (325km) to the east. This is mirrored in the wines, and explains (in part) the difference between the featherweight elegance of Muscadet and the aromatic power of Sancerre.
Limestone is a key soil type in Upper Loire vineyards, particularly Sancerre, Pouilly, Menetou-Salon. This is a result of their location at the southern edge of the Paris Basin. A significant geological zone of northern France, the Paris Basin is a shallow bowl of sedimentary rock which includes the prized calcareous soils which the Loire shares with Champagne and northern Burgundy – most obviously Chablis, just 35 miles from Sancerre. What the Upper Loire has that these other regions do not is silex (flint).
Flint is very efficient at accumulating heat and reflecting light, which helps the grapes towards full ripeness, creating fuller-bodied wines. It is also given credit for the smoky character of the local Sauvignon Blanc, which explains the variety's local nickname – Blanc Fumé – which means literally 'smoky white'.
