What is the Loire Valley in France known for?
The valley is known for its dry white wines, such as Sancerre, Pouilly-Fumé and Chenin Blanc. (Vouvray wines must be 100% Chenin Blanc.) It also has the second highest concentration of sparkling-wine producing vines in France. There’s a terrific variety of wine styles and wine touring styles.
Why is the Loire river important to France?
Modern man began to inhabit the Loire Valley in 30 ka and by 600 BC the Loire River was a major transportation and trading route. Six regions in France have been named after the Loire River whose riverbanks in the Loire Valley support many vineyards along its route today.
What is Loire river famous for?
The Loire Valley wine region is one of the world’s most well-known areas of wine production and includes several French wine regions situated along the river, from the Muscadet region on the Atlantic coast to the regions of Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé just southeast of the city of Orléans in north-central France.
Why is the Loire important?
By 600 BC the Loire had already become a very important trading route between the Celts and the Greeks. A key transportation route, it served as one of the great “highways” of France for over 2000 years.
What are the physical characteristics of the Loire river valley?
The river rises at about 4,500 feet (1,370 metres) above sea level, at the foot of the Gerbier de Jonc in the Cévennes near the Mediterranean coast. In its upper course it flows through a succession of downfaulted, flat-floored basins set in the highlands of the Massif Central.
Does the Loire river flood?
In the French Pays de la Loire region, where AA-Floods partner Université de Nantes is located, heavy rains in early- to mid-February caused flooding or evacuations due to flood risk in the towns of Ancenis, Rochefort-sur-Loire, several towns in the Vendée department, and towns in the wetlands southwest of Nantes.
How many chateaux are there in the Loire Valley?
42 chateaux
With more than 3.3 million visitors per year, the group of 42 chateaux that make up the UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Loire Valley is one of the most popular tourist destinations in France outside Paris itself.