We have explored last week-end, le Sancerrois at the East end of the Loire Valley. This region is mostly famous for the vineyards of Sancerre where, since the Kings of France, the make one of the best white wine in France. They also make red wines, less famous, maybe not worth the detour.

They might remind you of the Burgundy white wine…Beaune is only 130 miles east.

Arrival to Sancerre - ©FJFY

 

Sancerre is a little town, perched on a rolling hill…which is kind of unusual in this area which is quite flat (mostly cultivated with cereals). The vineyards are on the hillsides, perfectly exposed to the sun.

Inside the town - ©FJFY

We let the expert talk about the Sancerre wine: “Wine expert Tom Stevenson describes the classic profile of Sancerre blanc as bone dry, highly aromatic with intense flavors of peaches and gooseberries.” (copyright Wikipédia)

 

Sancerre wines are made of Sauvignon vintage, they are very good…but we like even better the Pouilly Fumé, which is a very close vineyard, maybe little less famous (not as overpriced as Sancerre).

 

Emilie wine tasting - ©FJFY

Pouilly Fumé (also Sauvignon vintage) has an unusual flavor for a dry white wine: a strong flavor of musk and smoked. It is perfect with a Crottin de Chavignol cheese.

Do not confuse Pouilly Fumé with Pouilly Fuissé, a white wine from Burgundy.

If you would like to read more: http://www.wine-searcher.com/regions-sancerre

In Pouilly Fumé, we recommend Emmanuel Charrier, Domaine de l’Epineau. A brand new winemaker who has started 4 yeard ago and is already gold medal at the Paris wine contest. Domaine Charrier

In Sancerre: bio wine: Domaine Fouassier: http://www.fouassier.fr/accueil/wine.php

Domaine Fouassier is one of our favorite - ©FJFY

Then, like in all the Loire Valley, the local cheese, is made of goat milk. We have visited la Chèvrerie de La Fillouse in Suilly La Tour.

 

Guillaume & Jeanne at the goat cheese place - ©FJFY

 

Again met with a very brave farmer who have left the family cereal farm to bread his goats and make the local cheese: Crottins de Chavignol   (24/7 work!) Bravo!!! http://www.bienvenue-a-la-ferme.com/bourgogne/ferme-chevrerie-de-la-fillouse-231409/contact_plan_acces

Eventually, Sancerre has also some nice almond cake (very hard) that used to be dipped in the wine…when in the former times…the wine was not good enough to be drunk alone.

 

 

A special thanks to our friend Céline for the nice pictures!

France Just For You

Experts in self-drive tours in France

Travelers Reviews

5.0
Jeanne & Michael from Australia
A Great Cultural Experience What we loved most about our wonderful trip was the special activities that FJFY hand picked and tailor made for our interests. We did an awesome cooking experience in Provence, a fun food and wine walking tour with in Nice and a very enjoyable and informative walk in Lagrasse with Carlos. We visited many local markets …
Kelly
My husband and I just returned from a 9 day trip to Burgundy and Provence. We had fairly high expectations based on all the reviews we had read about France Just For You. I must say, the trip far exceeded those expectations and was such a memorable experience. The B&Bs recommended were right in line with what we were hoping and the hosts were …
Debbie
Emilie is amazing. Going to Normandy has always been a dream of my husbands and luckily for us we found Emilie to plan our trip. Our hotel in Paris for the start of our trip was located perfectly. Within walking distance of so much for our first two days before we picked up the rental car she had arranged for us. Then onto Normandy and the Loire …
Kim
So helpful and thoughtful! We had an amazing trip thanks to their planning and insights. Highly recommend, especially if you don’t have time to research places on your own. All the b&bs were beautiful, restaurant recommendations fantastic, great suggestions of routes and stops on our longer drives and having the cell phone with our guide book …
Kellie
I have yet another 5-star review to leave because Emilie's trip planning is just that - exceptional! We do not do big trips often and did not have hours to spend online trying to find the perfect B&Bs and restaurants to fit our preferences. Over the course of a few emails, Emilie collected our requests and pieced together an itinerary that was …
Mary & Dan
Emilie, Our trip has been fantastic! We appreciate all that you did to make it so wonderful. Many, many thanks! The itineraries, special experiences--- like the 4x4 wine tour, wine picnic, and cooking with Catherine---and the unique accommodations made our vacation very very special. We start toward home tomorrow, leaving your beautiful country but …