France | Anjou - Saumur, Loire

The Anjou-Saumur wine region is located in the mid-west Loire and is bounded by the towns of Angers, Chalonnes, Bourgueil and Saumur.

Situated around the town of Angers, Anjou produces many of the Loire Valley’s best sweet wines Bonnezeaux, Coteaux du Layon and Quarts de Chaume, all made from the Chenin Blanc grape. Anjou is also home to Savennières, a fascinating dry Chenin Blanc, as well as excellent red Anjou (made from Cabernet Franc) and the very popular, off-dry Rosé d'Anjou.

Saumur is a picturesque city dominated by one of the most famous castles in France. The castle, like many of the great châteaux of the Loire Valley, is built with the same tuffeau limestone that underlies the vineyards of the region. Excavations left from building castles and palaces left hundreds of miles of underground tunnels that now serve as cellars.

Saumur is the third largest sparkling wine appellation in France after the Champagne region and the Crémant d'Alsace AOC with more than 12 million bottles of Saumur Mousseux produced each year.

Saumur also produces Saumur-Champigny, one of the Loire Valley's great Cabernet Franc red wines.