The Loire runs west to east for over 600 miles, and the wines change with the geography. Near the Atlantic, Muscadet (made from Melon de Bourgogne) is bone-dry and briny, built for shellfish. Moving inland, Anjou-Saumur and Touraine are Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc country, ranging from dry to lusciously sweet whites and light, herbaceous reds. Further upstream, Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé produce some of the world's most sought-after Sauvignon Blanc, grown on flinty and chalky soils that give the wines their mineral edge.

Key grapes: Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Franc, Melon de Bourgogne