Anjou-Coteaux de la Loire

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Terroir

• The vine-growing zone is confined to the schistose hillsides bordering the Loire, never extending more than 3 kilometres from the river, which it flanks on both banks.
• The soils derive from the primary formations of the Massif armoricain, consisting essentially of poorly developed schistose or schisto-arenaceous soils, with localised brown calcareous soils of Devonian origin.
• On the right bank, the southward-facing vineyard is sheltered from cold northerly winds, while on the left bank the river's draining effect on cold air warms the north-facing slopes, certain amphitheatre-like positions benefiting additionally from a thermal gain.
• The Mauges massif, to the west of the vineyard, tempers the oceanic character through a foehn effect, and mean annual rainfall is 650 millimetres, compared with more than 800 millimetres on the Mauges hills.
• The Loire encourages, during the harvest period, the formation of morning mists that are essential to the development of noble rot.

• Count Odart noted in 1845 that Chenin must be harvested at an overripe stage, around All Saints' Day, when the skin, softened by the rains, collapses into gangrene.
• With the arrival of Dutch brokers in the sixteenth century, a market developed for 'wines for the sea' produced from vines pruned to short wood, one or two buds.

• Elegance is the defining characteristic of these wines, which display great aromatic complexity, most often combining floral aromas with those of fresh fruit, or even dried or candied fruit, evoking the 'douceur angevine'.
• On the palate, these wines combine smoothness with freshness, and know how to reveal their charm with time.

• Shallow soils combined with a topography that ensures excellent exposure promote a regular water supply that allows Chenin to express its full richness.
• The immediate proximity of the Loire moderates temperatures throughout the growing cycle and, combined with short pruning, enables optimal ripeness in the grapes.

Facts drawn from the specification's terroir-link section by automatic interpretation — see the source.

All appellations in France

Sources

• Product specification (BO Agri, PDF) — approved 5 décembre 2025, JORF 18 décembre 2025
• Official INAO text (show_texte)
• INAO product entry
• Official trade body site — InterLoire