Touraine

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Accessory grape varieties

Varieties of interest

Terroir

• A gently undulating plateau in the south-west of the Paris Basin, at the confluence of the Loire with the Cher, Indre, and Vienne rivers; elevation rarely exceeding 100–120 m across 143 communes.
• Clay-sand soils known as "bournais perrucheux": flint clay mixed with Miocene sands, derived from the delimitation of the historic core zones.

• Viticulture attested from the 2nd century CE (a winepress at Cheillé); the cot N variety dominant on the Cher hillsides is described as early as 1804 as the "most widely propagated variety."
• After phylloxera, gamay N and sauvignon B became established; from 1985 onward, cot N and sauvignon B were replanted on the first "côtes" of the Cher.

• Gamay reds: cherry colour, red berry aromas, silky, light, and fine tannins; cabernet franc reds (west of Tours): deep ruby to garnet, red and black fruit, tannic structure.
• White and rosé sparkling wines with a dominant acidity, fruity notes, with a brioche nuance that can become more pronounced with age.

• Sauvignon B on "perruches" and "aubuis" soils expresses fresh and distinctive character, accounting for two-thirds of production in 2009.

Facts drawn from the cahier's terroir-link section (Lien au terroir) by automatic interpretation — see the source.

Sources

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