Pouilly Fume: Domaine Masson-Blondelet Villa Paulus

The Loire is France's longest river, running almost 400km from the Massif Central westwards to the Atlantic, and gives its name to one of the country's most diverse wine regions. Spanning some 57,000 hectares across Loire-Atlantique, Anjou-Saumur, Touraine, and the Centre, it produces the full range of styles - fresh, light whites from Sauvignon Blanc and Chenin Blanc, elegant reds and rosés from Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir, and Gamay, plus sweet and sparkling wines. Its western vineyards enjoy a maritime Atlantic climate, while the more easterly Centre is cooler and continental, and its chalky limestone soils help the wines retain their signature freshness and acidity. Home to 69 appellations, including the famous Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé, the Loire offers something to please every palate.

One of the Loire Valley's most renowned white-wine appellations, specialising in dry, mineral Sauvignon Blanc made across some 1,400 hectares in seven communes along the Loire in the Nièvre department. Created in 1937, it is home to over 100 mostly small, family-owned estates, many committed to organic and sustainable farming. The wines are clean and crisp, with subtle fruit, herbal and citrus notes, and the distinctive smoky, flinty character - from which the name 'Fumé' derives - that reflects the region's flint-rich soils.