Touraine AOC: not one but five different wine appellations … really worth discovering and tasting!

Touraine AOC (or AOP) produces wines in a very wide range of styles and colors: white wines, red wines, rosé wines and sparkling wines! The appellation was created in 1939, and comprises nowadays more than 600 wineries spread over a vineyard of 5000 hectares.

The Touraine appellation extends over a very vast territory in the departments of Indre-et-Loire and Loir-et-Cher. Consequently, its geology is quite varied but representative of the vineyards of the Loire Valley: white tuffeau soils from the Turonian era and sands and clays with flint from the Senonian era. The AOP Touraine is not yet a century old, but that will come quickly. It was indeed in 1939 that the appellation “Coteaux de Touraine” was born, which would become the AOC/AOP Touraine that we know today. Another point worth knowing: the AOC Touraine is subdivided into five geographical denominations. Like “sub-appellations” but not to be seen as “second-league” cines, all the opposite! These are Touraine-Amboise, Touraine Azay-le-Rideau, Touraine-Chenonceaux, Touraine-Mesland and Touraine-Oisly.

Touraine : The appellation

Touraine is one of the most extensive appellations of the Loire Valley: to put it simply, draw a strip of land of 20 to 50 kilometers that would go from Azay-le-rideau to Chaumont-sur-Loire via Chenonceaux!

Consequently, it is also the appellation with the most Loire wine-producing villages: almost 150 in total. This group of villages amount to more than 600 winegrowers producing over an area of around 5,000 hectares, spread over the two banks of the Loire and the Cher.

The AOC Touraine is subdivided into five geographical denominations. Like “sub-appellations” : Touraine-Amboise, Touraine Azay-le-Rideau, Touraine-Chenonceaux, Touraine-Mesland and Touraine-Oisly. The denominations “Amboise” and “Mesland” appeared in 1955 while it was not until 2011 that the denominations “Azay-le-rideau” “Chenonceaux” and “Oisly” came to complete the club.

Villages of the Touraine appellation

Amboise, Anché, Angé, Artannes-sur-Indre, Athée-sur-Cher, Avoine, Avon-les-Roches, Azay-le-Rideau, Azay-sur-Cher, Beaumont-en-Véron, Benais, Bléré, Blois, Bossay-sur-Claise, Bourgueil, Brizay, Candes-Saint-Martin, Cangey, Chailles, Chambray-lès-Tours, Chançay, Chanceaux-sur- Choisille, Chargé, Châteauvieux, Châtillon-sur-Cher, Chaumont- sur-Loire, Cheillé, Chemery, Chemillé-sur-Indrois, Chenonceaux, Chinon, Chissay-en-Touraine, Chisseaux, Choussy, Chouzé-sur-Loire, Cinais, Cinq-Mars-la-Pile, Civray-de-Touraine, Contres, Coteaux-sur-Loire, Couddes, Couffy, Couziers, Cravant-les-Côteaux, Crouzilles, Dierre, Draché, Epeigné-les-Bois, Esvres-sur-Indre, Faverolles-sur-Cher, Fondettes, Francueil, Genillé, Huismes, Ingrandes de Touraine, Joué-lès-Tours, L’Ile-Bouchard, La Chapelle-sur-Loire, La Croix-en-Touraine, La Roche-Clermault, Langeais, Larçay, Lémeré, Lerné, Lignières-de-Touraine, Ligré, Limeray, Lussault-sur-Loire, Luynes, Luzillé, Marçay, Mareuil-sur-Cher, Méhers, Mesland, Meusnes, Monteaux, Monthou-sur-Bièvre, Monthou-sur-Cher, Montlouis-sur-Loire, Montreuil-en-Touraine, Montrichard, Mosnes, Nazelles-Négron, Neuillé-le-Lierre, Noizay, Noyers-sur-Cher, Oisly, Panzoult, Parçay-Meslay, Pocé-sur-Cisse, Pont-de-Ruan, Pontlevoy, Pouillé, Razines, Restigné, Reugny, Rigny-Ussé, Rilly-sur-Loire, Rivarennes, Rivière, Rochecorbon, Saché, Saint-Aignan, Saint-Avertin, Saint-Etienne-de-Chigny, Saint-Georges-sur-Cher, Saint-Germain-sur-Vienne, Saint-Julien-de-Chédon, Saint-Martin-Le-Beau, Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil, Saint-Ouen-les-Vignes, Saint-Règle, Saint-Romain-sur-Cher, SaintBenoît-la-Forêt, Sainte-Maure-de-Touraine, Sassay, Savigny-en-Véron, Savonnières, Sazilly, Seigy, Seuilly, Soings-en-Sologne, Souvigny-de-Touraine, Tavant, Thenay, Theneuil, Thésée, Thilouze, Thizay, Tours, Valaire, Valencisse, Vallères, Vallières-les-Grandes, Valloire-sur-Cisse, Véretz, Vernou-sur-Brenne, Veuzain-sur-Loire, Villaines-les-Rochers, Vouvray

Touraine : The wines

Red wines

Rosé wines

Dry white wines

Sparkling wines

The white wines of the Touraine AOC are produced exclusively from the Sauvignon Blanc grape variety. They are lively and expressive wines, which develop aromas of green apple, gooseberry, white flowers, citrus fruits, exotic fruits and in some cases stone fruits (white peach, nectarine). And yes, all those! Depending on the terroirs and exposures, it is subtle variants and combinations of all these aromas that you will find in your bottle of Touraine wine. Some say that Touraine’s Sauvignon Blancs are among the best in the world … that’s their own opinion, but to be honest, we have tasted some exceptional ones, and sometimes for less than 10 euros a bottle… As for red wines, the preferred grape variety remains Cabernet Franc, but this will be combined with other grape varieties such as Cot (Malbec) or Gamay to produce wines sometimes with a strong personality, sometimes on the fruity and charming side. The region also produces interesting rosés and beautiful sparkling aperitif wines.

Grape varieties used for Touraine wines

At the last count, the AOC grape varieties put Sauvignon Blanc largely in the lead (43%), followed by Gamay (21%), Cabernet Franc (10%) and Cot, with a good growth dynamic (around 8%).

Touraine : The wineries

The AOC Touraine and its 5 geographical denominations comprise 600 winegrowers and wine estates. From Tours to Blois, via Amboise and Chenonceaux, choosing a winemaker for a tasting session leaves you with … too many possibilities! Fortunately, to help you out, we have made this nice selection of wineries worth the visit. Follow the guide.