The Loire is well-known by the British holiday maker, often being the first stop after a Channel crossing. It is France’s longest river, and many tourists get hooked on one part - a shame as you can find every style of wine along its banks, and invariably of excellent quality and price.

Blessed with some outstanding vintages in recent years, 2009 continues this trend. The superb quality of world class wines is all around you. A journey up the Loire starts at its mouth with Muscadet, home to the Melon de Bourgogne grape variety and to François Bonhomme who has been supplying us with outstanding Muscadet Sur Lie for many years. Often passed over these days, it is a tremendously good value wine.

Moving upstream, the next major port of call is Angers and the region of Anjou. It is a region synonymous with the diversity of the whole valley, here all styles are produced. Cabernet Franc reigns supreme for reds, representing one in three vines planted in Anjou, the best being found just to the south of Angers where the Lebreton family have been producing wonderful reds for generations. Just to the south-west of Angers, at Savennières, Domaine du Closel produces the epitome of dry Chenin Blanc: full of minerality and class. The sweet wines are from Coteaux du Layon and Quarts de Chaume. Stéphane Branchereau at Domaine des Forges produces luscious examples but with the emphasis on elegance.

Saumur is the next stop, the emphasis here is on dry whites from Chenin Blanc and reds from Cabernet Franc, both of which we rate very highly. Domaine la Paleine produces some fulsome wines which are excellent value.

On to Tours, and the region of Touraine. At the western end you find one of the most famous names in the Loire, Vouvray. It can be a confusing area producing white wines of all styles, but Alex Monmousseau at Château Gaudrelle crafts some of the best. The wines are perfectly balanced and would grace any dinner table. Some of the best, most structured reds are to be found here in Chinon and Bourgeuil. In the latter, Jacky Blot produces some of the most sought-after wines in the Loire at Domaine de la Butte, complexity and ripeness being their hallmarks. At the eastern end of Touraine the fashionable Sauvignon Blanc takes the mantle from Chenin as the predominant white grape; Domaine de Boulay produce a cracking value, straightforward Sauvignon Blanc.

Finally upstream to the region known as the Central Vineyards, although technically central to France, not to the Loire! The climate here could not be more different to Muscadet at the other end of the river and this is Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir country. The less well known areas of Quincy and Menetou Salon offer excellent value for money when compared with their famous neighbours. Pierre Ragon’s Quincy is good, weighty Sauvignon, whilst Jean-Max Roger’s Menetou has more minerality and elegance. However if it’s the big names of Sancerre and Pouilly Fumé you want, then aim for the best. The aforementioned Jean-Max Roger and his sons produce exquisite Sancerre with all the flavour and minerality this region is famed for. André Dezat, now largely retired, has handed the reigns to his sons Simon and Louis so continuity is ensured at this excellent estate. Both red and rosés are made from Pinot Noir grapes, not surprisingly as Sancerre is closer to Burgundy than it is to Muscadet, and, although not the most powerful wines on the market, certainly stand up well and are worth a look. As for the better known whites, Pouilly Fumé is generally a bigger wine than Sancerre having more minerality from its flinty, mineral-rich soils. Alain Pabiot and his son Jérome produce lovely appealing and approachable Pouilly for drinking young, or try the more traditional, leaner and elegant wine from Dezat. At the top of the tree is the estate of the late Didier Dagueneau, whose family still produces sublime Sauvignon Blanc, unusually with oak ageing to add complexity; their world class wines are much in demand.

A fascinating region where there is genuinely something for everyone, and in a world with increasing demand for fine wine, and consequently increasing prices, the Loire Valley offers tremendous value for money.

Simon Jones