This is one for the wine lovers. The Loire Valley, nestled in the centre of France, is famous for its wine, from the Sauvignon Blanc to the Cabernet Franc. But with so much on offer, sometimes it can be hard to find what you’re looking for.

So to help guide you through your wine tasting journey, we want to share with you Barracuda’s interactive wine map, which is the perfect tool to make your trips to this beautiful region even more delicious!

Helping everyone to find their perfect wine

Developed by the team at Barracuda Digital in London, the map allows Francophiles to click on different parts of the Loire Valley to read about the soil, climate and grapes of the area, and gives a brief overview of its history. Alternatively, you can click on a type of grape and the map will pinpoint the places that use this type of grape to make their wine. You can even search by style, depending on whether you fancy an earthy or fruity red, a crisp dry white or perhaps something sparkling? What a great way to find your perfect wine!

Team member Antoni Swidlicki told us: “the idea was to produce something which is just as helpful to a seasoned sommelier planning their next trip to the region as it is to someone only just developing a palate for the region’s viticulture. After all, if you don’t know your appellations from your sub-appellations, or your Pinot Noir from your Pinot Meunier, it will be harder to pick out a good bottle!”

Antoni also said that the map has received some very positive feedback from several Masters of Wine, including Sarah Abbott, Richard Kelley and Jancis Robinson.

A bit about the Loire Valley…

The Loire Valley, referred to as ‘The Garden of France’ due to its abundance of vineyards and orchards, is renowned for its wine. It was the Romans who first planted the vineyards of the Loire Valley, but the collapse of the Roman Empire hindered their development. The Church sheltered the vines, which would eventually produce the wine that would be exported abroad and used as a diplomatic weapon.

According to Total Wine, the Loire Valley can be best described as “a long ribbon with crisp white wines on either end, and fuller flavoured wines of all types in the middle”. Although there are four major varieties of wine in the Loire Valley (Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Melon de Bourgogne and Cabernet Franc), Total Wine says there are about 60 different appellations making up the wines of the region, with styles varying from from bone-dry to extremely sweet.

We love that the map can work for people with different levels of connaissances about wine. What a fantastic way to learn about wine and explore the Loire Valley as travellers, not tourists!

Have you been to the Loire Valley before? We’d love to hear all about your wine tasting adventures!