I love the Loire, home of my beloved Vouvray, my Chenin Blanc. But heading east, you have killer Sauvignon Blanc. The most famous: Sancerre and Pouilly-Fume. (They also sound so sexy I could repeat them out loud to no one in particular: “Sancerre….Pouilly-Fume.”)

I recently had a Sauv Blanc from the Loire from a lesser-known region of the Loire, heading west from Sancerre and P-F: Reuilly. It was wonderful. It did not have as much of that Sauv Blanc characteristics…a kind of ammonia, cat pee thing (note: these are great flavors…in wine…not on their own). It was very smooth and refreshing and still had wonderful, non-feline pee, classic Sauv Blanc flava.