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Appellation · France

Montlouis-sur-Loire

Vouvray’s neighbour across the river, on sandier soil, and for two decades the more adventurous of the two.

Montlouis-sur-Loire AOCmaritimemoderate
What to expect in the glass

Dry to off-dry Chenin Blanc with apple, pear and a chalky freshness, lighter than Vouvray. Also a significant source of pétillant naturel.

About Montlouis-sur-Loire

Montlouis sits on the opposite bank of the Loire from Vouvray, on lighter, sandier soils over the same tuffeau, and makes the same range of styles from the same grape.

It was long regarded as the lesser of the two. That has reversed to a considerable extent since the 1990s, as a group of growers here — working with minimal intervention and reviving the pétillant naturel style — made the appellation the more interesting one to watch.

The sandier soils give a slightly lighter, earlier-drinking wine than Vouvray.

What the name means

Legal name
Montlouis-sur-Loire AOC
Type
Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée / Protégée (AOC / AOP)
Set by
INAO
Recognised
1938
Regulates
Origin, plus grape varieties, maximum yields, minimum ageing.

The delimited area, permitted varieties, maximum yields, minimum alcohol, pruning and training methods, and in many cases minimum ageing. Administered by INAO.

Grapes

Wines from here

sparkling

Pét-nat (ancestral method)

Sparkling wine bottled before its first fermentation finishes, so the bubble comes from the original ferment rather than a second one.

white

Vouvray

Loire Chenin Blanc in every register from bone dry to sweet to sparkling — and the label does not always tell you which.

white

Montlouis-sur-Loire

Vouvray’s neighbour on lighter, sandier soil, and for two decades the more adventurous of the two.

Rules worth knowing

Confirmed in the EU register

Montlouis-sur-Loire is registered as a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO), file number PDO-FR-A0169, protected at EU level since 1973.

Article 107 of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013

Specification published: Official Journal C, C/2026/2445, 27.04.2026 · Official Journal

Only the rules that change what to expect in the glass or on the label. WineHQ does not reproduce production specifications, and each entry carries the date it was last checked because appellation rules change.

The designation is confirmed above. WineHQ has not read this appellation’s production specification, so it publishes no yields, ageing minima or permitted-variety lists for it — those come from the document linked above, not from a summary of it.

What to eat, and how to serve it

Derived from this region’s signature styles. Each is listed separately, because a region does not have one serving temperature.

Vouvray

Serve at 8–11°C (fridge cold).

Try with ploughman’s lunch, roast pork or curry.

Pét-nat (ancestral method)

Serve at 8–10°C (fridge cold).

Try with fillet steak, asparagus or fresh cheese.

Where to go next

Places worth trying if you like this one — neighbours, rivals, and the obvious step across.

  • Vouvray — One appellation, one grape, and every sweetness level from bone dry to lusciously sweet — which is why nobody can tell what a bottle of Vouvray will taste like.
  • Touraine — The middle Loire, home to Vouvray’s Chenin Blanc and the Cabernet Franc of Chinon and Bourgueil.

Sources

Sources consulted