Loire: Sancerre and the river

The Loire runs a thousand kilometres and grows almost everything. For a buyer the interesting thing is the spread: Sancerre, whose Sauvignon Blanc is the most reliably sellable white in France, fetches €260,000 a hectare, while Chinon and Vouvray, which many critics rate as highly, sit at about €25,000. The gap is a story about names people recognise on a wine list.

Economics in brief

SAFER’s 2024 table gives Sancerre a dominant price of €260,000 a hectare (€190,000–285,000) and Pouilly-Fumé €165,000, both driven by export demand for Sauvignon Blanc. Across the river in Touraine, Vouvray stands at €26,000 and Chinon at €25,000 (€12,000–40,000). Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc from those appellations are made by some of the most admired growers in France and sell for a fraction of Sancerre, which is why the Loire is often named as the region where quality is cheapest to buy, in bottles and in land.