Divine

Loire

In our Magazine

Touraine

In the soft morning mist of the Loire Valley, Touraine emerges like a whisper from a Renaissance tapestry—elegant, storied, and quietly profound. It’s here, in 1516, that Leonardo da Vinci spent his final years at the Château du Clos Lucé, leaving behind brushstrokes of genius and Italianate echoes amid the gentle French countryside. Yet Touraine wears its history lightly, threading the gravitas of royal châteaux with the nuanced pleasure of daily life. Often romanticized as the “Garden of France,” it invites more than postcard glances—it rewards lingering. In the glass, the region reveals a vivid spectrum: crisp Sauvignon Blanc from the flinty soils of Touraine-Oisly, fine-boned Gamay with its berry brightness, or subtle expressions of Chenin Blanc—dry or delicately off-dry—where minerality meets lush orchard fruit. The varied terroirs, shaped by ancient marine sediments and Loire breezes, echo the complexity of its past. Skip high summer’s crowds: a golden October afternoon, when vineyard leaves burnish and the light softens, offers a moment both intimate and timeless. Dive deeper into Touraine’s layers of taste and time with our curated explorations below.