Farnborough to Cannes

The soils near Sancerre itself are a mix of more gravelly limestone, giving a distinctive taste to the grapes and more perfumed wine.

Soils between Sancerre and Menetou-Salon have "white" clay and limestone components, with a different colour and a different taste to the grape.

A map showing the Sancerre (west) and Pouilly-Fumé (east) regions and the course of the Loire River.

Winding ribbons of the Loire River cut channels and islands from silt within the riverbed, near Sully-sur-Loire.

Sancerre sits atop a chalky hill, surrounded by gently sloping hillsides and wide flat expanses, both ideal for viniculture.

An early 17th century picture depicting the siege of Sancerre - notable for its high chalk hill and therefore good defensive position.

Vineyards are planted across all southern facing slopes, to take advantage of the warmth and sunshine, and the better drainage provided by the incline.

The gently rolling hills of the Sancerre landscape and the Loire Valley are well suited to cultivation, with fertile soils and a cool continental climate.

The Loire near Sancerre runs in a relatively narrow and fast bed, with numerous interconnecting channels carving out islands and banks of silt.

Fibreglass fermentation tanks used to make Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé wines, which are notable because they are not aged in wooden barrels like many other wines.

Rows upon rows of vines line the hillsides across the Sancerre region, the geometric pattern visible from the air.

A Pinot Noir based rosé wine from Sancerre - characterised as being dry and light bodied with raspberry and strawberry notes.

The Couly-Dutheil vineyard in Sancerre, one of many producers throughout the region.

Roses were traditionally planted at the end of rows of vines, in the belief that if disease or insects were going to affect the grapes, they would appear on the roses first and so action could be taken.

1890 - A cartoon from Punch, despicting the Phylloxera Louse as a "true gourmet, finding out the best vineyards and wines". The disease destroyed many Pinot Noir vines in the region in the 19th century.

The open, rough, gravelly texture of this limestone soil near Sancerre can clearly be seen - this produces lighter and more perfumed wine.

Sauvignon Blanc grapes are the principle grape of the Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé wines, each of which produce their own distinctive flavours and fragrances.

A map of the Upper Loire wine regions, running along the river valley. Sancerre is in the centre of this region, shown in blue/grey on this map.

Pinot Noir grapes were once the predominant grape variety across the Sancerre region - after crops were destroyed by disease in the 19th century Sauvignon Blanc were often replanted instead.

Sauvignon Blanc vines growning near Sancerre within Didier Prieur's vineyards, one of the largest producers in the region.

Vineyards flourish on the gently sloping ground around Sancerre.

A range of Pouilly-Fumé and Sancerre wine for tasting and for sale in a wine shop in Sancerre.

Beautiful formal gardens with their detailed geometric patterns, in the Château de Villandry in the Loire Valley.

The grand and imposing Château of Chambord, one of the most famous châteaux in France.

The beautiful and distinctive towers of the Château of Chambord, with a huge variety of small, detailed turrets across the roofline.

A view over the Loire River of the famous bridge and château at Gien, north of Sancerre.

The symmetric beauty of meticulously planned and maintained formal gardens in a Loire Valley château.

An 19th century postcard of the château at Gien, built at the end of the 15th century for Anne de Beaujeu, Louis XI's older daughter.

The château at Sully-sur-Loire, a true castle, built on one of the few sites where the Loire can be forded and so an important defensive position.

A map of the Loire Valley detailing some of the 300 châteaux that can be found across the region, ranging in style, age and size.

Geographically the "first" château of the Loire Valley, the château at Saint-Brisson was built in the 12th century.

The Château of Trousse-Barrière in Briare, north of Sancerre, was built in the late 1880s.

This diagram from the 19th century "Dictionary of French Architecture from 11th to 16th century" displays Sully-sur-Loire's château as the architect intended, with numerous towers and defenses.

Formal gardens in one of the Loire châteaux, which are famous for their beautiful and manicured gardens, a sign of wealth and nobility when created throughout the 18th and 19th centuries.

The château at Sully-sur-Loire, a true castle, built on one of the few sites where the Loire can be forded and so an important defensive position.