Touraine occupies the central Loire around Tours, extending along the Loire and tributaries including the Vienne and Cher. Cabernet Franc leads the best-known reds of Chinon, Bourgueil and Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil. Chenin Blanc makes dry, sweet and sparkling wines in Vouvray and Montlouis-sur-Loire. Sauvignon Blanc is central to many wines labelled Touraine, while Gamay, Côt (the local name for Malbec), Pineau d'Aunis and other grapes broaden the range. These traditions overlap geographically, but each major appellation keeps a clear identity.
The rivers, tuffeau limestone slopes, sand, gravel and flinty clay create a patchwork of vineyard settings. The appellation name is therefore the quickest way to know which part of Touraine and which style you are buying.
Cabernet Franc, Chenin Blanc and Sauvignon Blanc
What changes here
West of Tours, Chinon follows the Vienne, while Bourgueil and Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil sit north of the Loire. Cabernet Franc grows on river gravels and sands as well as tuffeau slopes. Lighter sites can give fragrant reds for earlier drinking; limestone slopes often produce more structured wines, although farming and the amount of colour and tannin extracted from grape skins also affect the result.
East of Tours, Vouvray lies north of the Loire and Montlouis-sur-Loire between the Loire and Cher. Both use Chenin Blanc for still wines ranging from dry to sweet, as well as sparkling wine. Farther east and south, the broad Touraine appellation is especially useful for fresh Sauvignon Blanc, alongside red, rosé and sparkling styles.
The place name usually predicts the grape
Names to know
Chinon, Bourgueil and Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil point strongly towards Cabernet Franc red, though Chinon also permits small amounts of white. Vouvray and Montlouis-sur-Loire mean Chenin Blanc and require you to check whether the wine is still or sparkling, dry or sweet. Touraine is broader and may be white, red, rosé or sparkling. Complementary geographic names such as Touraine-Amboise, Touraine-Chenonceaux and Touraine-Oisly narrow the origin and rules.
Sec indicates dry. Demi-sec, moelleux and doux mark increasing sweetness, while pétillant and mousseux identify sparkling styles. Not every producer prints sweetness in equally prominent type, so ask or check a technical sheet when it matters.
Choosing a Touraine red or white
First bottle
For a Cabernet Franc red, choose Chinon, Bourgueil or Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil from a recent vintage. For Chenin Blanc, try a dry Vouvray or Montlouis-sur-Loire and notice its acidity and texture. Touraine Sauvignon Blanc offers a lighter, aromatic white.
For a closer comparison of vineyards, try Cabernet Franc from gravel alongside a wine from the same producer's tuffeau slopes. You can also compare still Chenin with traditional-method sparkling Chenin from the same estate; the sparkling wine gains its bubbles from a second fermentation in the bottle.
Continue through the region
Elsewhere in Loire
- Anjou-Saumur38 producersAnjou-Saumur spans dry and sweet Chenin Blanc, Cabernet Franc reds, rosé and traditional-method sparkling wine across schist and tuffeau country.
- Centre-Loire33 producersCentre-Loire is the Loire's Sauvignon Blanc country. Sancerre and Pouilly-Fume sit on opposite banks of the river, while Menetou-Salon, Reuilly and Quincy add further names to the map.
- Pays Nantais12 producersPays Nantais lies around Nantes at the Loire's Atlantic edge. It is known for Muscadet, a white wine made from Melon de Bourgogne. Names such as Clisson, Gorges and Le Pallet identify smaller growing areas within it.
Producers in Touraine
Start with these
- Charles JoguetCharles Joguet is a Sazilly producer in Chinon with a listed organic range spanning red and white wines.
- Domaine François ChidaineMontlouis domaine with Chenin Blanc, biodynamic farming, parcel vinification and Méthode Traditionnelle Brut Nature.
- Domaine de la Taille aux LoupsMontlouis domaine founded by Jacky Blot, making Chenin Blanc still wines and Triple Zero pétillant.
- Domaine Vincent CarêmeLoire domaine making sparkling, dry and sweet wines, plus South African Chenin Blanc.
- Domaine GrosboisDomaine Grosbois makes Chinon reds with dense planting, revived polyculture and concrete cellar work.
Browse 17 more
- Couly-DutheilLoire domaine working Cabernet Franc and Chenin Blanc, with stainless steel central to the cellar and Clos de l'Olive under Touraine.
- Domaine ChampalouDomaine Champalou is a Vouvray estate with approximately twenty hectares of Chenin Blanc across three communes, making dry, semi-sweet, sweet and sparkling wines while preserving natural acidity.
- Domaine de la ChaiseSaint-Georges-sur-Cher domaine with Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Touraine appellations, and tuffeau limestone soils.
- Domaine de la CommanderieFamily domaine in Panzoult making Cabernet Franc and Chenin wines across red, white, rosé, and sparkling styles.
- Domaine de la NoblaieLigré domaine making organic Cabernet Franc reds and Chenin Blanc whites from distinct tuffeau limestone parcels.
- Domaine des AubuisièresVouvray Chenin Blanc from Domaine des Aubuisières, spanning traditional method sparkling wine, dry whites and sweet styles.
- Domaine Du Carroir PerrinVerdigny Sancerre domaine with hand harvested vineyards, separate parcel vinification, and Sauvignon Blanc aged in stainless steel.
- Domaine du SalvardFive generation Loire domaine with Cheverny white and red wines, LPS Pinot Noir, and Pinot Noir Vieilles Vignes.
- Domaine Fabrice GasnierCravant-les-Coteaux domaine making biodynamic Cabernet Franc reds, including Les Graves Chinon.
- Domaine OudartDomaine Oudart is an 11 hectare AOC Touraine producer in the Loire, making 100% Sauvignon Blanc and 100% Gamay wines in a setting described as a unique place for biodiversity.
- Domaine Vigneau-ChevreauFive generation Vouvray domaine making sparkling, dry, semi-dry and sweet Chenin Blanc wines from chalk and silex soils.
- EARL DemoisCravant-les-Côteaux estate making biodynamic Cabernet Franc reds and Chenin white wine.
- Earl Domaine de BellivièreSarthe domaine making parcel by parcel Chenin Blanc from Jasnières and Coteaux du Loir, with biodynamic farming and rock cave ageing.
- Famille BougrierSix generation Loire family house with Touraine Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Franc reds and regional cellars from Touraine to Muscadet.
- Les Vignerons des Coteaux RomanaisSaint-Romain-sur-Cher cooperative making Touraine wines from Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Gamay, Cabernet, Côt and Pinot Noir, plus Crémant de Loire.
- MonmousseauMontrichard sparkling-wine house making traditional-method Loire wines in 15 kilometres of cool former quarry cellars.
- Vignoble BrisebarreA Vouvray family operation pairing its new generation with a dry 2022 white and oak-fermented Cuvée Amédée.