I thought I knew the Loire. Been there, done that, filled the boot with bottles. Gorged on Sancerre and PouillyFume, Chinon and Bourgueil, during various holidays whose supposed sober aim was to explore all those fairytale chateaux. Overdid the oysters and Muscadet in the bit beyond Nantes, near the sea. But between the castle and the coastal stretch of this great waterway, one small, low-key region yields almost as much liquid excitement as all the rest put together, I have discovered. It calls itself Anjou-Saumur.
Recently trapped in the same bubble of grey gloom as Ireland, the lozenge of land mainly to the south of the towns of Angers and Saumur wasn't looking its best. Brooding river and leaden skies matched the wet slate roofs of little villages flanked by dripping vineyards. So it wasn't one of those trips where the sun cheers life up so vividly that wines you wouldn't bother with at home suddenly turn seductive. The wines had to fight to impress chilled, grumpy tasters. The miracle was that so many did - and won.
Now, before your eyes stray to the crucial figures in this week's list of bottles, let me come clean and warn you that these wines aren't particularly cheap. But neither are they ridiculously expensive, given their quality - especially when compared with Bordeaux and Burgundy. If you're taking the car to France on holiday, remember they're geographically accessible, too, since the Loire is the first wine region you hit. Add to all those pluses the fact there have been three outstanding vintages in a row - 1995, 1996 and 1997.
The most surprising thing about Anjou-Saumur is the diversity of its wine styles. A patch of land not much more than 50 miles across at its widest point produces sensational dry white wines (as well as some forgettable ones), exquisite sweet white wines, refreshingly different dry red wines, sparkling wines and a plethora of roses. Off hand, I can't think of any other region of this size that achieves such spectacular variety. No drinker, here, need ever be bored.
For me, the gems lie mainly scattered among the dry and sweet whites and the reds. The many roses of Anjou, although moving gradually towards a drier style, are still that bit too sweet to be tempting - except perhaps to novice drinkers. The sparkling wines, Cremant de Loire and Saumur Brut, made mainly from Chenin Blanc, are inclined to be too brightly fruity or too tongue-strippingly aggressive for my taste and over here, by the time they've been hit by Ireland's whopping tax on sparklers, end up costing more than they're worth. (If you happen to be visiting the Loire, however, where prices are cheeringly modest, do sample some of the luxury cuvees where Chardonnay has been introduced to add creamy complexity. Try Tresor by Bouvet-Ladubay, owned by the champagne house Taittinger, or Quadrille by Langlois-Chateau, owned by Bollinger.)
Now back to Anjou's all-time greats. First the dry whites, among which the undisputed star is Savennieres. Why is this dazzling rendition of Chenin Blanc (which the Empress Josephine rightly rather fancied) so undervalued and underpublicised? Maybe because it's damnably difficult to describe, and therefore, presumably, to sell. There are so many elements of flavour in the glass - lemon, honey, apricot, peach, camomile, hay, heaven knows what else, all curiously capable of winding up in a minerally, bone dry finish.
"Customers like to drink it young for the fruitiness, and when it's over four years old for the mineral character," says Florent Baumard of Domaine des Baumard, whose Clos du Papillon Savennieres is one of the most delectable white wines I've ever tasted. Alas, it doesn't seem to be available in Ireland, but it's worth a long pilgrimage to the property to buy it - especially when you can count on keeping it for 15 to 20 years. Luckily for non-travellers, the basic Baumard Savennieres is on sale here (see below). For me, the wines of this outstanding producer overshadowed the most famous Savennieres, Nicolas Joly's Clos de la Coulee de Serrant - although he is an inspiring proponent of biodynamic viticultural methods.
Next on the pleasure scale, the wonderful sweet wines of the Coteaux de l'Aubance and the Coteaux du Layon, within whose boundaries lie the appellations of Bonnezeaux and Quarts-deChaume. Autumn mists in pockets of vineyard near the river favour the development of grapes with noble rot. Besides contributing a distinctive element to dry white wines like Savennieres, this prized fungus is responsible for producing almost sinfully luscious sweet wines, redolent of quinces, honey and candied peel. When young, they seem made for a feast - try them with foie gras, blue cheese or fruit tarts. Older (they're likely to age better than you or me ), they're best sipped alone, so that every nuance can be savoured. I'd love to see more of these unctuous treats in Ireland.
On, then, to the red wines of the region, made principally from Cabernet Franc. Anjou produces some very drinkable Anjou Rouge and Anjou-Villages on its schist terrain, especially in the hands of Christophe Daviau of Domaine de Bablut and Chateau de Brissac - a dynamic young winemaker who softens his reds with a tiny amount of micro-oxygenation. But the chalky ground further east creates warmer growing conditions and riper fruit for the lively reds of Saumur and SaumurChampigny - lovely, juicy wines that taste good lightly chilled. Don't wince - they may be just the ticket if September delivers that Indian summer we crave.
Clos de Coulaine Savennieres, Papin-Chevalier, 1996 (Grapes of Mirth Rathmines, McCabes, DeVine Wine Shop Castleknock, usually £9.99, or by mail order from James Nicholson by six-bottle case, £9.49). Savennieres, Anjou's exquisite dry white wine, in dazzling form for under a tenner. See Bottle of the Week.
Domaine des Baumard Savennieres 1994 (McCabes, Verlings, Deveneys, O'Donovans Cork and some other outlets, usually about £12.99) Not quite so thrillingly intense as the Baumard Clos du Papillon, but still a lovely wine - beautifully aromatic, with a strong mineral undertow. Florent Baumard says it will keep happily for another 15 years.
Red
Saumur Les Sablonnieres 1996 (Dunnes Stores, £5.49).
Recommended a couple of weeks ago as a hit with salmon, a juicy, raspberryish red at a really tempting price.
Domaine Filliatreau Saumur-Champigny 1996 (Searsons, Grapes of Mirth Rathmines, DeVine Wine Shop Castleknock, usually about £9.95).
The Filliatreau family (regular visitors to Mayo, by the way) are among the region's most highly rated growers, and this mouthwatering red shows why. The richer version made from old vines is a stunner - from Searsons at £12.75.
Vieilles Vignes du Domaine Langlois-Chateau Saumur 1994 (Mitchells, McCabes, Dubin Wine Co Malahide, DeVine Wine Shop Castleknock and some other outlets, usually £13.99). If you've ever complained that Cabernet Franc makes green, stalky wines try this succulent example - or wait for the 1995 which has even richer, riper fruit. Well made and hugely appealing.
Sweet
Domaine du Petit Val Coteaux du Layon 1996 (Terroirs, full bottle £12.95). A brilliant introduction to the Loire's sweet treats at a very fair price. With lots of lemony freshness and just a touch of honey, it's not in the least cloying. Make a peach or apricot tart to go with it (those flavours emerge in the finish) and you'll go straight to heaven. . .
Domaine des Baumard Quarts de Chaume 1992/1995 (McCabes, Verlings, Deveneys, O'Donovans Cork and some other outlets, half bottles about £14.35). Spectacularly concentrated flavours from the lowest yielding vineyards in France. Lemons, apricots, honey and toasted nuts. . . and that's only the beginning.
Chateau de Fesles Bonnezeaux La Chapelle 1990 (McCabes, Redmonds, Thomas's Deli Foxrock, full bottle usually about £42). OK, a lot to pay for bottled sweetness - but a snip compared to the likes of Chateau d'Yquem, beside which it has nothing to blush about. Stunning intensity and richness with decades to run.
If you still have a Loire holiday to look forward to, put these names in your planner: Domaine des Baumard, Rochefort sur Loire, tel 02 41 787003; Chateau du Breuil, Beaulieu sur Layon, tel 02 41 783254; Domaine de Bablut, Brissac, tel 02 41 912259; Domaine Filliatreau, La Grande Vignolle, Turquant, tel 02 41 381644; Langlois-Chateau, Saint-Hilaire-Saint-Florent, Saumur, tel 02 41 402140