Traditionally, Saumur is sparkling wine country. Vineyards planted on limestone soils give the grapes the bright acidity they need to make great sparkling wines. This is the Loire’s biggest producer of bubbles – partly due to the geographical size of the region and the rules governing yield. Under the vineyards lie kilometres of tunnels and caves, carved from the limestone to age the the wines. The area around Saumur is the third largest sparkling wine appellation in France after the Champagne region and the Crémant d'Alsace AOC with more than 12 million bottles of Saumur Mousseux produced each year.
