Sancerre

Sancerre occupies an isolated hill 310 metres high, in the Cher, above the Loire valley. The Tour des Fiefs is the last vestige of its medieval castle. In the sixteenth century, the Protestant town endured an eight-month siege, in 1572 and 1573, led by Catholic troops, which earned it the nickname Petite Rochelle. Its population fell from 3,853 inhabitants in 1891 to about 1,270 today.

Vines have been grown there since the twelfth century. Sancerre is an appellation d'origine contrôlée wine, made from sauvignon, mostly white. The neighbouring hamlet of Chavignol is known for its crottin, a goat's cheese whose appellation has been protected since 1976. Sancerre is one of the Most Beautiful Villages of France: you stroll the lanes of the old centre and discover the vineyard and the Loire from the heights.

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