Situated around the bend in the river it is fair to say that Sancerre, Quincy, Pouilly-Fumé and the rest are about halfway along the river. The Loire is just an enormous river affecting almost a third of the country and responsible not just for loads of lovely wine, but waters and drains the Allier forest, which provides fine oak for barrels. The Central Vineyards are politically Burgundian, only an hour`s drive from Chablis and share the soil too. Wines here are overwhelmingly from Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir and light bodied, the best whites in particular having a taut structure and tons of minerality. (CW 23/01/12)