At the mouth of the Loire, melon de Bourgogne and folle blanche predominate. The upper Loire is, in the early 21st century anyway, the terrain of Sauvignon Blanc for white wines and Pinot Noir for reds and rosés. The majority of the most successful sites in the middle Loire have proved themselves suitable for either cabernet franc or chenin blanc, but in the thousands of hectares of vineyard planted around them, there is a greater diversity of vine varieties than anywhere else in France, including a mix of cabernet sauvignon, malbec, gamay, meunier, pinot gris, chardonnay, and of course seas of Sauvignon and Pinot Noir. This is usually explained in terms of spheres of Bordeaux and Burgundy influence, but it indicates that, outside its most famous appellations, the regions of the Loire have been searching for their own wine identities. The vineyards of the Loire were particularly badly hit by phylloxera. The heavily calcareous soils in many regions meant that chlorosis was a common problem when vines were replanted grafted on to resistant rootstocks. The Loire, with its relatively cool climate, persisted with a higher proportion of hybrids longer than any other French wine region. The limits on the role of Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon included in the rules of so many Loire appellations show that the authorities at least are aware of the danger of the Loire losing its own identity and there are signs of a revival of some varieties that are exclusive to the Loire such as pineau d’aunis, menu pineau, romorantin, and Meslier-St-François although the distinctly ordinary grolleau is in retreat.
