Loire Valley

The Loire Valley wine region follows the Loire river from Nantes on the Atlantic coast to Sancerre and Pouilly to the north of Nevers, about half way across the country and home of the French Grand Prix at circuit Magny-Cours. Covering such a large area, its weather is best considered in two sections.

Loire Atlantic
The western end of the valley, the Loire Atlantic, has a mild climate but does suffer from rain brought in on the westerly winds off the Ocean. Driving from the north, a change can be noticed the moment you reach the Loire River with a rise in temperature and general improvement in weather.

December through to March can be chilly with a high of 11°C in March to a low in February of 8°C. Rainfall is high at 64+ days and an average 17 days producing very heavy rain. Late winter into spring and early autumn sees some fog, especially early mornings.

From 17°C in April, temperatures rise steadily to 23°C in June, although it is still possible to get a light mist close to the river in the early morning. Typical rainfall across the three months is 35 days, with nine days very heavy rain.

July, August and September sees the best of the weather with average daily temperatures around 24°C. July temperatures peak as high as 27°C dropping to 22°C as September approaches. On average, there are 11 days of rainfall during this period.

October and November temperatures average a high of 17°C in October to 12°C in November. The region occasionally suffers from frost.

Loire Valley
The influence of the maritime climate is reduced East of Angers . Val de Loire temperatures from December through to March tend to be about two degrees lower until April / May when they become the same as the Loire Atlantic. The temperatures in October / November are again about two degrees lower than the Loire Atlantic.

Rain falls for an average 62 days from December through March including 15 days of heavy rain. April, May and June see 40 days of mostly light rain. July through to September produces an average 34 days rain while October and November sees an average of 30.

The mild climate and good supply of rain help make the Loire Valley the ‘Garden of France’.