Before the Second World War Muscadet was a virtually unknown Vin De Pays. This might come as a surprise to many people, given its almost total ubiquity today. But this explosion in the popularity of Muscadet has had a knock-on effect; it has brought the many and varied wines of the Loire Valley to the attention of the wine-drinking world.

The Loire Valley is a huge wine-producing area running from Nantes on the Atlantic coast inland to Orleans and then on further to Pouilly-sur-Loire, in all some 600 miles. Although an area this large covers of necessity a wide range of soil types and micro-climates, there is none the less a family likeness in all of the valley's varied wines. They are, to translate from the French, 'charming', which means grapey and appetising, and for the most part, light and fresh tasting. Most of the production is dry white wine, although around Anjou the production is mostly rose and there are a few reds from Tourraine. The well-known Loire sparkling wines, made by the methode champenois, come from Vouvray and Saumur.

But it's in the upper reaches of the valley, in Sancerre and Pouilly, that perhaps the better-known whites are made. Both of these wines are easily recognisable by their slightly greenish colour and an aroma often described as 'gun-flint'. A little smoky and a little spicy, these wines are made from the Sauvignon grape and have an immediate appeal to the palate. However it is also true that both of wines are as subject to good and bad vintages as are the wines of Bordeaux. In good years there is a subtlety and complexity over and above the initial appeal, but in bad vintages they can be overly acid with an aroma that has been compared to wet wool. Even in good years these are not wines for bottle-ageing; two or three years in bottle is enough to bring out the better qualities - they are fresh wines to be drunk young. Apart from Pouilly Fume, which is made exclusively from the Sauvignon grape, there is a second wine from Pouilly called 'Pouilly-sur-Loire' which can often be good. Neither of these wines have any connection with Pouilly Fuisse, the white wine from Burgundy.

In recent years Sancerre and Pouilly Fume have risen dramatically in price, outstripping even Chablis, such is the power of market forces, but it's still possible to find them at reasonable money.

Wine of the Week

Sancerre Domaine du Rouet 2000

A well-made wine that exhibits all of the natural characteristics of Sancerre. Dry and spicy, with undertones of smoke and flint, it's a wine best drunk as an accompaniment to food and in particular, shellfish.

Available Dunnes Stores, £9.99