Fiefs Vendéens – journey to the end of the Loire

‘The cure for anything is salt – sweat, tears or the sea.’ – Isak Dinesen (the pseudonym of Karen Blixen)

Perusing my local Paris cave du vin, I ask Lupita what’s good. She hands me a bottle, explaining it’s a Chenin Blanc from the far western Loire, where the river ends and the vines meet sea. As a landlocked ocean lover with an affinity for maritime wines, I don’t think...