If you are looking for fine French wine and food, you should consider the Loire Valley region of central France. You may find a bargain, and I hope that you'll have fun on this fact-filled wine education tour in which we review a red Sancerre wine based on the Pinot Noir grape coming from the eastern part of the Loire Valley.

The Loire is France's longest river. Of the eleven French wine-growing regions the Loire Valley ranks third in total vineyard acreage. It is subdivided into four regions going from west to east: Nantais, Anjou-Saumur, Touraine, and Central Vineyards, the home of the wine reviewed below. This region's major white grape is Sauvignon Blanc and major red grape is Pinot Noir.

Sancerre is a medieval hilltop town home to fewer than two thousand residents. The town's name is synonymous with a white wine. The town may have hosted a temple dedicated to Julius Caesar. Sancerre is proud to have pushed back the British twice during the Hundred Years' War and to have been a regional command center for the French Resistance in World War II. Sights to see include the Sixteenth Century bell tower Belfry of St. Jean, the Tour des Fiefs, the remains of a feudal chateau built at the end of the Fourteenth Century, and the wine exposition house dating from the Fourteenth to Sixteenth Centuries. You'll enjoy the medieval streets and fine food and wine.

Before we review the Loire wine and imported cheeses that we were lucky enough to purchase at a local wine store and a local Italian food store, here are a few suggestions of what to eat with indigenous wines when touring this beautiful region. Start with Salade de Perdreau Roti (Roasted Partridge Salad). For your second course savor Pot au Feu de Canette (Duckling Stew). And as dessert indulge yourself with Crepe au Grand Marnier (Grand Marnier Crepe).

OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY All wines that we taste and review are purchased at the full retail price.

Wine Reviewed Fournier Sancerre Rouge 2003 12.5% alcohol about $24

Let's start by quoting the marketing materials. Red Sancerre is made exclusively from Pinot Noir. These wines are rarely seen in our market because a large portion of them are enjoyed locally. In the Loire, red wines require a warm, consistent growing season to obtain ripeness. In 2003, with the European-wide heatwave, Fournier was able to achieve just that. The wine exhibits classic Pinot aromas and flavors of cheery, underbrush and beetroot. The producer recommends serving this wine, lightly chilled, with bouillabaisse. And now for my review.

My first meal consisted of beef stew and potatoes with a Tunisian hot pepper sauce and Moroccan spiced carrots. The wine was earthy and somewhat powerful tasting of black cherries and tobacco. This Pinot Noir had no trouble dealing with the meat's spicy sauce.

The second meal was an Atlantic salmon marinated in a commercial Italian-style grill sauce. The fish was accompanied by potatoes roasted in chicken fat. The wine was round and earthy, and relatively long. There was some aftertaste.

The final pairing involved a purchased barbecued chicken breast, once again potatoes roasted in chicken fat, and caponata, Italian style eggplant with tomatoes, garlic, and olives. Quite surprisingly the wine was plummy. The combination was excellent, bringing out the fruit in the wine.

Something happened and I did not get to taste this wine with cheese. As you may be aware, I am not usually all that happy with wine and cheese pairings. Anyway, my apologies and at least for the time being I plan to go back to wine and cheese tastings.

Final verdict. I think that the wine was overpriced. To my way of thinking a wine priced in the mid-twenties it should have been excellent more than once out of three tastings. I definitely won't buy it again just to try the wine and cheese pairings. And there is no way to get authentic Bouillabaisse this far from Marseille.