Val de Loire

This is a giclée print reproduction of a marvelous promotional travel poster from 1950. It was part of a series of maps commissioned by the Comite National de Propagande en Faveur du Vin to celebrate and promote the legendary wine regions of France. French artist, illustrator and print maker, Remy Hetreau took on this task, creating some magnificent posters highlighting local wineries of eight different regions.

The title is contained in a ribbon cartouche at the top of the map. Here Hetreau presents a scroll background on which are positioned a young man and woman holding a map between them featuring the legendary Loire Valley, the region which produces some of the finest wines in the world. The sun beams brightly down on the scene, which includes a chateau, a lighthouse, a ship setting off for the high seas, and a smaller sea-going craft loaded with wine casks and boxes. Grape vines are intertwined around the edges and into the image itself, increasing the visual appeal of the poster. Three coats of arms further decorate the image.

Loire Valley is located in the middle stretch of the Loire river in central France. The majority of wine produced in the region is white, from the Chenin blanc, Sauvignon blanc and Melon de Bourgogne grapes. In addition to still wines, rosé, sparkling and dessert wines are also produced here. Winemaking in this region dates as far back as the 1st century and though it is less known today, for a time during the middle ages it was a more prized and sought after in England and France than wines of the Bordeaux region.