What is Sancerre?
{{Infobox French commune |name = Sancerre |commune status = [[Communes of France|Commune]] |image = Sancerre france.jpg |caption = A general view of Sancerre |image coat of arms = Blason fr ville Sancerre (Cher).svg |arrondissement = Bourges |canton = Sancerre |INSEE = 18241 |postal code = 18300 |mayor = Laurent Pabiot<ref>{{cite web|title=Répertoire national des élus: les maires|url=https://www.data.gouv.fr/fr/datasets/r/2876a346-d50c-4911-934e-19ee07b0e503|publisher=data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises|date=13 September 2022|language=fr}}</ref> |term = 2020&ndash;2026 |intercommunality = [[Communauté de communes Pays Fort Sancerrois Val de Loire|CC Pays Fort Sancerrois Val de Loire]] |coordinates = {{coord|47.332|2.840|format=dms|display=inline,title}} |elevation m = 310 |elevation min m = 146 |elevation max m = 366 |area km2 = 16.27 |population = {{France metadata Wikidata|population_total}} |population date = {{France metadata Wikidata|population_as_of}} |population footnotes = {{France metadata Wikidata|population_footnotes}} }} '''Sancerre''' is a medieval hilltop town and [[Communes of France|commune]] in the [[Cher (department)|Cher]] [[Departments of France|department]], [[France]] overlooking the river [[Loire River|Loire]]. It is noted for its wine. It is a natural fortress 312 meters in height. The [[Count of Champagne|Counts of Champagne]] built fortifications there in the 12th century. During the [[French Wars of Religion]] the [[Huguenots|Huguenot]] people were [[Siege|besieged]] there for 8 months in 1572/3. About 500 people died, mostly of [[starvation]]. The siege of Sancerre was written about by a [[Protestantism|Protestant]] minister Jean de Léry, who survived the battle, in ''The Memorable History of the Siege of Sancerre'' (1574). A [[mansion]] was built on the ruins of the original Chateau de Sancerre in 1874