Loire valley wine

Anjou Loire Valley wine tour

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©M. Chaigneau , L'Etoile qui Rit

Embark on a wine tour in Anjou and enjoy meandering among vines and vineyards. Take in the splendid slopes overlooking the Loire and a host of picturesque villages. Now is the time to taste some of the many local appellations and appreciate the rich variety of your surroundings. Welcome in our beautiful side of the Loire Valley !

One vineyard and 27 names

Red, white, sparkling or rosé ? Soft or dry ? Which one is your favorite ? In the Anjou-Saumur vineyard, you can taste them all ! 27 appellations are produced in our region, and you might already know some of those Loire Valley wines. The famous cabernet and rosé d'Anjou ; the elegant Savennières or the sweet coteau du Layon, both made out of one grape variety, the white chenin ! 

Trails without the trials

Getting around is never a problem in Anjou’s vineyards. Walkers, cyclists and riders are all catered. You're visiting us with your car ? Follow the road signs "Routes des vins et villages de l'Anjou". Seven beautiful wine routes are marked through our region. Open the map and get ready for the show : historical villages, Layon or Aubance valleys, the magnificent Loire, many castles and cellars, and all the way long, vine, outlining this typical landscape.      

 

You'd rather join the relax team ? Get in the little train at Chalonnes-sur-Loire or soar away in a hot air balloon from the Château de Brissac, and just enjoy the view.

 

And for the sporty ones of you : there’s a special wine-themed hiking trail in Le Puy Notre-Dame and a mountain bike route around the vineyards of coteaux du Layon and coteaux de l’Aubance.

Castles, cellars, restaurants, bars : spoilt for choice

Numerous places in the area proudly serve many of the 27 Anjou - Saumur wine appellations. Where to go? Many options here.

  • Directly where it's been made : at the winemaker's. Hundreds of Loire Valley wines producers open their cellars to visitors and customers. Go meet them, they will be pleased to talked about their soil and their work.

  • Restaurants, bars, wine bars are other good options. This is the 3rd-largest winemaking region in France so, ask the staff for a local wine, describe your tastes... and wait for your glass. You can be sure that something good will be served.

  • Castles, of course ! We use to say that Anjou is a land of 1 200 castles and manor houses. It won't take more than one day of travel for you to notice that yes, there's a lot ! And some of them also are wine growing estates. Visiting a château and tasting a wine at the very same place : this could be your Loire Valley perfect combo. A few suggestions : Château de Brissac, Château de Montreuil-Bellay, Château de Brézé.

 

Would you like to try a fruit liqueur ? Three well-know and historical distilleries are in Anjou. Cointreau, Combier or Giffard. You surely will find there names in menus, pure, or into cocktail recipes. Those three distilleries can be visited and propose some mixology introduction sessions.

Sleeping (in) beauty (places)

To prolong the pleasure of a trip to the vineyards, take advantage of the wide range of B&B or self-catering accommodation on offer. Make yourself at home on a wine growing estate, in a chateau or a manor house. Some winemakers also run guesthouses. So, after a day in the vineyard discover Loire Valley wines secrets, you can stay over !

 

Cool bubbles

Among the different types of Loire valley wines, you sure will love our sparkling ones. Take a guided tour of the tufa stone cellars around Saumur and learn all about the various stages in making traditional gently sparkling wine (Ackerman, Bouvet-Ladubay, Maison Langlois, Gratien & Meyer, Louis de Grenelle, Veuve Amiot). A glass of methode traditionnelle Saumur brut is rarely as pleasurable as when sampled under the cool limestone arches where it was made.