Wednesday 12 March 2014

Drink Vouvray, not Champagne!

The Touraine and surrounding appellations in the Loire Valley produce a lot of sparkling wine. Within France appellations such as Vouvray are well known and available everywhere from supermarkets to high end restaurants. Increasingly they are being seen as a real challenge to Champagne. The Loire Valley sparkling wines are competitively priced at around €10 a bottle, and the quality is getting better every year. At the moment they are exceptionally good value, but almost no one outside of France has realised it. 90% of sparkling Loire Valley wines are sold in France.

If you would like to get some of this excellent wine before the rest of the world discovers it, email us and we will design an itinerary that includes a visit to a Vouvray or Touraine winemaker.

Sunday 2 March 2014

See Rare Wildflowers

One of the best reasons for taking a tour with us is to take advantage of our local knowledge. We know how to ensure that you are in the right place at the right time.

For instance, if you book for early spring, at the end of March or the beginning of April, we can show you a very rare and beautiful wildflower if you choose one of our tours that concentrates on the area west of Tours (so that could be a day that includes the chateaux of Chinon, Azay-le-Rideau, Villandry, la Chatonniere or Ussé ).

For just a few weeks of the year the Snakeshead Fritillary will be flowering in the riverside pasture here. Nowhere else on earth can you see this lovely plant in the wild in such numbers, and we know exactly where to find it.

If you want to see something special on your Loire Valley tour, email us and we will design an itinerary that makes sure you don't miss out.