Loire Valley Private Wine Tour from Tours: family domains, Chinon, Vouvray, Bourgueil

Here is what's in store for you

Enjoy a private full-day wine tour in the stunning Loire Valley, visiting the medieval town of Chinon and 2 renowned wine estates.

The adventure starts at 09:00 AM at the Tours train station (or from your hotel in the Loire Valley), where you'll be picked up to head toward your first wine estate for a visit and tasting of Vouvray wines. Founded in 1875, this Domain has been expanding for five generations and currently owns 26 hectares of organic vineyards in different parts of the Vouvray appellation. Made from Chenin Blanc grape, Vouvray wines take their characteristics from an exceptional terroir (clay and limestone). You will have the opportunity to taste and discover a mineral wine with a high acidity level, which gives it a great aging capacity. Tour the cave while tasting the wines.

Optionally, you can visit a second local wine estate for an additional wine tasting paired with a lunch with local delicacies (70€ per person). The Chateau de Minière is currently run by the female hand of Kathleen Van den Berghe and spreads over eighteen hectares in four of the seven districts bearing the Appellation: Bourgueil, Ingrandes de Touraine, Restigné, and Benais. The diversity of soils present across the hectares enables the Domain to produce tasty, delicate, fruity wines to be consumed young, as well as more full-bodied, age-worthy wines with tannins that become silky over time. The red and rosé wines produced in this domain fall under the appellation Bourgueil AOC. Made of 100% Cabernet Franc grapes, introduced by the monks of the Abbey in the XIth century.

The day continues with a guided tour of the town of Chinon. Thanks to its medieval streets, half-timbered houses, and Renaissance townhouses, the experience is almost like visiting an outdoor museum of architecture and history. Visit the fortress built by Henry II Plantagenet and Richard the Lion’s Heart and discover the town where Joan of Arc met King Charles VII in 1429.

The final stop of your private tour will be another local domain, where Jérôme or his wife will welcome you for a visit to their vineyard and a wine tasting in their cellar. The appellation Chinon is famous for its red wine from cabernet franc grapes and white wines from chenin blanc grapes.
Jerôme’s vineyard, displayed like an amphitheater, can be discovered with one glance and will give you the opportunity to visualize all the terroirs at the same time. Taste Jerome's great variety of wines, from his thirst-quencher whites to the rich and complex red wines.

After a full day of experience, you will return back to the Tours train station or to your hotel located in the Loire Valley at about 6:00 PM.