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Bucket list experience:

Last updated: 10 November, 2022
Expert travel writer: Anna Brooke

The Loire Valley is a remarkable and vast wine region, including several wine regions situated along the Loire River.

It encompasses a mind-boggling 63 appellations (47 in the core Tours, Saumur, Anjou area) and more than 7,000 wine growers, producing all types of wine from sweet white Coteaux de Layon, dry white Savennières and sparkling Vouvray, to hearty red Borgueil, Saumur and Chinon. Loire wines tend to exhibit a characteristic fruitiness with fresh, crisp flavours.

Vineyards dominate the landscape, troglodyte wine cellars are dug into the soft tufa rock, and there are signposted routes and welcome signs to help you, making this a fascinating – and easy – wine region to explore.

Time it for the festivals

Vignes, Vins et Randos, on the first weekend in September, is a convivial way to discover vineyards on a weekend of walks in the company of winemakers and enthusiasts. Or time your visit for Vitiloire’, an annual wine fair in Tours, held at the start of June, that celebrates local wines.

Price: Free
Minimum age: 18
Age suitable: 18+
When: All year around

Getting there & doing it

With countless individual producers and vineyards, organised wine tours and tastings are recommended to discover the best vineyards and actually meet winemakers. Otherwise, crisscrossing the valley are waymarked self-drive wine routes for tasting and/or buying as you go. This one is gorgeous because it takes you through the valley of chateaux as you taste red, whites and sparkling wines that rival champagne.

Or take the casual approach and simply drive along the River Loire; you’ll pass numerous wine producers and caves (cellars). Look for the sign Cave Touristique for those that welcome visitors.

When to do it

Vineyards are open all year round, but small vineyards often don’t welcome visitors at harvest time (generally late September-early October).

Close up of a rack of wine bottles in a cellar
Experience

Bouvet-Ladubay cellars

Saumur, Pays de la Loire, France

These sculpted troglodyte caves offer an interesting blend of wine tasting, culture and history. The cellars here, open daily for tastings, are part of a historic 5-mile-long complex of underground galleries, which include an unusual ‘underground cathedral’.

Best for ages: 18+ | £5 | 2 hours

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modern wine factory with new large tanks for the fermentation
Experience

Langlois-Chateau

Saumur, Pays de la Loire, France

This winery and vineyard offers a complete immersion into the world of wine, starting with a short introduction to the principles of oenologie (wine-making), followed by a tour of the production facility, a visit to the cellars, and ending with a wine tasting.

Best for ages: -218+ | Free | 1-2 hours

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Group of a young friends tasting grapes on the vineyard, having fun while hanging out together at the winery on a sunny morning
Experience

Vignes, Vins et Randos

Centre-Val de Loire, France

Usually held on the first weekend in September, this convivial weekend of walks allows you to discover vineyards in the company of winemakers and enthusiasts. At last count, there were 18 different walks on offer throughout the Loire Valley over the two days.

Best for ages: 18+ | Free | One weekend

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View of some stalls with white canapes under trees on the festival grounds
Experience

Vitiloire

Tours, Centre-Val de Loire, France

This annual wine fair in Tours, held at the start of June, celebrates local wines with wine workshops, music, fireworks and countless opportunities to taste and buy direct from producers.

Best for ages: 18+ | Free | One weekend

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Our selection of the best Viator tours of this attraction or activity

Tour of a Vineyard, Winery & Cellar with Wine Tasting in Vouvray, Loire Valley

Tour of a Vineyard, Winery & Cellar with Wine Tasting in Vouvray, Loire Valley

Tours

Discover the whole wine-making process, from grape to wine, with Myriam, the granddaughter and wife of winegrowers from the Vouvray vineyard...

€50 | Rating 5 / 5 [64 ratings]

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Tour supplied by:

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Picnic in the Vines - A Unique Loire Wine Experience

Picnic in the Vines - A Unique Loire Wine Experience

Chinon

Located 10 minutes from Chinon at our family-run château in the Loire Valley, enjoy a tour of our Cabernet Franc and Chenin blanc AOC CHINON...

€62 | Rating 4.81 / 5 [97 ratings]

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Loire Valley Half Day Wine Tour from City of Tours : 2 wine tastings in Vouvray

Loire Valley Half Day Wine Tour from City of Tours : 2 wine tastings in Vouvray

Tours

Explore the beautiful Loire Valley vineyards of the Vouvray Appellation. Visit two superb estates, meet the producers and learn how to taste...

€92 | Rating 4.81 / 5 [32 ratings]

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Vineyard cycle tours in and around Chinon, in the Loire Valley

Vineyard cycle tours in and around Chinon, in the Loire Valley

Chinon

I'm formerly of Devon in the United Kingdom but now live in Chinon. I've always cycled and loved my bike, and for the best part of my adult ...

€115 | Rating 5 / 5 [7 ratings]

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Our writer’s picks of the best places to stay near this experience, closest first

Les Hauts de Loire

Veuzain-sur-Loire, Centre-Val de Loire, France[56.3 miles]

Uber-romantic hotel in a former hunting lodge, with a spa, outdoor pool & Michelin-starred restaurant.

Official star rating:

Le Clos d’Amboise

Amboise, Centre-Val de Loire, France[67.5 miles]

An attractive family-friendly hotel, with great staff and a perfect small-town location for exploring the Loire.

Official star rating:

Chateau de Beauvois

Saint-Etienne-de-Chigny, Centre-Val de Loire, France[80.6 miles]

Stately chateau hotel in a magical woodland setting where Louis XIII once came hunting.

Official star rating:

Domaine de la Tortiniere

Veigne, Centre-Val de Loire, France[83.5 miles]

Relaxed, stylish family-run chateau hotel, well located in the heart of the Loire Valley.

Official star rating:

Destination guides including or relevant to this experience

Round-ups that include this experience

13 Best wine regions

Multiple countries

The world’s greatest wine regions – where you can sip the world’s greatest wines at source, and tour the vineyards to learn how they’re made.

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