Château de Tracy sits in the Pouilly-Fumé appellation and is a family-run property that promotes and shares its passion for authenticity and the highest environmental standards.

Its renowned peak, lanes, château, the Tour des Fiefs... A daring and original way to visit Sancerre as you shoot up into the sky!

Meet Sonia on board the Vent d’Anges hot-air balloon and prepare yourself for a special experience as you soar above the Sancerre terroir.

Once you return to terra firma, discover the subtleties that this terroir has to offer at the Maison des Sancerre. Find out more about the “Terres Blanches” and “Caillottes” soils, which instil the appellation’s wines their unique characteristics.

Contine your trip with Sonia as you end the day on a different high at Raimbault-Pineau wine estate, sampling their Sancerre, Pouilly-Fumé and Coteaux du Giennois wines!

The vineyards of the Loire Valley, well-known for the quality of their welcome, owe their success to the endeavours of the men and women who make them come live! Five key players in the sector have been recognised at the first Bacchus of Wine Tourism awards.

The winning entries include experiences that will satisfy everyone’s thirst for discovery!

Would you like a little adventure? Then the escape room at Domaine Couly in Chinon or the excursions through the vineyards of Touraine with Val de Loire Travel are just the thing for you.

Feel like some good food? The food and wine pairings at Auberge des Isles in Montreuil-Bellay and the Muscadétours tastings are waiting for you.

Looking for a thrill? Then stand back in amazment at the jury’s top pick: a night in a barrel and a winemaker's picnic at Domaine de Montcy in Cheverny.

And if you’re feeling even more curious, the Loire Valley Wine Routes are a great choice with a wide range of activities. Time to get your road book out!

For your visit to the Loire Valley we’ve designed an excellent 90 km wine tourism car tour to explore at your own pace.

The route includes: châteaux, troglodyte villages, royal abbeys, windmills, wine lodges and wonderful cellars. Only a tailor-made tour will suffice for the genuine culture seeker. The loop begins and ends in Saumur and winds its way through the landscape of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Loire Valley. During your tour, it would be remiss of us not to suggest a stop at Château de Brézé, which conceals Europe’s largest underground fortress behind its stone walls, and the small Cités de Caractère (Cities of Character) of Montreuil-Bellay, Montsoreau and Chênehutte-Trèves-Cunault. You might be a determined culture seeker but you’re first and foremost a lover of wine. You should therefore feel at home in this exceptional winegrowing terroir, whether meeting winemakers or in one of the many Saumur-Champigny, Saumur Brut or Cabernet d’Anjou tastings on offer.

Bons plan à proximité :

Le Fontevraud : Fontrevraud, in the Abbaye Royale. Michelin-starred restaurant in the abbey's cloister. Creative and contemporary cuisine by Thibaut Ruggeri with an emphasis on local produce and kitchen garden herbs and vegetables. Wine menu showcasing the best of Loire Valley wines. Restaurant of exceptional quality.

La demeure de la Vignole : Turquant, 10 km from Saumur. Charming **** hotel in an elegant 17th century building, situated in an old and private troglodyte village. 11 comfortable and stylish rooms (20 to 70 m2) including four in recesses. Stunning troglodyte swimming pool and view of the Loire river. Chic and stunning hotel.

A born gourmet, you love spending as long as it takes to fully appreciate your gastronomic discoveries! Between the wines, Loire and local produce, the Centre-Loire Vineyards are the perfect place for a special moment to share with those you love.

The House of Sancerre offers a semi-independent experience with original and highly educational workshops: slide into the skin of a grape on a 4D cinema adventure, take an 8-minute geological ride through the terroir, meet winemakers in the fun S-Space, explore the amazing garden and enjoy a final tasting of a local wine on the panoramic terrace. With specially designed activities, families and children are welcome too!
Equally instructive is the Tour du Pouilly Fumé with its guided tour: “All You Need to Know About the Vineyard in 1 Hour”. Take part in a sensory journey that includes the Cave aux Arômes© (the Aroma Cellar) where you will discover the ten aromatic families of Pouilly’s white wines. We’re sure you’ll get the hang of it. And you’ll get to put your knowledge to the test straight away during the end of visit tasting. Little chance of confusing a Pouilly-sur-Loire with a Pouilly-Fumé after that!

Tips nearby:

Auberge Joseph Mellot: Sancerre, on the Nouvelle Place. Traditional restaurant in a residence typical of the region. Inn ranked as one of Europe's cafés historiques et patrimoniaux (Historic Heritage Cafés). Gourmet local cuisine and produce of exceptional quality: Crottins de Chavignol, Berry lentils, and a fine list of Centre-Loire wines, with a focus on those from the Joseph Mellot estate.

L'Hôtel de la Loire: Saint-Satur, 3 km from Sancerre. Boutique *** hotel on the banks of the Loire river. 11 individually decorated, spacious and comfortable rooms. Excellent location: easy access to the golf course, tennis club and Saint Thibault outdoor swimming pool. “Restaurant du bord de Loire” is just opposite the hotel. Warm welcome guaranteed.

In charge of the Château du Coing wine estate is a female dream-team that showcases the best of their Muscadet terroir to produce a high-quality wine and exciting wine tourism attraction in the heart of the Nantes wine region.

At Château du Coing, wine production is a family affair and one in which women have fought hard to carve out a role.

Aurore, holder of a degree in sales, marketing and oenology, came to work in the vineyard alongside her mother in 2011. The women have complementary skills, and this has been the key to their success.

Aurore is passionate about her terroir, champions sustainable growing and takes an increasingly organic approach.

On the 75 hectares exclusively set aside for Muscadet grows another grape variety that is unique to the Nantes wine region, and grown nowhere else in the world, and of which the winemaker is particularly proud: Melon de Bourgogne. Aurore is also points out that their wines are left on the lees, a method discovered several centuries ago by local winemakers, and one that enhances the wine’s mouthfeel, adds complexity and increases the wine’s ageing potential.

Their wine estate is as renowned for its classic Muscadets as it is for its 20-year-old vintages and crus communaux. The estate’s wines are the perfect match for local dishes, and regional restaurants are past masters at pairing the region’s produce and wines.

The two winemakers are passionate about viticulture and enjoy sharing their knowledge, passion and produce with visitors. The estate is perfectly situated, surrounded by the Sèvre and Maine – two rivers that lend the AOC its unique characteristics – and by architecture typical of the Nantes region.

Aurore likes to remind visitors that because of the region’s diverse terroirs, there is more than one type of Muscadet. She is also keen to restore Gros Plant to its former glory, a lively white wine with fresh lemony notes that pairs well with produce from the not too distant Atlantic Ocean.

VinoValley Saumur is a wine-tourism venue with a difference that includes a troglodyte restaurant (La Table des fouées), a wine bar (Le Double V), and a wine merchant and gourmet deli (VinoValley) specialising in Loire Valley wines.

The troglodyte restaurant is a unique space with a stunning six-metre high ceiling with light provided from a 12-metre high central skylight! Sample a diverse range of local produce and delicacies, including the Fouées’Burger, and taste the local speciality that gave the restaurant its name: the fouée. This small loaf is baked in the kitchen’s wood-burning oven, and regular tweaks on the classic recipe provide a range of different and unique flavours. Meals are served with a Loire Valley wine, of course, but instead of choosing from a wine list make your way to the centre of the restaurant to pick your bottle with advice from our team of experts!

Over in the wine bar, tasting is a hands-on affair thanks to our cutting-edge system that serves wine by the glass! Move to our wine shop to find hidden gems among our 250 different Loire Valley wines and 50 items of local produce. Our passionate VinoValley Saumur team are on hand 7 days a week, offering their skills to help you discover the Loire Valley’s wines in all their glory!

For a truly immersive experience why not hire our venue for your next event: choose from an unforgettable equestrian dining experience in the troglodyte restaurant, an evening of entertainment in the wine bar, encounters with winemakers and much, much more. Or let us bring our restaurant to you with our La Table des Fouées food truck and its mobile wood oven.

And for a truly memorable experience why not discover the Loire Valley wine region from on high? Let VinoValley Saumur and its partner Montgolfière Sensation whisk you aloft in one of their 19-passenger hot-air balloons, one of the largest in the region!