Saumur

You'll find putting up with the famous snobisme of the Saumurois well worth it once you get a gander at Saumur's magnificent historic center. Studded with elegant 19th-century town houses and the charming Place St-Pierre, lorded over by the vast 14th-century church of St-Pierre and centerpiece of a warren of streets, cafés, and ice-cream parlors, this centre historique is sheer delight. Looming over it all—icon of the town and a vision right out of a fairy tale—is Saumur's mighty turreted castle high above the river. But Saumur is not content to rest on former glories: today it's one of the larger towns along the Loire and a key transportation hub for Anjou, the province just to the west of Touraine. Saumur is also known for its riding school and flourishing mushroom industry, which produces 100,000 tons per year. The same cool tunnels in which the mushrooms grow provide an ideal storage place for the local mousseux (sparkling wines); many vineyards hereabouts are open to the public for tours.

Here are some of the top vineyards of the Saumur region. Note that Loire wine is not a practical buy—except for instant consumption—but if wine-tasting tours of vineyards inspire you, enterprising winemakers will arrange shipments.