9 Best Sights in The Loire Valley, France

For sparkling Saumur wine—including a rare red—try a tour and a tasting at Ackerman.

You can taste a full range of Sancerre’s appellations, including Sancerre, Pouilly-Fumé, and Menetou-Salon, at this fourth-generation winemaker about 3 miles from town. A recent crossover to organic, Eric Louis also employs some biodynamic principles in the vineyards. At this modern facility, you’ll see how the wines are produced, from blending and storage to bottle labeling. Though it does feel a little industrial, you’ll get a thorough introduction to the process and the wines via a full-flight tasting paired with charcuterie and the local Crottin de Chavignol goat cheese made right on the winery. Kids can join in or play outside in an enclosed playground.

In this medieval wine cave, carved out of the bedrock in the 15th century, you'll be initiated into the many splendors of Loire wines. Your full sensory experience includes video, a 3D installation, and an olfactory game, and culminates in a tasting with a professional sommelier to ensure you leave with a new understanding of and appreciation for these prized wines (kids get gourmet juices). Connoisseurs can taste or buy vintages dating as far back as 1874. The owner, a wine "editor," curates a selection of wines from the best parcels of the five great Loire appellations. Visitors can also purchase local delicacies in the gourmet shop, from local goat cheeses and charcuterie to gifts to take home. Afterward, grab a bite at l'Oppidum, the chic on-site bistro with a riverfront terrace.

For an introduction to Chinon's distinctive wines, you couldn't find a more poetic spot than this stately Renaissance-style chateau set amid acres of rolling vineyards. Taste the wines among the oak barrels in the cellars (no reservation needed) or stay a little longer for a tour of the vineyards and vinification plant as well as an introduction to how the wines are made before a more thorough tasting (by reservation, €6). Visitors are welcome to stroll the grounds along a marked path on their own.

Try some local wines at the stunning, Renaissance-era Château du Petit Thouars, which enjoys an enchanting hilltop setting just off the Vienne River (between Chinon and Fontevraud). The descendents of Aristide du Petit Thouars, a French naval officer who fought in the American Revolution, have created a small museum illustrating the adventures of their family members that visitors can see after a dégustation of still and sparkling wines from their hillside vineyard. The historic château, alas, is still a private home, only to be enjoyed from the outside.

Winemakers Gilles and Nathalie Tamagnan offer a warm welcome and tastings of their many white, red, and rosé Touraine wines, including a delicious sparkler and the superb Sine Sulfuris made with no added sulfites. Cyclists are welcome, as the domaine is set right on the Route des Châteaux, between Amboise and Chaumon-sur-Loire. 

In the center of town and easily accessible on foot or by car, Les Caves Louis de Grenelle offer a fascinating 90-minute tour through the 15th-century quarry tunnels that today serve as aging cellars; a tasting of sparkling and still wines is included.

Just a few steps from city hall and an 18th-century church, this spot offers a unique introduction to the local wines via a tasting machine that dispenses a revolving selection of 12 of the finer local appellations, including six distinctive reds, a color less associated with Sancerre (€2–€16). Downstairs, visitors can get the whole story through a 3D presentation on the soils and climate that give the wines their character, and then follow a friendly bee in the rollicking—literally—six-seat cinema through the whole wine-making process. Afterwards, you can shop in the boutique and enjoy the gardens and panoramic views of Sancerre and its vineyards on the terrace.

This long-established producer of Saumur wines offers guided tours of its production facilities and cellars, followed by a wine-tasting session.