Castles · Tour

Chenonceau and AOC Touraine-Chenonceau Wines, with Lunch in Montrichard

There is an appellation called Touraine-Chenonceau, and it is named after the château this day is built around. That coincidence is the whole idea: the castle in the morning, the vineyards that carry its name for the rest of the day. A guided tour of Chenonceau is included. The Renaissance palace stands on the banks of the Cher, holds a collection of Renaissance art with no equal in the valley, and is still privately owned, which is rarer among French monuments of this rank than most visitors assume. The AOC Touraine-Chenonceau wines are tasted nearby, at a family wine-maker rather than a visitor centre. Lunch is at a restaurant in Montrichard, among people who live there, and a second tasting follows it, this time across a wider range of Loire wines. The last stop is a working winery: vines, cellar and tasting room belonging to a family that has been making wine here for 500 years. Bottles can be bought at every stop, and help with shipping is available for anything too heavy to carry home. The day suits people coming out from Paris and people already staying in the valley. Minimum two people.