Why Vouvray… in particular? Because… Domaine Huet (it was the first Chenin Blanc I ever tasted at wine school in Berlin, and I instantly fell in love, especially since it was a demi-sec, even though I was mostly into dry wines back then). Domaine Huet wines average 4.0–4.3 on Vivino, depending on the vintage and style (sec, demi-sec, or moelleux), and are highly regarded for their quality and complexity.But also because Vouvray is one of the Loire Valley’s most prestigious appellations, part of the Touraine region (the area around the city of Tours, also known as the Middle Loire).
We spent two days in the area and stayed at “Le Gaimont Maison d’Hôtes“, a dreamy boutique guesthouse that was hands-down the best accommodation of the entire trip.

After Aubert, we headed to the restaurant and, even though we arrived about 10 minutes early, we wandered around the area, and there was plenty to see: Gothic-style churches surrounded by meticulously tended gardens and, of course, the most stunning panoramic views of the Vouvray hillside vineyards. The restaurant “La Part Belle” was a small, cozy spot, and we thoroughly enjoyed savoring French dishes with a creative “twist.”
We both opted for a three-course dinner, appetizer, main course, and dessert, paired with wines by the glass (since we were eager to try as many grape varieties as possible).
All the wines were either local or regional, but we were pleasantly surprised by the relatively decent price per glass (like back in Sibiu at WineNot? 🙃). Everything was absolutely top-notch, and what will stay etched in my memory forever is my divine beef tartare and Cosmin’s house-aged cheese platter🤤.

Sunday

After a breakfast straight out of a magazine , we tried to map out our plan of attack, and still couldn’t wrap our heads around why everyone kept insisting we drive to the local wineries. ?!?!

I decided to “take one for the team,” putting my trust in my olfactory senses—which, frankly, needed the workout anyway (good to know: in France, the legal blood-alcohol limit is 0.5… roughly two glasses of wine).
So the plan looked like this:11:00 – Plou et Fils – family vineyard about 20 minutes from Vouvray in Chargé-Amboise
12:00 – Caves Ambacia – Amboise – recommended by the hotel
14:00 – stroll along the Loire Valley
14:30 – drop off the car at the hotel and take the bus to Tours
15:30 – wander through Tours, hit up wine bars, and have dinner
19:15 – return (bus/Uber)

Stop 1 – Plou et Fils

This winery has been making wine since 1508.
I read it again and still can’t believe it. 500 years of generational know-how in grape-growing, winemaking, and aging “le savoir-faire.” We were surprised by the variety of grapes (I’d expected mostly whites), and learned they grow three reds: Cabernet Franc, Gamay, Le Côt (local name for Malbec), and three whites: Chardonnay, Sauvignon, and, of course, Chenin (the star of the Loire). We tasted (some more, some less ) four wines: Rosé 2023, Chenin 2022, Côt 2022, and a sparkling.
The rosé, a blend of Cabernet and Gamay, was a bit too subtle, but the Chenin and Côt/Malbec from the Heritage collection really stood out (and yes, we left with both ).

2nd Stop – Amboise

I have to admit I could, and should, have done more research on Amboise beforehand. We could’ve seen so much more (like the famous 15th-century château where Leonardo da Vinci is buried), but due to time constraints, we stuck to our top priority: an à la carte tasting right on the Loire riverbank, led by a sommelier. So we booked a 12:00 slot at Caves Ambacia for an extended cellar tour and a 5-wine tasting paired with a local cheese and charcuterie board. The whole experience was exceptional, highly sensory and interactive. We learned about the terroir, appellations, and permitted grape varieties in the Loire villages, specifically Touraine.
France has always had its unique way of classifying and labeling wines (more on that in another post).
In short: “Vouvray is Chenin Blanc and Chenin Blanc is Vouvray” – Jancis Robinson, The Oxford Companion to Wine.
Meaning: in the village of Vouvray, only Chenin Blanc is grown, and that’s what determines the appellation, the wine name, and the label. In fact, Chenin is the most planted grape in the Loire Valley, even surpassing Sauvignon Blanc. It’s incredibly versatile: you’ll find it dry, off-dry, sweet, or even as traditional-method sparkling.
Aromas range from pear, apple, quince (especially quince), honeysuckle, and sometimes ginger and beeswax; it can be strikingly mineral or lush and creamy, depending on the style.

(note: watch the labels or wine list descriptions… because yours truly accidentally ordered a Chenin Moelleux and ended up with dessert in a glass … p.s. moelleux = soft/sweet in French.)…then came the smelling tubes (wine aromas)… where we neither embarrassed ourselves nor made ourselves proud .The tour and tasting lasted 2 hours, we tried more than 5 wines (see below), paid €25/person, and can only give it a 100% recommendation, worth every cent!

P.S. They have a terrace restaurant right in front of the cellar, with wines ranging from €20 to €1,650 (or even more)… so even more reasons to visit .

3rd Stop – Vouvray

Back in Vouvray, we parked the car and strolled leisurely toward the bus stop. We’d spotted several little roadside houses at the village entrance offering tastings. With **30 minutes** to kill before the bus, we thought, *“Why not?”*

We chose Vignoble Feray – Château Moncontour and, once inside, had no idea we were about to get one of the most captivating (crash courses in Loire wines) from the *“crazy but adorable”* Juan🤪 .
This hilarious Spanish-born gentleman, who moved to France decades ago, spent a full half hour explaining – en français uniquement!!! – the soil types, terroir, and how they shape the different styles of Chenin Blanc.
We tasted four wines: two sparkling, two dry, all 100% Chenin. Each was intensely mineral and floral, but the standout was the Vouvray sparkling, which I promptly bought.

I filmed as much of Juan as I could, he was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Even though I barely understood his words, his demonstrations were crystal clear.
For context: Vignobles Feray – Vignes de Loire includes six estates, four of which are in AOC zones (Vouvray, Chinon, Cheverny).

Château de Moncontour is just 5 minutes from Vouvray and owns 130 hectares of vines across the Vouvray, Crémant de Loire, and Touraine appellations.

We dash to the bus and, for €2.50, reach Tours in about 20 minutes.
Once a Roman camp from the 1st century (then called Turonum) and France’s capital in the 15th century, Tours is a UNESCO World Heritage site and the largest city in the Centre-Val de Loire region, with roughly 370,000 residents.

It proudly features the Loire River (Loara in Romanian) running through it, with landscaped promenades on both banks, plus the charming Old Town (Vieux Tours), famous for its half-timbered houses (colombage in French), some dating back to 1500, the Tour Charlemagne, and Place Plumereau. The historic center buzzes with restaurants, most showcasing classic French cuisine and local ingredients (must-tries: croque madame with truffle pâté and barley cheesecake ) at reasonable prices. But our wine-bar expectations were higher. It was Sunday between 3 and 7 PM, and almost nothing was open… which felt bizarre given the location. After asking locals and digging online, we learned that Sunday, much like in Germany, is sacred: nearly everything is closed or only partially open.

What else we noticed… Tours is like the Hannover of France (or Făgăraș of Romania ) when it comes to linguistic purity, supposedly the place with the “cleanest” French dialect. But that was useless for us, or especially for me, because no matter how hard I tried ordering in French everywhere we went, I always got answered in English (not cool, France… not cool). Since there wasn’t much left to do in Tours, we decided not to take an Uber back to Vouvray (around €20), and instead caught the last bus at 19:20. And maybe that was the best decision, because it let us catch the sunset in the vines, literally.
We discovered that right above our hotel, which was literally built into the hillside, were vineyard plots… what a view .

Vive le Vouvray!

But don’t think we were done… The next morning, I insisted we at least stop by winery #5, the very reason we chose Vouvray as our vacation destination: Domaine Huet.
We couldn’t tour the cellar or vineyard, but I still wanted to grab two bottles and at least take a photo.

Fin….

In a few short words:

Accommodation, restaurants, and wineries are much cheaper than in Bordeaux or Burgundy. For a budget trip, staying in Tours and day-tripping out is a smart move.
Watch the highway tolls, you can avoid them, but you’ll trade time.
Check if you need a Crit’Air sticker to enter certain cities. I ordered mine online 24h ahead, got nothing by email, and the physical copy arrived by mail a week later (we detoured and lost an hour).
Some of the most stunning landscapes, with tons of outdoor activities beyond just wine tastings.
An impressive number of châteaux (over 300), heritage sites, and museums, no wonder it’s called the Valley of the Kings .
The food scene is outstanding, “France’s garden” boasts top-tier quality in both haute cuisine and local, often organic ingredients. Casual or Michelin, you won’t regret it, but mind the hours: most places close between 1 and 7 PM.
Even if vineyards look close together, walking between them isn’t always feasible. Drop-in visits are possible, but not everywhere—always check weekend and holiday hours.

Would we return? OUI!

Loire Valley Wine Glossary

Clos = enclosed winery, “walled-in”
Cave = grotto, cave
Troglodite = from Latin, which would translate as a hole to hide in… in reality, limestone caves
Touraine = the area around the city of Tours
Anjou-Saumur = region famous for troglodyte caves
Pays Nantais = near Nantes, close to the ocean or Lower Loire
Vouvray = a famous village in the Loire Valley, part of the Touraine region, which has its own appellation and where grapes have been cultivated since the 4th century
Soil = predominantly limestone, but varies from clay, sand, gravel