Loire Valley: One day: Cycling, Wine Tasting and Chateaux

Here's a link to a lot of info: http://www.loireavelo.fr/
You don't need reservations for cheateaus, nor for most wineries (we've never made reservations).

Thanks Robert! I've been checking out that site - it's so helpful. I'm having trouble finding wineries along the bike route. Maybe I just haven't found the right page yet.

Lindsay, I took a quick look at the site, and it wasn't clear how to do that. Here is a link to a site that gives info about wine producers in the Loire Valley, including in the Vouvray, Touraine-Amboise, and Touraine-Mesland appellations: http://www.vignobles-valdeloireamboise.com/. You can even view the producers in map form. In Montlouis sur Loire, which is near Tours, there is Domaine de la Taille aux Loups, one of Jacky Blot's 2 wineries; he's one of the Loire's best winemakers. It looks like the winery is very close to the Loire River and the bike route. I've been to wineries in the Vouvray area and Amboise/Mesland area, but it's always been by car, so I'm not sure how far they are. But the maps on the web site I mentioned should help, together with the maps in the Loire a Velo site.

Fantastic! Thank you so much! This is very helpful! I appreciate it!

If anyone else is interested, I found this site: http://en.eurovelo6-france.com/itineraires/eurovelo-6 Which is fantastic and you can select a segment you want to ride - for example from Blois to Tours and then click on the icons on the right side of the map to show Tasting Address, Train Stations, Restaurants, Etc! PERFECT for what I am looking for!

Wow, what a great web site! Even for a non-cyclist like me.

Lindsay,

We are looking to spend a similar day in the Loire this September. But I am partial to Cab francs and think we may make Chinon our home base and cycle in the western part of the Loire. But nothing is set in stone, so I will take a look at your websites that you have listed. Please share any other info that you have found.

Nick, if you like Cab Franc, you might want to also consider Bourgueil. It's a little closer to the Loire River than is Chinon. A couple of producers worth visiting are Domaine des Chesnaies/Lame-Delisle-Boucard in Ingrandes-de-Touraine, and Domaine de la Chevalerie in Restigne.