Rhone & Loire Valley Tour
Rhone Wine Tours has partnered with the leading wine tour experts in the Loire Valley to offer the ultimate in Loire Valley Tours, Micaela Frow and Sue Hunt of La Grande Maison near Saumur to offer a unique wine tasting experience. For more information about Micaela and Sue visit their website.
This tour combines two-days/ three nights in the Rhone Valley (Chateauneuf du Pape and other great Crus of the Southern Rhone) and two-days/ three nights in the Loire Valley (around Saumur, Anjou, Saumur Champigny, Chinon, Bourgeuil or Savennières), plus one day travelling between the two areas.
On our exclusive Loire Valley Tours you will be able to taste, compare and contrast some of the greatest wines of the Rhone and the Loire Valley.
Guests can begin either in the Rhone or the Loire Valley. Travel between the Rhone and Angers in the Loire is easy, there are fast and frequent TGV trains linking the Rhone and the Loire via Paris.
The Rhone Valley Tour
Daniel stehelin at chataeu mont thabor
In the Rhone you will be hosted by Philip and Jude Reddaway and stay three nights at the accommodation in one of our luxury guest bedrooms. Your two-day wine tasting tour adapts our “Selected Domaine tour”. On your first evening, you will be treated to a champagne reception followed by a 4 course Provencal meal served with fine wines of the region (perhaps a CNP Roger Sabon Cuvee Special 2005 or a 2006 Domaine les Goubert “Cuvee Florence” Gigondas). Before dinner we start with an informal briefing on the wines of the Rhone valley to get you up to speed with essential information – the aoc structure, the grape varieties and the wine making traditions of the region.
Across the two days of the tour you will visit 8 wine domaines taking in the Crus and Côtes du Rhone Villages appellations: Chateauneuf du Pape, Gigondas, Vacqueyras, Beaumes de Venise, Rasteau and the best of the Village level aoc’s /satelite aoc’s such as Seguret and the Ventoux. Our domaines are carefully selected to reflect not only the best expressions of the wines of each Cru or Village level wine, but also to enable you to meet and talk with proprietors who will show you around the vineyards, the winery and talk passionately about their terroir and their wine making philosophy, as you taste.
The tour includes accommodation with breakfast, lunch with wines at two different typical Provencal bistros on both days, two table d’hôte evening meals at the accommodation served with Philip’s selection of fine wines, and one evening meal with wine at one of our favourite local restaurants.
The Loire Valley Tours
In the Loire, full details of what is included in your two-day wine tasting tour can be found at The Grand Maison website.
Your Loire hosts Micaela & Sue, will meet you from the TGV at Angers Station and drive you to La Grande Maison in the heart of the Loire Valley Vineyards near the beautiful riverside town of Saumur. La Grande Maison will be your home for three nights. On arrival at the house you will be presented with your itinerary and with a glass of something chilled in hand lead you through the appellations and the local wine styles. On the first evening of the Loire tour you will also be treated to a 4 course Wine Sampling Supper at La Grande Maison – an ideal chance to become familiar with the regions cepages (grape varieties).
Over the next two day of the Loire Valley Tours you will visit between five to six wineries including family Domaines, Biodynamic & Organic Estates, Cooperatives and of course the famous Saumur Sparkling Wine Houses where you have the opportunity to taste a broad range of wine styles from dry to sweet whites, oaked and un-oaked reds, dry to sweet rose’s, sparkling whites; even a sparkling red. Lunch is a rustic picnic either in the vineyards or by the banks of the Loire River.
At the end of a busy day touring you will return to La Grande Maison where you can relax with a pot of tea or coffee in the beautiful walled gardens before freshening up and being driven to a local restaurant for supper. After a delicious breakfast you will be returned to Angers for the TGV back to Paris. All you need to do is relax and your hosts will take care of the rest.