Half-day excursions

VinoLoire has been offering wine tours in the Loire Valley since 2016. Your professional guide will share their wine knowledge, take you on personal tours of vineyards, caves and wineries, and answer your questions. This wine tour is a great introduction to the Loire Valley’s Touraine region wines with a visit in the Vouvray vineyards and an extensive tasting of a variety of the areas wines (Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Gamay, Grolleau …) Program Visit a Touraine Wine Estate Visit of a organic vineyard with insights into the "Terroir" Explanations about the wine making process Tasting of classic wines of the central Loire using a variety of methods Pairing with local charcuteries (rillettes, rillons, …) Visit a Family Winery Visit of the rock-hewn cellar belonging to the family for several generations Wide range tasting of organic wines Wine and food pairing with local cheeses Around 6:00 pm: Drop off at the tourist office.

Explore the Loire Valley wine route and its vineyards, full of tradition and passion! Visit 2 superb estates of the Vouvray Appellation, admire the wonderful vineyard landscapes and learn how to taste these elegant wines produced from one of the most well-known terroir of the Val de Loire area!   Program:  2.30 pm: Start at the Tourist Office in Tours and get into our minivan, off to Vouvray! Discover this beautiful wine area full of passion-driven winegrowers!   Meet a genuine French winemaker in a charming family-run estate! Visit the traditional vat room where hundreds of barrels are lined up (bring your coat, it is cold in the vat room).   During this visit, you will improve your knowledge regarding wine-making and of course wine-tasting! The terroir of this wine area and its main grape variety of Chenin blanc, allows the production of elegant white wines, dry, sweet or sparkling!   After this, your guide will drive you to a grand wine house situated just along the Loire River. Stroll inside it's impressive troglodyte galleries. Dug in the hills, these undergound tunnels are part of Loire Valley's historical heritage. Needless to say that these long galleries are ideal to store wine today... Discover all the secrets of elaboration of the wines from this ancient historical house, still using the "méthode traditionnelle".   All along the afternoon, your will get to know and understand better the diversity of Loire Valley wines. « Intense color, fruity aromas, palate full of minerals… » Oops!! What is this all about?! Your guide will help you to learn the different steps of wine-tasting and train your nose to identify many wine aromas. Benefit from our tips and tricks and taste like a pro!    6.30pm: Back to the Tourist Office in Tours

Château de Chenonceau (visit: 2 hrs) Discover the Château de Chenonceau, also known as the Château des Dames. Visit one of the most emblematic châteaux in the Loire Valley, with its Renaissance architecture and the history of its owners.

Enjoy the famous French Art de Vivre with this delightful morning including the visit of the elegant chateau of Azay-le-Rideau and the Chateau de Villandry and its unique gardens. An experience you will never forget! Your passionate guide will stay with you all along sharing many anecdotes that will make you feel part of those royal days.   Program:  9:30 am: Meet us in front of the Tourist office in Tours and get on our minivan, off to the Loire Chateaux!   You will start with a visit to the Château d'Azay le Rideau, which Honoré de Balzac described as "... A faceted cut diamond set by the Indre...". A true jewel of Renaissance architecture with its straight staircase called "ramp on ramp" and its main building of exemplary order, its history mixed with royalty, conspiracies and passion will not leave you indifferent.   Your passionate guide will accompany you on all the visits and will share with you the stories of the estate.   Then, arrival at the Château de Villandry, a jewel of French heritage built during the Renaissance. Your guide will accompany you through the remarkable formal gardens of Villandry, of breathtaking beauty and delicacy. What were the codes and meaning of such gardens? All this knowledge will be yours at the end of the visit. You will admire with him the vegetable garden, the maze, the water garden... We will show you hidden corners from where you will get the best views of this remarquable site.   1:30pm: Back to the Tourist Office in Tours