Loire Valley
The valley of the Loire, also known as the Valley of the Kings, is named after the longest river in France, which winds its way over 1000km from its source in northern Cévennes, to the Atlantic coast at St Nazaire. It flows from the Massif Central through Auvergne, skirts around Burgundy, through Touraine and Anjou on to the very south of Brittany and the sandy coasts of the Vendée.
When it leaves the Gerbier de Jonc, where it rises, it winds through the Loire Gorge around St Etienne, and this is where we find Roanne, surrounded by quiet rolling countryside known for its beef production and the delicious, but little- known wines from the Côte Roannaise.
It is an area often missed by tourists - but not by those in search of delights created by the chefs in the 3-Michelin-starred Troisgros restaurant in Roanne.
The Loire continues quietly on its way towards Nevers, past La Charité and on to Sancerre, home of a very well-known wine. Sancerre has no more than 3000 inhabitants, but surrounding it are over 300 small family vineyards. The panoramic views from the hill of Sancerre over the Loire valley are spectacular. There are many opportunities to taste a glass or two along with a goat’s cheese salad - the famous crottins de Chavignol are produced locally - and each year in the old mushroom caves under the town of Sancerre there is a foire aux vins. 3D Wines organises a weekend to coincide with this fair and you can taste wines from all over France, including some from 3D suppliers, as well as rillettes (a coarse pork pâté eaten throughout the Loire), cheese, bread, foie gras, oysters ...
After
the delights of Sancerre, the Loire flows on towards Orléans with its
memories of Joan of Arc before swinging further west towards Tours. It
is on this stretch that you will find some of the most beautiful
châteaux of France: Chambord with its 440 rooms; Cour-Cheverny, famous
for its symmetry; Valençay and its automobile museum; Loches with the
deepest dungeons in the Loire; Chenonceau, the ‘Ladies’ Château’ with
arches across the River Cher; Chaumont and its imposing round towers;
and Amboise with its huge spiral entrance ramp. These are only some of
the betterknown, tourist-attraction châteaux; there are others, smaller
and privately owned, where you can actually stay the night.
Also worth a visit is Clos Lucé, where Leonardo da Vinci spent his last years. His tomb is to be found in the Chapel St Hubert, near the château at Amboise. Close by too, is the Aquarium of the Loire Valley at Lussault, and the Parc des Mini-Châteaux where 44 of them are reproduced to 1/25 their actual size. And near to Loches is the village of Montrésor, described as ‘the most beautiful village in France’. The château here was bought in the 1840s by a Polish nobleman and it remains in his family today, with the interior virtually unchanged since he lived there.
Our journey continues past the vineyards of Vouvray and Montlouis to Tours - capital of the old ‘Touraine’ known as ‘the garden of France’. In Tours, a university town with a Gothic Cathedral containing medieval stained glass, there are several unusual museums including the Historial de Touraine in the Château Royal with 165 wax figures telling the history of the Loire. Moving away from the big town, we now follow the Loire to the famous gardens of Château de Villandry. Here we may visit the potagers (vegetable plots), the water garden and the maze, just a few of its attractions. Don’t forget to climb the tower of the château for a superb overall view.
Onwards
to the small town of Azay-le- Rideau, with a very special château. The
son et lumière here is spectacular: the reflections in the water around
the castle are magical as you walk around at your own pace looking and
listening. Not far from here, and on the way towards Angers, you will
find the fairytale château of Ussé, with many splendid turrets, pointed
towers and chimneys and its association with the Sleeping Beauty.
In the area around Azay you can also visit some of the houses set into the rocks where tufa or rock was extracted to build châteaux. While driving along the roads in this area you will notice large patches of reeds, which lead us to another interesting village, Villaine les Rochers, where several artisans have settled to make a wide variety of baskets and other artefacts.
We now continue our journey along the valley to Chinon with its château, mostly now in ruins, but with close links to Joan of Arc. It’s a lovely town to stroll around and in August has a spectacular medieval market with strolling players and fireeaters. Chinon is also the base for two popular 3D weekends: grape-picking at nearby Bourgueil at the end of September, and the winemakers’ celebrations at Azayle- Rideau in November. As we follow the road close to the river leaving Chinon we can turn off to the amazing Abbaye of Fontevraud or continue on the riverbank to the château at Montsoreau, where the visit to the castle relates an imaginative account of the history of the Loire and its boats.
Fontevraud is well worth a detour. It is the largest and most intact medieval abbey to be found in France, where you can see the effigies of Henry II of England, Eleanor of Aquitaine and their son Richard the Lion-Heart. Don’t miss the octagonal kitchens! Just next door is the old St-Lazare Priory, now a hotel.
Close to Fontevraud we find the vineyards of Saumur-Champigny, Bourgueil and St-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil (setting for another 3D weekend in July), but Saumur is the next big town on our journey west, where the château dominates the skyline high above the town. You may visit the National Riding School to watch equestrian acrobatics and drink the famous sparkling wine of the region. Close to Saumur there are many troglodyte dwellings, and caves where you can see the production of mushrooms.
After Saumur comes Angers - once the capital of Anjou. Another university town with an imposing château, it is famous for its large number of tapestries, including that of the Apocalypse, and an outdoor market every day. It is here that we find the vineyards of Anjou, Coteaux du Layon and Savennières.
As the mighty Loire meanders onwards, it flows through the vineyards of Muscadet and the city of Nantes before reaching its final destination, the sea.
Throughout this diverse landscape there are many opportunities to cycle, ride a horse, play golf, canoe, explore forests, go for walks or just sit by the river and read a book. You can see thousands of roses at Doué-la-Fontaine; visit monuments, châteaux, exhibitions, antique shops and markets; experience horse shows and sons et lumières; watch potters, basket weavers, cheese- and winemakers at work; taste a wide range of regional dishes - including fish from the Loire itself - and wash it all down with a wonderful selection of wines.
The Loire valley holds a special place in the history of 3D Wines as it’s here that in 1992 we started our very first ‘Rent a Row’ scheme with Jean-Luc Mary in Saumur- Champigny. After twelve years, and many trips and tastings, we now have a range of wines from vineyards up and down the valley, as varied as the landscapes in which they are produced.
Our all-too-brief journey down the Valley of the Kings is at an end, and we hope you’ve enjoyed this taster of what awaits you if you choose to explore this beautiful region for yourself. You will not be disappointed!