A few of our favourite spots in the Loire Valley — the places we keep going back to, and the ones we recommend to friends and family visiting the region.
EAT AND DRINK
Au coin du Fleuve — Bistro & Library
A relaxed bistro-bar right on the Loire, with a bar open continuously through the day and food served from 12h to 14h (entrées/plats/desserts). I can recommend the Pain Perdu.
Outdoor seating, a fireplace for cooler days, and — “by all accounts” — great cocktails. A lovely spot to sit, watch the river, and listen to the birds.
Le Tasting Room
Run by Cathy & Nigel Henton, English wine professionals with 35 years of experience in the trade, both in France and the UK. Tours and tastings take place at their countryside home in the Loire Valley — a great, personable introduction to the local wines.
Domaine de Saint-Maur
Located in Anjou, on the hills overlooking the left bank of the Loire (Thoureil, Maine-et-Loire). The vineyard has belonged to the Chouteau family since 1962, and spans 36 hectares of predominantly clay-limestone soil, growing Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon among other varieties
Domaine Leduc Frouin
Nathalie and Antoine LEDUC now run the family estate founded in 1873. Before them, four generations of winegrowers – parents, uncle, grandparents – built and developed the Seigneurie vineyard. Combining tradition and modernity , they do everything they can to offer you typical Anjou wines, subtle and surprising. Passionate, they work rigorously on their vineyard of around thirty hectares located in Martigné-Briand, in the heart of Haut-Layon. The diversity of their terroirs – falun, schist, clay – allows them to produce plot-by-plot vinifications that reveal the character of the Seigneurie wines each year.
STAY
Manoir de Jouralem
A stylish boutique bed and breakfast & gîte in the Loire Valley, opened in July 2018 by English-speaking owners Mel & Hywel, along with their young family and Tilly the wonder-dog. Set on 8 hectares, with a natural swimming pool, woodland walks, a flower garden, orchard, and picnic area.
Have a recommendation of your own? [Get in touch] — we’re always adding to this list.