Caves à vin- Maisons des vins Loir-Et-Cher

After admiring a unique view of the Cher river, set off to discover a remarkable site at the heart of one of Touraine's largest tuffeau cellars. Then enter the fantastic world of the Cave aux Lumières, where the walls are adorned with a myriad of breathtaking works of art, offering a never-before-seen vision of the great châteaux of the Loire and their architecture. New artists are invited into the cellars every year. At the end of your visit, the fine bubbly wines for which the Monmousseau cellars are renowned will no longer hold any secrets for you.

In front of the château's entrance, the Maison des Vins offers an original self-service concept in which visitors receive a glass fitted with a microchip under the stem, allowing them to select between 4 and 7 wines from the hundred or so on offer for tasting! Visitors can also taste the day's wines free of charge. An app for mobile phones and tablets allows you to follow the tasting with advice from the chosen winemaker on how to best match wines and dishes.

Jean-François Mérieau is the heir to a know-how he perfected in the great houses and in South Africa. He took over the family estate and moved to Montrichard, where he ages his wines in centuries-old cellars. The vines are cultivated using sustainable methods, and some of the crus are hand-harvested, all of which are well worth a taste. Don't miss the golden Bulles de Génie or the rare Siècle Georgina, a sweet white wine produced only in good years. The estate regularly organizes aperitif concerts.

Located in the former train station at Thoré-la-Rochette, the Maison du Vin et des produits du terroir vendômois lets you discover and taste (and more, if you like!) the region's gastronomic specialties (wines, goat's cheese, deer and duck charcuterie). Near the station, in the winegrower's cellar, you'll also find a small Maison de la vigne museum presenting the history of winegrowing traditions in the Loir Valley, as well as picturesque antiques

This family of winegrowers, from father to son, produces côteaux-du-vendômois, red, white, rosé and gris using a traditional "low vine" planting method that ensures quality wines, aged in cellars dug into the tuffeau rock. The vineyards are located on a flinty clay terroir and offer a wide variety of grape varieties, including chenin, chardonnay, cabernet, pinot noir and the historic Vendôme grape: gris pineau d'Aunis. Don't miss a ride on the trailer pulled by a venerable tractor.

In front of the castle, it is a pleasant place to taste and choose among fifty wines of Cheverny and Cour Cheverny. A free tasting allows you to discover the 3 wines of the day's selection. The paying options allow you to make your own choice by choosing to taste 3 or 5 wines. For groups, it is even possible to combine a private tour of the château with a tasting of the wines accompanied by local products in a room of the château.