Staying in a small village near Amboise was one of the best choices during this Loire Valley visit. Fireplace, neighborhood parties, and wine caves.
Arriving at our “château” after a day of castles and wine in Amboise, our host popped in to invite us to a neighborhood party–a birthday celebration. Perhaps it was because of the guest we picked up in town.
He was quite a hit with the ladies.. and a big help, too.
I guess he’s used to partying in France, and I’m sure he was ready to have some fun. He got into helping out in the kitchen, especially preparing for the barbecue.
Party! Party!
The next day all the party animals met at the nearby wine cave, Caves du Pigeonnier, for a tour and degustation (tasting)
My friend Nancy McGee of Absolutely Southern France, who has taken many tours in France with her travel customers, says this was the “best-guided wine tour ever.”
With Nancy performing as interpreter to the few English speakers, we all learned much about wine production in the Loire, especially about the 300-year-old cave owned by the same family for six generations.
The ancient cave has been enlarged in recent years, yet wine-producing techniques from its beginning are still prominent, including the “vat” in the cave wall that was used in the process before the introduction of barrels.
Under the wine appellation (AOC) Montlouis, the production at Guestault is predominately white wines from Chinon grapes, including sparkling wines.
As ancient as the caves and some original processing methods, the grape production at Guestault is modern. I turned on the video recorder for this explanation, interpreted onsite by Nancy.
