{"id":26588,"title":"Wine Tasting On the Loire","description":"It\u2019s a sultry late June afternoon in the Loire Valley with temperatures cruising past 30 degrees. The sun is beginning to show signs of setting and so the normally pale stone of the village of Chaumont-sur-Loire is honey-tinged and warm. Looking up, the horizon is dominated by the Chateau de Chaumont, one of only a few in the region that is located close to the river itself.","content":"

It\u2019s a sultry late June afternoon in the Loire Valley with temperatures cruising past 30 degrees. The sun is beginning to show signs of setting and so the normally pale stone of the village of Chaumont-sur-Loire is honey-tinged and warm. Looking up, the horizon is dominated by the Chateau de Chaumont, one of only a few in the region that is located close to the river itself.<\/span><\/p>

\"65r08z3sdhexebgyiit2etbuucbxswbyluypleb1xmf3wkmz.jpg.jpg?w=1140&v=2\"I\u2019m waiting to meet Aur\u00e9lien and Daniel, two passionate and proud locals who have come together to offer an unforgettable experience for anyone visiting the region.<\/span><\/p>

\"oiqsvrs8hnpvwjgrgk9yuh7bhjyxna3clepuyveteelenlqs.jpg.jpg?w=1140&v=2\"Aur\u00e9lien is the skipper of our small wooden sailboat. He explains that the Loire is wide but very shallow with strong currents. The boat has a quiet motor that he uses only sporadically to navigate his way past the sand banks, small island nature reserves and occasional reeds.<\/span><\/p>

\"k9o0e1aqmqq0bzx8vplbysx3ubs76ouskth5j0zdzlane59u.jpg.jpg?w=1140&v=2\"Daniel is our sommelier. He tells us to remember that wine is for pleasure and so we shouldn\u2019t get too hung up about some of the dos and don\u2019ts that we may have heard.<\/p>

This helps us relax along with the gentle, fresh breeze and silent calm. The currents of the Loire prevent swimming and so we have the place to ourselves. Aur\u00e9lien kicks us away from the bank and we float downstream and sink further into the surroundings and atmosphere.<\/p>

\"zjhbtb0vfq901urcw2u6lmg2dzgzyyyjktcehnbjgkrhidhc.jpg.jpg?w=1140&v=2\"After Aur\u00e9lien skilfully locates us near a welcome shady bank, Daniel begins the wine lesson (look at it, smell it, give it some air, smell it again and then taste it) and then introduces us to five different local wines and some local specialities (rillettes, rillons, chevre and saucisson).<\/p>

The aim of the game is to work out what the wines smell of, and which ones go best with the different flavours. There are no right answers \u2013 everyone\u2019s palette is different \u2013 the point is to help us choose what we might like in the future and learn a little along the way.<\/p>

\"cgegfzyvconwj2e8lawmvoosjbn6r8ff8kuxhz0sndyp4zdf.jpg.jpg?w=1140&v=2\"The two hours have passed quickly, our two guides are great company, and we make our way back past herons, gulls and warblers.<\/span><\/p>","urlTitle":"wine-tasting-on-the-loire","url":"\/blog\/wine-tasting-on-the-loire\/","editListUrl":"\/my-blogs","editUrl":"\/my-blogs\/edit\/wine-tasting-on-the-loire\/","fullUrl":"https:\/\/francophilia.co.uk\/blog\/wine-tasting-on-the-loire\/","featured":false,"published":true,"showOnSitemap":true,"hidden":false,"visibility":null,"createdAt":1681491021,"updatedAt":1771791622,"publishedAt":1771791621,"lastReadAt":null,"division":{"id":278188,"name":"Francophilia"},"tags":[],"metaImage":{"original":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/xyh6hbbjtetfyqfnptufci4eecy2161fn7lkjpgpyasyzmcs.jpeg","thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/xyh6hbbjtetfyqfnptufci4eecy2161fn7lkjpgpyasyzmcs.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/xyh6hbbjtetfyqfnptufci4eecy2161fn7lkjpgpyasyzmcs.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"metaTitle":"","metaDescription":"","keyPhraseCampaignId":null,"series":[],"similarReads":[{"id":30944,"title":"Top Dips! Best places to wild swim in France #1 - Lac d'Annecy","url":"\/blog\/top-dips\/","urlTitle":"top-dips","division":278188,"description":"Chez Francophilia, we\u2019re prepared to travel far and wide to forge water-based memories. Here is the first of our top choices.","published":true,"metaImage":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/volf9ef2oqrewrvmck8ytm4wwfd6dlyyrxfxqodhzvwycm0n.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/volf9ef2oqrewrvmck8ytm4wwfd6dlyyrxfxqodhzvwycm0n.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"hidden":0},{"id":32878,"title":"The Francophilia Christmas Gift Guide 2023 (Ideal Gifts for Francophiles)","url":"\/blog\/the-ideal-christmas-gift-list-for-francophiles\/","urlTitle":"the-ideal-christmas-gift-list-for-francophiles","division":278188,"description":"When practising the art of gift buying I try to follow a very simple premise - find something they would like but are unlikely to buy for themselves. This could be because they think it\u2019s a bit too expensive (so they can\u2019t square off spending that much on themselves), because they\u2019re not sure it would suit them or even because they haven\u2019t thought of it yet. We\u2019d like to think that Francophilia is jampacked with interestingly different designs that would make an alternative gift","published":true,"metaImage":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/w7fi9stgvajc3vjngdga2zv2xg0kyokjxikzgcgqvjqmmsgn.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/w7fi9stgvajc3vjngdga2zv2xg0kyokjxikzgcgqvjqmmsgn.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"hidden":0},{"id":26545,"title":"The Essential Autoroute Playlist","url":"\/blog\/the-essential-autoroute-playlist\/","urlTitle":"the-essential-autoroute-playlist","division":278188,"description":"10 classic songs from the Francophilia car stereo.","published":true,"metaImage":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/vkogm8pzrm4y5uraqyyshmbije73jkcvteegctc9yf7cangs.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/vkogm8pzrm4y5uraqyyshmbije73jkcvteegctc9yf7cangs.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"hidden":0}],"labels":[]}