Blog

We have a mobile wine bar that comes to the village every Wednesday evening. The wines are interesting and include wines from the Loire and elsewhere in France.

Well it’s been a strange month. For the first three weeks of June the weather was rather dull and cool and then we got a shock!

Franco/American couple Matt and Katie Perradeau are brewing American craft style beers using French ingredients. We popped in yesterday to have a taste and to wish them good luck.

The beginning of May saw another few days when the temperature dropped below zero. Growers were out in force all through the night lighting fires, burning candles and pumping water from the Vienne trying to minimise the damage.

Chateau Gaillard is a beautiful Renaissance chateau in the centre of Amboise that has been lovingly restored and has delightful gardens.

Growers in Vouvray, Montlouis sur Loire, Saumur Champigny, the hills of the Layon in Anjou and Savennières braced themselves for another sleepless night.

April has been an eventful month in the Loire valley vineyards with temperatures dropping well below zero on both the 4th and 14th of April.

A firm family favourite when the children were little, we toasted them and then slathered them with melted butter. A taste of the past.

Domaine Filliatreau is having a ‘portes ouvertes’ on Saturday May 25th and Sunday May 26th. Pop in to taste good quality Saumur Champigny wines and I’m sure much more.

Once again frost has struck the Loire valley. 2 nights ago growers lit the burners, turned on the aspersion and cranked up the hot air turbines.

Growers who choose not to use chemicals to control weeds underneath the vines ‘work’ the soil mechanically or occasionally use a horse.