Le Thoureil – a beautiful riverside village perched on the banks of the Loire

So what is a visite gourmande you might ask? Well, a visit with lovely nibbly bits to accompany the liqueurs and wonderful products that our local Saumur distillery produces.

A lovely brisk walk to start the day followed by a quick Instagram Live to introduce the first of the 6 bottles in the festive tasting case.

A lesser known appellation but one that should be on your mind if you are looking for good Chenin Blanc.

Here are a few tips if you’re planning a day trip from Paris by train this year. Think ahead – tickets for the TGV are released 3 months in advance and this is when you will get the best prices. If you book early you can save as much as 50% on the cost of your ticket.

Like most people, we tend to spend a bit more on wine at Christmas. So is it important to take vintage into account when buying your wines for the festive season?

Paris is busy as always during August despite a distinct lack of Parisians! Here in the Loire we continue as normal and take pleasure in sharing our calm way of life in the countryside with fellow wine lovers looking for a change of pace. The TGV provides a direct service to Angers St Laud and yesterday we welcomed 3 couples down here for the day. With temperatures a little cooler than of late, it was fresh enough to take pleasure roaming around the vineyard examining the vines as well as doing plenty of wine tasting.