Talking about Loire valley wines with Diane of Oui in France

The Chateau de Nazelles is a wonderful 16th century manor set amongst beautiful tranquil gardens, perched on the limestone hillside in the countryside.

Sometimes it can be hard to pin down what makes our tours different from others in the region and this review seems to sum up everything we strive to do. So, a big thank you to them for taking the time to write up their experience with us. This is what they said:

A dreary day here in the Loire. Grey and dull. It’s trying to rain but not making a very good job of it. A sluggish start in this house.

Well, it seems like we made it past the frost saints (11th, 12th and 13th May) so growers are beginning to relax as we approach the second half of May. We had one or two nights in the past couple of weeks when temperatures dropped dangerously close to zero but it seems that we are out of the major danger zone.

The Loire is the second biggest producer of sparkling wine in France after Champagne but here we call it Crémant de Loire.

Downy mildew is indigenous to north-eastern North America where it spread from wild vines into cultivated vineyards. It probably came over to Europe during the phylloxera crises when native American rootstock were being tested for their resistance to the disease that wiped out around two thirds of Europe’s vineyards.