STANDARD AND STANDARD PLUS LOIRE WEEKENDS
Standard and Standard Plus Loire Valley Tasting Tours - What's Included
Grape Escapes is a specialist French wine tour operator, offering a broad range of wine tasting tours and trips to the vineyards in Ribera del Duero and the main French wine regions: Champagne, Bordeaux, Burgundy, The Rhône and The Loire.
These weekend breaks are designed with total flexibility in mind. Choose between a two, three and four night stay any weekend from April to October in the bustling university city of Tours. The tours offer the opportunity to visit some of the prestigious wineries as well as family-run estates in world famous vineyards such as Vouvray and Chinon, together with a four course tasting dinner and an evening tasting session in a centrally-located wine bar.
For those looking for a weekend break that offers a good introduction to the various tastes and styles of wines available in the Loire Valley, these tours may be the answer. Everything is within walking distance of the city centre unless rail travel or private transfers have been arranged and the transported tours have a central departure point.
Standard Loire Weekend
The two night Standard Loire break includes:
- Two nights’ bed and breakfast in your preferred hotel in central tours on Friday and Saturday.
- An early-evening tutored tasting session on Friday in an authentic city centre wine bar. Your knowledgeable host will talk you through tastings of three premium Loire wines, accompanied by a platter of local cheeses and meats.
- A full day guided and transported tour on Saturday. Departing from central Tours at 9:30am, your English-speaking guide will firstly accompany you through the picturesque vineyards to Chinon, where you will receive a VIP greeting from one of the town’s wine-makers. After a tour of the estate and a tasting session, your guide will take you to the stunning Château de Chenonceau, where you will have free time for lunch and exploring the Château, its gardens and the town. Chenonceau is not only remarkable for its architecture and history but also for the fine quality of its collections as can be seen from the inside visit. Renaissance furniture, a vast ensemble of 16th and 17th Century tapestries and a great number of masterpieces can be found in the Château. In the afternoon, you will visit the cellars and estates of two very different producers in the Vouvray region, driving through the Amboise forest. You will enjoy tasting sessions at both of these estates and your guide will then drop you back off in Tours at around 7pm.
- A four course gourmet tasting dinner on Friday or Saturday in a premium city centre restaurant, accompanied by three quality wines from the region.
- Return Folkestone to Calais Eurotunnel crossings for a car and two passengers.
Three Night Standard Plus (A) Upgrade
In addition to the Standard package, the Standard Plus (A) package includes an extra night’s accommodation on Thursday or Sunday and return private transfers between your hotel and a neighbouring prestigious estate on Friday or Sunday morning. Here, your guide will accompany you on a tour of the domaine and celllars. The visit will conclude with tastings of five wines, including the domaine’s Réserve Spéciale. For Friday tours, an hour- long walk through the Vouvray vineyards, where you will learn about the various vine-growing methods will also be included.
Three Night Standard Plus (B) Upgrade
In addition to the Standard package, the Standard Plus (B) package includes an extra night’s accommodation on Thursday or Sunday and return rail transfers between your hotel and the beautiful town of Chinon on Friday or Sunday morning. Here, you will have free time for lunch before being welcomed as VIP guests of one of the town’s best producers. Your guide will accompany you on a tour of the estate and cellars, where you will see firsthand the fascinating wine-growing process from vine to bottle. Your guide will then talk you through a selection of five wines.
Four Night Standard Plus Upgrade
If you would like to stay a fourth night in Tours, both the Standard Plus (A) and (B) upgrades would be included in the package price.
Tours Hotels, Tour Dates and Prices
The Grape Escapes Standard and Standard Plus Loire Valley Tasting Weekends are available weekends from April to October. For prices, please see our Dates and Prices page.
Other Loire Valley Tasting Tours
Please see our Loire Valley Wine Tasting Tours page for details of the other Loire Tasting tours we offer.
We also arrange many private Loire Valley tasting tours for individuals, groups and corporate clients. So, if the above trips are not exactly what you are looking for, please give us a ring on 08456 430 860, or email us at info@grapeescapes.net to arrange your perfect Loire Tasting Tour.