We bid a last adieu to Eric (again!) this morning. We left him at his orientation picnic in Tours and headed deeper into the Loire Valley to continue our oenotourism!
We stopped for lunch and a wine tasting at Chateau de Miniere, a women-run winery in the country where we had a lesson on the terroirs of the Loire Valley.
Depending on where vines are planted, from alluvial gravel in the riverbed to chalk or limestone up the hillside, wines can be light and fruity or strong and spicy. So far we like the moderately aged, structured reds the best.
Our accommodation for the next week has a kitchen, so we will be cooking dinners ourselves. We thought we might do some grocery shopping before checking in, but Traditional French law states that most Sunday commerce must stop by 1300. So, with the local grocery store closed this afternoon, we have arrived with a few supplies purchased in Tours.
Our room at the Loire Valley Retreat is in the old stable building of the chateau.
We’re sharing the space with a loudly braying donkey, some sheep and about 20 free-range chickens who like to hang out near our patio table with the host’s dog, Biscuit. Did I mention the 10 or so pigeons that live in the chateau rafters…
(meringue with English cream, berries and raspberry coulis)
These fast food kiosks are popular in this region – this one sells pizza ready in three minutes!
Over the next few days, we plan to visit a few more wineries, have some picnic lunches and explore some of the Loire and its tributaries.
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