Tag: Wine tasting tours France

3 reasons why Châteaumeillant wine is so special

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If you are visiting the centre of France, a vineyard tour around Châteaumeillant should be on your ‘must do’ list. But why should you spend your hard-earned cash on a winery tour around this relatively unknown AOC? Here are just some of the reasons why visiting Châteaumeillant’s vineyards should not be missed…

1) Châteaumeillant is full of smaller, family-run vineyards

One of the best things about visiting Châteaumeillant is that it is jam-packed full of smaller family-run vineyards, which means that you will get to meet the people who actually make the wine. Not their PR or marketing manager. But the people whose livelihood it is to grow the vines and turn the grapes into our favourite drink.

One of the other positives about visiting smaller, family-run producers, is that things that have been automated by other, larger winemakers, are still done in the traditional way, making for a much more interesting visit.

2) The history of Châteaumeillant is fascinating

We may be biased, but we think that Châteaumeillant has one of the most intriguing histories of any French wine producing area, bar none.

Only a couple of years ago, another 2,000 year old cellar filled with amphores was unearthed, the like of which has reportedly never been found anywhere else in Europe. The great mystery surrounding why these amphores were there and indeed why they were kept intact instead of being recycled and used as something else (like paving material) still remains unanswered today.

3) On a vineyard tour you will get to discover this area’s delicious rosé gris

We know we are always banging on about Châteaumeillant rosé gris, but we promise you that when you taste it, you will understand. With wonderfully dry with fruity, almost zingy notes, Châteaumeillant’s rosé gris will go perfectly with everything from a BBQ to a pizza and is absolutely the perfect drink to enjoy on a hot summer’s day.

Taking a Châteaumeillant winery tour is the best way to find your favourite producer (we bet you’ll struggle!) as you will be tasting a range of different wines, including Châteaumeillant’s light and fruity reds (we’ll let you into a little secret here – they make a wonderful Kir Berrichonne – check out our next week’s blog for a recipe for this!).

Want to go on a Châteaumeillant wine tasting tour?

Goûts du Berry offers half and full day wine tasting tours around Châteaumeillant. If you want to discover some other vineyards of the Berry region, we also offer day trips to Sancerre, Quincy and Reuilly.

Fancy something a little different? Get in touch about our Bespoke Tours and for that extra special break in the French countryside, we also offer a luxury Wine and Food Adventure in partnership with a local château.

Châteaumeillant wine tours, Loire Valley, France, Wine tours and tastings, Sancerre, Quincy and Reuilly plus Paris day trips

Why tasting rosé is a must on a summer wine tour

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There’s no question about it. A summer wine tour has to include rosé.

Sales of rosé wine are positively booming. Some believe this is due to its more accessible image compared to white or red wine. Others put it down to how tempting its tones of pink look in a wonderful, summery Instagram shot.

Or maybe it’s just because nothing can beat a good glass of chilled rosé as a summertime apéritif.

Now, we’ll let you into a little secret. Here at Goûts du Berry, we love to drink rosé all year round. Whether we are lounging in front of a roaring log fire in the winter or sitting at a pavement café in a sun-drenched French village on market day in the summer, watching the world go by, rosé is our drink of choice.

Luckily for us, we are based in Le Berry, where some of France’s most delicious rosé is made. Yes, you guessed it, it’s Châteaumeillant’s delectable rosé gris.

Here are just some of the reasons why tasting rosé as part of your wine tour is essential.

Wine tours are great for tasting rosé wines that aren’t available for sale elsewhere

One of the best things about going on a wine tour is that you get to taste rosé wines that you simply can’t buy in your local supermarket.

Many winemakers produce wine on much too small a scale to send their wines to large retailers. A wine tour will give you the opportunity to taste wines that you may have otherwise missed out on.

Rosé goes great with brunch

This may seem a bit random but bear with us.

Being on holiday gives you the opportunity to have a break from the normal routine and take your time over your meals (on a side note, it’s fine to sit so long over breakfast that it actually turns into lunch – right?). Brunch is a frankly genius invention that is perfect to take your time over in the French sunshine.

And the good news is that rosé goes amazingly well with brunch, particularly with eggs.

So next time you’re on a wine tour on your holidays, why not pick up a bottle of rosé and enjoy it with your brunch the next day? We promise you won’t be disappointed. Which brings us neatly to our next point…

Rosé will never disappoint you

We’ve all been there. We’re about to head back home from our holiday, only to realise that there’s no way we can leave without buying a bottle or two of the local tipple to take back and share with our family and friends.

But what tasted so amazing when you were watching the sunset on a warm summer’s evening abroad, no longer tastes anything like you remember when you get it back to Blighty.

Rosé, on the other hand, will never, ever disappoint. Whether you’re drinking it whilst picnicking amongst the vines where the grapes grew or during a cold, November evening with friends at home, it is going to taste just as good. Why? Because rosé is simply delicious. Wherever, whenever.

Discover Chateaumeillant’s rosé gris…

There’s nothing nicer than spending a day with friends on a wine tour in France discovering the local tipple.

At Goûts du Berry, we offer wine tours around Châteaumeillant, where you can discover what makes this little-known AOC’s wines so wonderful.

We now also offer day trips to Sancerre, Quincy and Reuilly.

If you want to make a weekend of it, our French Wine and Food Adventure makes the perfect mini break. And with flights from London Gatwick, Southend, Stansted, Bristol, Leeds Bradford, Manchester, Nottingham and Southampton, you could be here in less than 2 hours!

Right, now where’s that glass of rosé…

Wine tours and tastings Loire Valley, Châteaumeillant, Wine Tours France, Paris Day Trips Sancerre Quincy Reuilly

5 reasons why you need to include a wine tour as part of your summer holiday

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If you are planning a summer holiday in France, you’re not going to want to miss out on taking a wine tasting tour. Here are 5 reasons why a wine tour is an absolute must.

1. Taste the terroir

The terroir consists of everything from the soil to the climate to the slope of the hill that the vines are planted on. Quite simply, it is the natural environment where the vines are grown.

One of the most amazing things about wine is that the exact same type of grapes, planted in two different regions, are likely to result in very different wines.

Yes, there may be a few other factors at play (such as how skilled the winemaker is) but it is the terroir that can have a really big impact on how the wine ultimately tastes and the aromas and flavours that you get from it.

Going on a wine tasting tour is a great way to discover the secrets of the local terroir that make a region’s wines so special.

2. French wine is some of the best wine in the world

Wine is deep-rooted in the French culture. Experts now think that wine has been produced in France for almost 2,500 years. Indeed, many of the grape varieties that we know and love today originated in France.

French wine is celebrated all over the world. Sancerre, for example, has to be one of the most famous white wines worldwide (although they do make some wonderful reds and rosés too!).

When you’re taking a wine tour, as well as visiting where your favourite wine is grown, try to head off the ‘beaten track’ and try something different. Châteaumeillant is a great example of a little-known AOC in the Centre-Val de Loire, which produces some really good wines, particularly its rosé gris.

3. Discover the local area

A wine tour is a great way to discover the local area and learn a little history about the role viticulture plays in the region that you’re visiting.

One of the great things about taking a guided wine tasting tour is that you will get to meet the local vignerons, whose role it is to make our favourite tipple.

4. Uncover other local produce

Wine tours are also a great way to find out about other local produce that you may otherwise have missed out on.

Wines often go extremely well with the food that is produced nearby (this is no coincidence!).

For example, Châteaumeillant wines go wonderfully well with the local goat’s cheese.

5. Wine tasting tours can make fantastic Paris day trips

If you’re visiting Paris this summer, a wine tasting tour could give you the opportunity to spend a day outside of the city, discovering the beautiful French countryside.

Many of France’s vineyards are within easy reach of Paris, especially on France’s famous high-speed trains.

You could be uncovering the secrets of Sancerre’s wonderful wines or discovering the lesser-known appellations of Quincy and Reuilly, in as little as 1.5 hours.

Thinking about booking a wine tasting tour?

If you would like to book a wine tasting tour as part of your summer holidays, Goûts du Berry offers tours around Châteaumeillant, Sancerre, Quincy and Reuilly. If you can’t find what you’re after, we also offer Bespoke Tours.

Can’t wait for your summer hols? Why not book a short break in the stunning French countryside…

Wine tasting: What exactly are wine legs and what do they mean?

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If you have ever been wine tasting, you’ll have probably heard someone mention wine legs.

In this blog, we’ll take a closer look at this rather strange-sounding phenomenon and discover what it actually tells us about the wine that we’re tasting.

What are wine legs?

Also known as “tears of wine” in France, wine legs are the streaks of wine that form on the side of your wine glass when you swirl the wine.

They happen because the alcohol in the wine on the side of your glass evaporates, leaving behind the liquid, which falls back into your glass.

Note that it’s not possible to create legs inside a closed bottle of wine, as no evaporation can occur in this environment.

Try putting your hand over your glass of wine and see if it makes any difference to the legs.

Interestingly, the same wine can also have different legs, depending on how warm or humid the place is where you are tasting the wine.

If you’re interested in more of the science behind this, take a look at NASA’s website (yes, you read that right – NASA!).

What do wine legs mean about the wine you are tasting?

In all honesty, not a lot. It was once thought (and indeed is still kind of a wine urban myth) that looking at a wine’s legs could tell you something about the quality of the wine you were drinking.

This is simply not true.

What wine legs actually tell us, is how much alcohol there is in the wine. So, if you have lots of “legs” running down the side of your glass of wine when you give it a swirl, it’s a good indication that the wine you are tasting is on the higher side when it comes to alcohol content.

Additionally, the “legs” from a sweeter wine will tend to run more slowly down the side of your glass.

In short, wine legs indicate alcohol content and/or how sweet a wine is likely to taste. Nothing more.

Can I guess the alcohol content of the wine by looking at the legs?

It is possible to take a rough guess at the alcohol content of a wine, by looking at the legs or tears on the side of your wine glass.

Some experts say that they can even tell if a wine’s alcohol content has been marked incorrectly on the bottle, by looking at its legs.

Find out more about wine tasting

If you’re new to the world of wine, why not take a look at our Ultimate Guide to Tasting French Wine?

Plus, you can take a tour with us around the Vineyards of Châteaumeillant, a Loire Valley AOC and one of France’s best-kept secrets.

The 5 best foods to eat with Gamay wine

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One of the three grape varieties used to make wine in Châteaumeillant, a Loire Valley AOC, Gamay is famed for creating wonderfully light-to-medium bodied red wines with a beautiful purple hue and glorious floral and fruity aromas and flavours. This, together with its natural acidity, makes Gamay a really versatile wine, which can be paired with a surprisingly wide variety of foods.

In this article, we’ll take a look at some of the best foods to enjoy Gamay wines with:

1. Fish and seafood

Normally, when we want a wine that goes with fish, we automatically reach for a bottle of white.

However, because of its high acidity, Gamay is the perfect wine partner to contrast with an oily fish such as salmon or tuna.

Indeed, it goes really well with a whole range of seafood, including lobster and mussels.

So next time you fancy a fish supper, swap your usual white wine for a glass of Gamay (ideally from Châteaumeillant, of course!). We promise you won’t be disappointed.

2. Charcuterie

Gamay also goes really well with fatty or salty meats, such as those found on a charcuterie platter.

It also tastes marvellous with cold leftovers from your Christmas dinner – you heard it here first!

3. Cheese

A lovely fruity Gamay is the perfect partner for a wonderfully creamy cheese. Think an oozing Brie or even a Saint-Nectaire.

It is also delicious with the local goat’s cheese. Coincidence? We think not.

4. Enjoy Gamay as an aperitif

If you’re looking for a red that would work well as an aperitif before your meal, Gamay is perfect. Its low tannins and high acidity mean that it is easily drinkable on its own or with a range of different nibbles for your apéro. 

Plus, it’s so versatile, that you could even carry it on through the starter and into the main course, if you wished!

5. Our picnic wine of choice

Due to its amazing ability to go well with a really wide variety of foods, including cold meats, cheese and even strawberries, Gamay has to be our picnic wine of choice.

So next time you’re on the lookout for a bottle of wine to take on a romantic picnic lunch, why not try a Gamay?

Tasting wine on a wine tour around Châteaumeillant

If we have whet your appetite, why not book your Vineyard Tour around Châteaumeillant, a Loire Valley AOC and one of France’s best-kept secrets? We look forward to showing you around!

Want to learn the secrets of how to taste wine before you head out on your tour? Take a quick peek at our Ultimate Guide to Tasting French Wine.