The wines of the Loire valley

The Azay-Le-Rideau vineyard produces Touraine appelation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) wines. One of the oldest vineyards in the Touraine region, this is a small area with a big reputation!
Rosé wines are produced mainly from Grolleau, a local grape variety. Lively, light, elegant and delicate, the rosé wines are pale in colour with purplish highlights. White wines are produced from Chenin grapes. Fruity, with a hint liveliness, they are both tender and supple.
Many winegrowers will be delighted to show you their cellars and share their know-how with you.
Come and taste wines that have been coveted by kings and inspired many a writer…

But the Loire valley is also home to a multitude of great vineyards such as Chinon, Bourgueil, Saint Nicolas de Bourgueil, sparkling Vouvray or Montlouis…

The Poire Tapée

Rivarennes, a small village a few miles from the royal River Loire, was the 19th century capital of the "Poire Tapée", a very distinctive and sophisticated local culinary speciality consisting of oven-dried pears.
A traditional, hand-made product, the old-style Poire Tapée is the result of a long and painstaking process of dehydration in wood-fuelled ovens. Once dry, the pears are then flattened using a "platissoire" (a special flattening utensil).
The products of an old method of fruit preservation, Poires Tapées were once exported throughout northern Europe. Today, they are the ideal accompaniment to both sweet and savoury dishes.

Wickerwork and basket making

Situated 5km from Azay-le-Rideau, the village of Villaines-les-Rochers is one of the last basket making villages in France.
Producers of wickerwork and basket work, the craftsmen and women design and create traditional objects, furniture, decorative objects and even works of art. Supported by a cooperative of 60 craftspeople and independent manufacturers, the village's setting complements its main activity: originally, the settlement was almost entirely troglodytic.

Farm products

The Pays d'Azay-le-Rideau and the surrounding area is home to a multitude of local producers. Don't leave without trying Sainte Maure de Touraine, Touraine's famous goat's cheese with an appelation d'origine contrôlée (registered designation of origin), along with the rillettes, foies gras and poultry raised on our farms, not to forget the honey and all of the delicacies made from this nectar.
Finally, the apples and pears from our orchards will leave an everlasting memory, whether eaten straight from the tree or drunk as juice.