Gratien & Meyer is France's premier sparkling wine specialist! Located on the high hills above the…read moretown of Saumur, the Chateau is a friendly place to spend an afternoon. All staff are knowledgable about their sparkling wines, and the vast majority are thoroughly fruent in English. The chateau produce a wide selection of wines - sparkling and still (tranquille!), from the oaky Flamme D'or (Golden Flame) to the sweet fizzyness of Cardinale - a highly recommended sparkling red wine, especially enjoyed in a glass with strawberries on a hot summer day. The Chateau Gratien & Meyer invite people for wine tasting all year round, any time of the day (they do not close for lunch). The wine caves are currently being renovated, but when they re-open in June they will be available to tour. The chateau hosts a famous Jazz festival every June which is worth checking out - jazz and wine on the hill looking down at the river and town of Saumur is a perfect way to spend a summer Saturday! All in all, I highly recommend Gratien & Meyer, especially to those visitors to the region who are not fluent French speakers, or those who know very little about wine. The chateau is friendly and accessable, in gorgeous surroundings and the prices are very reasonable (6 euros for an award winning bottle of Cardinale or Saumur Dry, prices from 3 euros to 15 euros). Do note: the chateau is on a steep hill - there is parking both at the top and the bottom, but if you have difficulty walking make sure you park at the top, it's quite a climb!

I visited for a guided tour on a rainy day. The rain didn't matter, of course, since the entire…read moreexperience is underground! Excellent experience led by a very knowledgeable young lady who offered the tour in both English and France. It was impressive to see the extensive caves and the incomprehensible number of fermenting bottles stacked up everywhere. After the tour, we were offered a tasting of their wines. The host was not stingy and let us taste whichever ones we wanted from the menu.

A fabulous choice for both sparkling and still wines in Saumur. This location specializes in…read moresparkling, and for a small fee, you can have a guided tour (in French or English!) of the production facilities and learn everything you wanted to know about the production of sparkling wine. You also can glimpse the personal cellar of the head winemaker, which is an interesting opportunity. In the end, you taste several of their terrific offerings. This is a required stop for anyone visiting the region's wineries.