A lovely place for a glass of wine after visiting the chateau or exploring the town! Our service…read morewas excellent- our bartender picked out a wine for us based on our taste preferences. We enjoyed our glasses under shady umbrellas on the terrace while people watching.

I was debating with myself whether to give it a one or two stars. Value of their wine is relatively…read moregood (read it's cheap enough for any quality), however, service and rudeness levels is just right for a 1 star. Unfortunately, due to the fact that emotional soreness from the visit did not allow me to enjoy the wine I bought there- I can't imagine giving it more than 1 star. Instead of being greeted upon entering the place, I was given a lengthy lecture about inappropriateness of taking photos of a private business. This is a winery and shop located directly underneath THE attraction site of this small town on the busiest street in that small town. This business has doors open for public and has no signs requiring a need to explicitly ask for permission to take photos. The guy at the bar spent 50 times longer to give me this educational speech about private property rights than answering any of my questions about the wines. Example: "Where do you source your grapes?" -"It's all local." No where else in France or elsewhere in the world got I scolded for trying to take pictures of a store, restaurant, winery or a bar.

Closerie de Chanteloup is a hidden gem in Amboise. They are a combination winery and brewery so we…read morefelt we definitely needed to visit during our time in the city. I'm more of the beer fan and tried everything they had available which was a blonde, a white, an amber, and a dark (which seems like what most French microbreweries offer). They were all pretty good and the owner let me come in back to see their setup. The great thing about many French wineries is they let you sample for free, so to make up for it, I bought a bottle to go. I'm not much of the wine person, but everyone else seemed to enjoy the wines as well. The owner was a really nice guy and you can tell they are passionate about their craft. I think we bought 3 or 4 bottles and tasted a ton of stuff for 20 euro. Not very far from downtown Amboise and worth a visit.

We visited Caves Duhard between Chateau Chenonceau and Cateau Chambord and it was a great…read moreexperience. Very interesting tour and wine tasting. We purchased a case of great 2015 Bourgueil, 2016 Vouvray and a fantastic 1989 Vouvray. They delived it to New Jersey in two weeks, every bottle in perfect condition. Great place, great wine, great experience! We will be ordering more wine soon! Nous avons visité les Caves Duhard entre Château Chenonceau et Château Chambord et ce fut une expérience formidable. Visite très intéressante et dégustation de vin. Nous avons acheté une caisse de grand Bourgueil 2015, Vouvray 2016 et un fantastique Vouvray 1989. Ils l'ont livré au New Jersey en deux semaines, chaque bouteille en parfait état. Super endroit, bon vin, super expérience! Nous commanderons plus de vin bientôt!

introduced me to Louisa and Fred, the owners of La Cave and winemakers who own Chateau Montdomaine…read more The following year, I was back in Amboise, this time with my girlfriend. She too fell in love with Amboise, La Cave and Summer. Needless to say, we drank wine and talked for hours. In 2018, I decided to propose to my girlfriend and I wanted it to be in Amboise. With the help of Summer and Louisa, it was the most amazing proposal at Chateau Montdomaine. Summer and Louisa went above and beyond. I have been back to the Amboise several times and always stop by La Cave where I am greeted like family with hugs and wine!!! I even got to help decorate the shop for Christmas last year. In summary, if you want to feel at home, try some great wine (make sure you take some home) and make some friends, definitely stop by La Cave!!!!

Spent a fun hour or so sampling the wines of the Loire Valley in this little shop in the town of…read moreAmboise. Knowledgeable staff, generous pours and very tasty wines in a wonderful location at the foot of the Chateaux Amboise. Liked it so much we bought a case of wine to ship home. Highly recommended if your doing the Loire Valley tours out of Paris.

The Château de Chenonceau is a historic French castle known as the "Château of the Ladies" due to…read moreits influential female owners throughout its years. Located in the Loire Valley, it is famous for its elegant architecture, which includes a gallery built over the River Cher. The château features rich Renaissance furniture, tapestries, and master paintings. This Château also paved a pivotal roll during g WWII as its walls helped move Jews out of occupied France to free France during the war. It also has a unique connection to the Ponte Vecchio bridge in Florence, Italy. You'll have to visit to find out more. Additionally, the château's iconic gallery was built across the River Cher as an add on to the existing Château. Its interiors are richly decorated with works by artists such as Tintoretto, Rubens, and Van Dyck. Notable rooms include the bedchambers of Diane de Poitiers, Catherine de' Medici, and Louise de Lorraine. The gardens are exquisitely decorated and it's worth spending some time in them. You will need to book your tickets in advance as this Château is one of the most visited and they need it to control the flow of visitors. Be aware it also takes some time to travel, and once parked, to get to the Château (about a 20 minute walk). Enjoy this visit. I have seen it three or four times and always enjoy it!

This French castle spanning the River Cher is an opulent chateau in the Loire Valley of France…read more Built in 1513 to 1517 by Thomas Bohier for his wife Catherine Biconnet. This stunning Renaissance and Gothic architecture is the style of the women who owned and shaped it. The formal gardens are exquisite. The powerful ladies of the Chateau also included Diane de Poitiers and Catherine de Medici. The present day owners are the Menier family, famous for their chocolate. In 1539, King Francis the 1st acquired the estate. Later, King Henry the 2nd decided to offer it to the Queen. Our tour started with a wine tasting of three different wines actually grown on the estate. The fairytale like castle and the story of Rapunzel and Sleeping Beauty may have been the inspiration. The rooms and the kitchen in the basement are well preserved. It was a lovely experience.

We were all chateau-ed out and looking for a change in the Loire Valley. Stumbled into this wine…read morecoop. It was off season thus no regularly scheduled English tours. We ended up joining a tour in French, a school group of teens and their teachers. It was easy enough to follow along with the English cards they gave us. It was interesting learning about the Vouvray's terrain, the chenin blanc grape, the coop's wine making process and walking through the wine caves. The distillery and video they showed in the end were boring. Wine tasting was so-so, although we did end up buying a couple of bottles. Altogether not a bad activity for something like $5/person.

We had an excellent meal here that was very well presented. Every dish we had was delicious. It was…read moreso good that we wanted to eat there the next night but unfortunately it was closed. The service was also very good.

My wife and I grabbed a quick, small lunch here after touring the Chateau, since it's basically…read moreadjacent. The café is accessed through a small, enclosed, outdoor seating area which I would have loved to use had the weather been better. The interior is cozy, with some interesting (but not obnoxious or distracting) music playing. Service was good and prices even better: a cheese plate, Nutella crepe, café crème, and beer came to 21.50 euro. They also have a wine cellar which dates back to the 15th century which you can examine, which is a really cool thing if you're a history buff (and, if you're visiting Blois, there's a good chance you are).

Highly recommend this vineyard and cellar tour. You get a wine tasting/pairing at the end with such…read moreunique and delicious gastronomical foods that I was blown away. Myriam, daughter in law of Alain, is super knowledgeable and friendly to the point that she even drove us to the bus stop so that we wouldn't have to pay for a taxi. I absolutely recommend this tour and unique experience!

Highly recommend this wine tour! Myriam Fouasse-Robert a family member of this family-owned…read morevineyard was so hospitable and her knowledge of Loire wines was excellent. We enjoyed a three hour "Taste of the Loire" tour that included tour of the extensive caves and the wine making process followed by wines of both the Alaine Robert wines as well as others of the Loire region. Myriam paired about 9 wines with local cheeses, charcuterie, and desserts making the tasting tour an amazing cultural and gastronomical experience. Myriam had a very professional presentation she shared as we tasted, outlining the region and many appellations of Loire and Touraine including geology that makes these white wines so beloved around the world. The sparkling wines were divine. You must do this tour!