The Loire Valley in Anjou owes much to the colours
of the vines that bedeck the landscape. The vineyards of Anjou/Saumur run
alongside the river from east to west and stretch out along its southern banks
around two other rivers, the Layon and the Aubance. Covering 20,000 hectares,
it is the largest vineyard in the Loire Valley.
Creating a mosaic of fields, 28
different wine labels happily rub shoulders with each other. Two grape
varieties dominate the scene: Chenin for white wines like Coteaux du Layon,
Bonnezeaux and Quarts de Chaume, Coteaux de l'Aubance, Savennières; and
Cabernet for the reds: Anjou, Saumur, Saumur-Champigny as well as for the
rosés: Cabernet d'Anjou, Rosé de Loire and Rosé d'Anjou. The land here is
mainly schist and clayey limestone and produces wine for special occasions, for
parties, as wine that can be laid down and others to drink chilled in summer
beneath a shady bough. Anjou and Saumur wines go with everything you fancy.
With a glass of good wine in your hand, you relax, French comes easier to your
tongue and you find yourself happily chattering away about any topic under the
sun. It is a moment when friendships are made.
Vignes du Saumurois
A tourist route exploring the vineyards of the region provides a trail of just
over 170 km (100 miles) that takes you into the heart of winegrowing country,
sometimes overlooking the river on the "corniche angevine", a hillside
undercut by the water, sometimes leaving the river far behind to cross
occasionally steep slopes. As you pass through picturesque, winegrowing
villages you will marvel at vines as far as the eye can see. This is an
excellent opportunity to learn more about the rich heritage of Anjou. Learning
about winegrowing will naturally involve the pleasure of meeting a winegrower
and particularly one in his favourite place, his cellar, where he will be happy
to talk about his work. After several tastings, you will find that questions
about wine are answered with the knowledge of generations as much as by
personal experience or a scientific approach to the land.
Houses in Saumur produce their sparkling wines in enormous underground chambers
that run for several miles through the tufa. If you visit one you will learn
all about the patience required to produce these wines and, underneath a cool
limestone roof, as you lift your glass of sparkling nectar you will appreciate
the quality of a Saumur brut.
Pop your nose round the door of any winegrower, explore the area, wander down
its lanes but also enjoy yourself. Here they combine entertainment, drinking
wine and eating well in over a dozen festivals. From traditional festivals
based on folklore to cultural events, not forgetting all those other occasions
where, somehow Anjou has managed to combine wine and various art forms. In
fact, Anjou wine is really an excuse to celebrate anything. Cheers!
In Saint Lambert du Lattay both young and old really
must visit the Vine and Wine Museum where you learn all about the techniques,
some serious, some less so, that are involved. Ask advice, taste and perhaps
buy. The winegrowers association here support two wine centres (Maison des
Vins), one in Angers and one in Saumur that are there to help visitors too.
More advice can be obtained from Tourist Offices, particularly those in
Puy-Notre-Dame and Brissac - where they also arrange guided tours and organised
walks with information spots - or visit Chalonnes where you can see round the
vineyards and slopes from a little train.
Vin du Saumurois
If you want to raise the alcohol level, Anjou has two major
distilleries open to the public. Just outside Angers is Cointreau, and in
Saumur you will find Combier. The first, known throughout the world, has been
distilling its famous sweet and bitter orange liqueur since 1849. In the
stillroom, with its amazing colours, the subtle-flavoured liqueur is created.
Combier on the other hand is produced in a traditional way and is also the
oldest distillery in the Loire valley still working. Another Anjou distillery
that is well known is Giffard, where various concoctions and liqueurs are
created including the acclaimed clear peppermint "menthe pastille".
More advice? Why not have a go at
French bowls, a typically Anjou game.
