Winter Wine Tasting in the Loire Valley

Winter is a quiet time in the Loire Valley, especially for tourists. The only people who are really busy are the winemakers, as they are using the period when the vines are dormant to carefully prune them. This is a job that can only be done by hand and by someone who knows what they are doing. It's hard back breaking work, in the cold and wet quite often. Nevertheless, wineries are still ready to welcome visitors, especially if they are wine lovers and interested in buying a few bottles. In the photo our clients are being given a tasting by the winemaker's father-in-law. He had kindly made the tasting room cosy by lighting a fire (he was burning old vine stakes!). It is these personal touches that make our winery visits special.

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For details of our private guided tours of chateaux, gardens, wineries, markets and more please visit the Loire Valley Time Travel website. We would be delighted to design a tour for you.

We are also on Instagram, so check us out to see a regularly updated selection of our very best photos. You may also like to check out our YouTube channel. 

Supporting Our Charities in the Loire Valley

We have been involved in supporting a group of displaced Ukrainians who now live in the Loire Valley since April 2022. Naturally we talk about our work and our Ukrainian friends to clients, as it is part of daily life here and clients are often just as curious about what life is like here today, as well as what happened here in the past. Earlier in the year we had some wonderful clients who decided to support our work and made a very generous donation to the charity we are involved in. They wish to remain anonymous, but their money was used to fund a happy visit to the zoo, and the sad purchase of flowers for a funeral, as well as some more mundane necessities. Their donation reflects the typical international outlook, generosity of spirit and belief in the power of kindness that our clients regularly display. We are proud to have people such as this as clients, and thank them with all our heart for helping us to help others in difficulty.

Displaced Ukrainians visiting the Chateau de Chenonceau, organised by us.

 

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For details of our private guided tours of chateaux, gardens, wineries, markets and more please visit the Loire Valley Time Travel website. We would be delighted to design a tour for you.

We are also on Instagram, so check us out to see a regularly updated selection of our very best photos. You may also like to check out our YouTube channel. 

Visit the Loire Valley in Spring

The Loire Valley is beautiful in spring, with wisteria, lilac, magnolias, fruit trees and judas trees making the most glorious display. On the ground below them will be daffodils, tulips, primroses, honesty and daisies. We would love to share this fabulous display with you and will make sure any visit to a chateau includes time in the garden.

Tulips at the Chateau de Cheverny.

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For details of our private guided tours of chateaux, gardens, wineries, markets and more please visit the Loire Valley Time Travel website. We would be delighted to design a tour for you.

We are also on Instagram, so check us out to see a regularly updated selection of our very best photos. You may also like to check out our YouTube channel. 

What is the Cuisine of the Loire Valley?

If you are talking about French regional cuisine, it's not enough to talk about Escoffier and sauces. You need to talk about terroir, the notion that food is a product of a matrix of influences including soil, weather, seasons, generations of farming practices and knowledge, genetics, kitchen preparation and cooking. There might be a lot less butter involved than you were expecting...so book a tour with us and find out!

Preparing an eclade of mussels in the garden on a summer evening.

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For details of our private guided tours of chateaux, gardens, wineries, markets and more please visit the Loire Valley Time Travel website. We would be delighted to design a tour for you.

We are also on Instagram, so check us out to see a regularly updated selection of our very best photos. You may also like to check out our YouTube channel.