Allan Rogers visits France and finds
WINE AND ROSES ON THE LOIR

 

 

 

 

 

On our visit to France we let the train take the strain. Eurostar whisked us from London to Paris and from there we travelled on the TGV. (The Train of Great Speed).

Fields of sunflowers and harvested hay merged as we glided swiftly towards the Vallee du Loir and just 42 minutes after leaving Paris we reached Vendôme.

It is the ‘little’ Loire, the Loir without the "e" where the river is quieter and the chateaux perhaps not quite so grand.

We arrived on the warmest of summer evenings and in time to catch a performance in the town square at la Flèche. It was part of “Les Affranchis, " a street festival that runs during the 2nd week of July. What we lost in the language was made up for in the actions.
The performance included damsels in distress on a rotating tower and battle scenes in which flower bombs were thrown with great gusto.

The town’s cafes were bustling but one of the more lively places to enjoy a drink was in the playground of the local school, which had been transformed for the night and was garnished with coloured light and pulsated with music.


CANOE AND CHATEAU

The next morning we boarded a mini bus towing a trailer load of canoes.
£6 each had bought us a two-hour canoe expedition on the Loir.

Suitably kitted out with life jackets and a waterproof container to keep the cameras dry we were taken upstream and launched into a lazy world where dragonflies skimmed across the water and families picnicked by the riverside.



There was mild excitement as we slid over mini chutes at a couple of weirs. Beyond one we swung our boats round and paddled for the shore to visit the water mill at La Bruère.
Enthusiastic volunteers run the Moulin de La Bruere which is capable of making ‘ice’

At first I found it hard to understand the process but came away appreciating that the French people's ancestors could do great things without new fangled inventions like electricity.

Back in our canoes we drifted downstream enjoying the sound of the wind in the willows, the breeze in the trees and the ripple on the river.

Our aquatic wanderings took us eventually to the Chateau du Lude. The most imposing building along the river it is built on an outcrop with each of its walls presenting an architectural style of a different age. Part of its great charm is that it remains a private family home.

To get a real feel of life in yesteryear you climb down the winding stone stair to the kitchens.
We did and absorbed a little of the atmosphere along with much of the wood smoke from the oven fire.

During the French Revolution The Marquise de Vieuville, (the ancestor of Conte Louis Jean De Nicholay, the present owner,) was popular with the locals and was one of the few aristocrats who managed to ‘keep the head’ when all about her were loosing theirs. Apparently she did not say, “Let them eat cake!”

Which brings us on to food. When you cycle, canoe or walk you certainly work up an appetite and sleep well. The two star Logis de France hotels can be very good, these are family run, and provide typical French country cuisine.
Well with all the paddling and walking you have to keep your strength up!

LITTLE HOUSE
ON THE VINEYARD

Near the little town of La Chartre sur-le-Loire and just beyond the village of Lhomme we called in at Francis’s bar and store.
Francis Nail, a friendly character, sells cider....the price is still in francs. A bottle costs 10F. He uses the calculator to translate the price into Euros and gives small coins in change.
I think Francis likes the old ways and believes in the adage
"If it aint broke dont fix it"
So he preserves the valued things of the past. It was high summer but the clock in the bar was still on winter time.

It was there that we joined up with Henri Boillot who each Sunday leads guided walks through the vineyards. (You can sign up for one at the tourist office at Le Charte )

As we strolled Henri pointed out the entrances to tunnels that had been dug into the hillside. These rock cellars are hewn out of limestone, the same stone as the Loir Chateaux.

It was a hot day and the rows of green vine swept up towards the bluest of skies and a red rose bush in full bloom added to the vibrant colours.

The roses were not there just for decoration. The growers use the bush as a barometer of health for the grape. They come into leaf before the vines and provide an early warning for any treatment that might be needed for mildew.
The new vine shoots need trimming regularly every three weeks but grapes of a different kind hang from the vine above the door of the little cabin used by the workers who tend the plants.
These ones are edible and refreshing.

The picturesque little houses in the vineyards are basic, providing shade in the summer and warmth in the winter for both man and donkey, (not to mention a handy place for lovers meeting.)

Sometimes donkeys are used in the vineyards and Henri told us that on the next Sunday he would be doing the same the same walk but with donkeys. So one could take the trip and explore just like Robert Louis Stephenson did in “Travels with a Donkey”

The high point of the tour, literally, was at a viewing platform on the hill top where we could identify,( with the use of a ceramic a tiled map,) the little towns and churches nestling below in the valley of the Loir.
The tour, which included wine, cost only 7 Euros. At £4.20 it just has to be one of the best travel bargains.


We ended our visit in the cellars tunneled into the hill and were instantly glad of the cool temperature when we were welcomed into a dark cave by Madam Danielle Carterau.

Recesses were stacked with hundreds of bottles, many packed in powdered
limestone. Fungus covered the roof of the cave above some old casks, caused,
we were told, by the alcohol fumes rising from the barrels. The loss of
spirit is called the "Angel's Share.”

It was something that stuck in the mind because as we stooped at an upturned
barrel to sample the glasses of wine, I noticed that one of the girls in our
group had the word "Angel" tattooed in a choice spot. Whether she was one
or not, she certainly seemed to enjoy her 'share'.

report by Allan Rogers

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FACT FILE The Loir valley stretches along the River Loir, from just North of Vendôme across to the outskirts of Angers. 2½ hours from Paris by road 42 minutes by TGV For vineyard tour and other events visit The Tourist office at La Chartre-sur-le-Loire and ask about "Les Diamanches du Loir" Websites: Loir Valley; http://www.loir-valley.com TGV & Eurostar: http://www.raileurope.co.uk One of the great things about buying direct from the grower is that you get quality wine at bargain prices. The Coteaux du Loir from Domaine de la Gaudinère cost only 3.40 Euros a bottle, just over £2.