Tours is a land of castles and kings, with religion deeply entwined in it’s history… and here we are in an AIrBNB booked beside the Saint-Gatien Cathedral, an incredible masterpiece of gothic art. Now when I say beside I mean literally right next door.. every room looks directly, and up close at the Cathedral… it’s breathtaking.
Obviously the first place we visit is the Cathedral, building began in the 13th century and it opened in 1547, it took a long time to build with a variety of issues from the 100 years war to fires, but in true French style it led a local saying for not yet being “not until the cathedral is finished”. The final product is breathtaking in its size, scale, architecture and craftsmanship. The skill, expertise and knowledge to build the Cathedral is mind blowing… stunning stained glass windows each telling a tale, the majestic vaults of the nave and an intricately sculpted façade are a sight to behold.
Taking a step even further back in time we discover the Basilique Saint-Martin de Tours, it’s built over the tomb of Saint Martin who was the third Bishop of Tours, dying in 397. He was a hermit monk lured to Tours by the people under the ruse of helping a sick person. That person never existed and when he arrived, they took him to the church and made him Bishop… little unorthodox but it worked! Apparently, he’s one of Europe’s favourite Saints and celebrations of his feast day on 11th November are celebrated widely We actually went to the Martinimarkt in Bad Honnef, Germany earlier in the trip and I thought it was a martini market… that’s another story but it all suddenly made sense!
Being Christmas time, the town is illuminated with dazzling lights, there’s a number of charming markets, carols are broadcast over speakers on the street corners… it’s quaint, festive and utterly delightful. Off Rue Nationale the Christmas market at the Loire kicks off with a ferris wheel, roasted chestnuts and boiling pots of hot wine. It’s impossible not to feel festive!
I’ve booked a Loire Valley Wines Private Day Tour with Tastings and lunch; Claire arrives promptly and before we’ve even started, she gives us an incredible insight into the Cathedral and our apartment. She can’t believe we’re staying there, as unbeknown to us, it’s the site of the original Roman amphitheatre built over in time gone by, but you can see the seats/benches of where it originally was if you have access to the building (I check later and she’s right)!
Claire’s knowledge of the region is truly amazing so it’s a great opportunity to get a real insight into the history of Tours. The amount of information she imparts over the course of the day is incredible and has really made us appreciate the area so much more – Kings, castles, Saints, churches, wives, mistresses… it’s better than anything on Netflix!
The first winery is Chateau Gaudrelle. It’s small, built into the rock with about 50 acres of vineyards producing Vouvray white wine. It’s an interesting tour which includes a look at the back end of production and the wine vats, barrels and clay pots… a first for us was the glass one-way valves filled with water that gurgled away. Our host was hilarious, loved to swear and used ‘bloody’ once she discovered we were Australian… a real gem but more impressive was her knowledge of the wine, the processes and their product – it was interesting and informative on top of being entertaining.
Chateau de Miniere is the second vineyard, located in the heart of the Bourgueil AOC region, Chinon. The Belgium owner, Kathleen Van den Berghe, also has another vineyard, the only Grand Cru in the Loire Valley. Château de Suronde.
Chateau de Miniere has been renovated is available for rent, the grounds are lush and green, with 29 hectares of vines, the oldest being just over 100 years. Here we have lunch served off the tasting room, it’s simple chicken pie, a salad and cake dessert, and then on to the tasting. Cabernet Franc is the grape here so the wines are roses and reds, though the Bulles Blanc de Noir is a nice dry sparkling. The Rouge de Minière was simple, light and fruity. On whole the wine is nice, not outstanding but nice. It felt like there was a lack of wine knowledge and the vineyard but it may have been due to our lack of French.
Our final visit was at Domaine Pierre Sourdais. I’m still not sure what to make of this. Pierre showed us through the caves he’s dug out in winter, and turned into cellars, over the last 30 years. It’s an amazing feat and he says it’s all about his passion for family (he’s dedicated it to his only grandson). There’s no question it’s admirable but takes a lot away from the wine making and vinicultural we were there to see. The actual wine tasting was average and uninspired, unlike the work he’s put in underneath us. It seems awful to call it out, but when you’re one wine tour it’s the wine you’re focused on.
One thing that I have found in France, whether in Paris or out in the country side, is the need to make a reservation. I’ve used the Fork app consistently which has proved a godsend. In Tours, I booked dinner at Le Bistrot des Belles Caves, on the back of some great reviews and it did not disappoint. The waitstaff were superb, an admirable wine list and one hell of a Cote de Bouef! At 900gm of meat, we decided to share the scallops, they were superb, fresh and juicy. The beef was served on a stone plate, and carved at the table, it was moist, tender and delicious, accompanied by an outstanding béarnaise sauce and potatoes. The maître d’ suggested the beef be served rare, seeing my hesitation he added if I was not happy he’d slice some for me and take it back to be seared. True to his word, and with my apologises to the chef, he did this and the steak came back cooked to perfection. The red wine was from Languedoc, 2016 Mas Jullien Terrasses du Larzac, perfect with the Cote de Bouef.
We also ate at Le Bistrot D’Odile , a cosy bistro, well decorated with velvet booths and abstract paintings. The menu and the wine list are both simple but very reasonably priced. First up, an entrée of scallops carpaccio and passion berry and fried with jerusalem artichokes and spicy breton curry – a beautifully presented dish with a hot and cold part, both equally delicious. The fish of the day was haddock and superbly cooked, it melted in my mouth and was served with a delicate combination of artichokes, roasted cauliflower with seaweed butter and squid ink pasta. For Kerry the veal flank steak with fries, salad and green pepper juice – that too was simple but truly tasty. Finishing with the trolley of cheese I asked for their selection which was a divine mixture of cow and goats’ cheese, both soft and hard. An unpretentious bistro that really delivered food above and beyond what we were expecting, and the general ambience of the dining room and wait staff were equally impressive.
In the old town, thetimber-framed houses are beautiful, especially around the lively Place Plumereau . This timber-framed architecture was due to the lower costs of building, the more beams used showed an increase in wealth. Having said that the prestigious Chateaux were built using the local tufa stone. This was carved out of the hillsides which in turn produced troglodytes caves. Today these are used as wine caves, cellars and holiday homes all held in high regard!
Tours was a surprise in so many ways, the architecture, the religion, and of course, the produce, both food and wine. It’s a region that’s the heart and soul of France, it’s history and it’s future. There’s so much more to explore!
