Picnic in the Vines - A Unique Loire Wine Experience

Unique and Intimate vineyard experience

A very personalized experience. Not your typical wine tasting set up. You really get to understand the challenges and triumphs of running a family business in a historic setting. The lunch was hearty and delicious. Highlight of our trip to Loire Valley.

Best way to experience Loire Valley wines!

We were 3 couples looking for a special experience in the Loire Valley. We found it with Sebastian and Darcy at chateaux de petit thouars. A very personal tour of the property, vineyards and caves. Coupled with tastings of their fine organic wines. Finished with a hearty french lunch of pates cheeses house-made salads dessert. A perfect way to spend an afternoon!

Wonderful Experience

We had a lovely experience! Sebastian was wonderful! He gave us a delightful tour of his family estate and Vineyard. We learned tons of history and so much about making wine ! Their wine is wonderful. And we had a lovely private picnic. I cannot recommend this tour enough.

Informative and passionate

Informative and passionate are just a few words to describe our host Darcy, whose husbands family has owned this Chateaux for over 600 years. You could tell this tour was delivered from the heart and not just some employee going through the process. From the start, the history of the family and Chateaux, the tour of the vineyard and detailed description of producing and harvesting of the grapes, the tour of the subterranean caves, tasting of 5 of the family's wines and ending with an absolutely beautiful picnic in a lovely secluded and shaded spot. The whole event was faultless and topped off by meeting the family cat "Biscuit"

A great experience

Wonderful experience, fantastic & knowledgeable host (Darcy). Worth every penny. Great wines, excellent lunch, came away with a case of wine

Great wine experience in small vineyard.

Great experience. The owner and wine maker answered all questions and gave a great history on the chateau as well as an education on the wine region. Wonderful tour and great picnic lunch in the vineyard!

Wonderful tour of vineyard, wine cave and tasting. Then a lovely picnic in an idyllic setting.

We loved the tour of the property and the information about the family winemaking tradition. The tour of the wine cave was very interesting. The wine tasting was fun and then we had our private picnic which was amazing. Wine was wonderful, food was excellent and the location was fabulous.

Amazing!

Nice and insightful tour including information about the château, vineyards, wine making and cellars. Afterwards there is a tasting with 5 wines and an amazing picknuck lunch afterwards. The price and quality are very good and overall it was above our expectations!

Best Château and Wine Tour in Chinon with Charming Sebastian

We were delighted with our flawless experience at the Château du Petit Thouars with Sebastian and his wonderful family. The grounds are impeccable and Sebastian runs an excellent and impressive wine operation. Further, the wine itself was terrific, the tour was informative and enjoyable, and we learned much valuable history about the property, the vinery, and the château. We particularly recommend the picnic in the vines, which followed our vinery tour. Sebastian and his family prepared homemade salads, charcuterie, and a pie for our group, making us feel at home and part of his extended family. This is truly the best château and wine tour in Chinon. Merci beaucoup Sebastian et ta famille!

Beautiful winery tour and picnic lunch

Lovely experience. Beautiful old chateau. Family run. Delicious picnic lunch. Nice environment. Really enjoyed our time

Go for it, it was great.

George, the owner (a Count by all accounts), gave us a very nice, informal and informative tour. The white wine was excellent and so were the other selection of wines during the tasting. The followed picnic was with food of excellent quality and local products, as well as a nice bottle of wine in a secluded place. Definitely was a great experience and highly recommended.

A tour to be recommended

Our host, Sebastien, who is the owner of the property was knowledgable and enthusiastic about his wines. He was also proud of the fact that his family had owned the property for over 400 years although the vineyard had gone out of production for some time before his father replanted the red Cabernet Franc vines some 30 years ago and then the white Chenin Blanc vines 13 years ago. Sebastien had planted a further two hectares of white vines vines four years ago and these vines were being tended in an approved eco-friendly way. Our tour consisted of six people and was conducted in English. After setting the scene we moved to inspect the two plantings of white grapes but, in view of the excessive heat, no one wanted to stay outside longer than necessary so we moved fairly quickly to the caves which were exactly that, natural caves in the cliffs for which the region is famous. They make an ideal situation for wine storage and aging. After our visit to the caves we went to the chateau to taste a sparkling rose, a white and two reds of varying vintages. The wines were overall of good quality with the sparkling rose deserving a special mention. We then moved on to the picnic in the chateau grounds. The site was on the side of a hill with splendid views across a tree-covered valley to open farmland several miles away. Truly delightful. The Picnic was fairly basic with two types of pate, cheese and an excellent tarte plus, of course, a red wine from the chateau which was a perfect accompaniment to the meal. The tour lasted about three hours. Overall an excellent tour with Sebastien providing an enthusiastic and knowledgeable insight into the property.

Nice wine tasting on family estate

Interesting to know how they make organic wine. This family business is established for centuries and they are very passioned about what they do.

Great Experience

The tour was interesting and the owner was very kind and answered any question. The wine and picnic were great. Would absolutely recommend. The Chateau cat, Biscuit, was an added bonus.

A lovely way to experience French hospitality!

This tour, tasting and picnic at Chateau du Petit Thouars turned out to be one of our favorite activities during our trip to France in early May. We began with a walk in the vineyards and through the underground wine cellar with Darcy. She spoke beautiful English and French and we learned so much about the growing of organic grapes and the wine making process. We then met her husband at the barn where he explained to us the variety of their wines and gave a tasting of several that they produce. Next each couple was led separately to a secluded picnic spot overlooking the vineyards where we found our own table set with a pretty cloth and china plates. The picnic food was truly fabulous and was accompanied by a bottle of wine. We were invited to take with us the food and wine we couldn't finish and we enjoyed it as our dinner that night in the garden of the B & B where we were staying in Chinon. This remains a unique and very special travel memory for us and we recommend it highly.

Picnic in a vineyard

Lovely afternoon…walk around the grounds, chateau and vineyards learning about the history of the estate, followed by a tour of their cellars and wine tasting / picnic - loved their sparkling rose! Thoroughly enjoyed the experienced and recommend to anyone in the area.

Excellent - would highly recommend

This was an absolutely lovely experience which I would highly recommend. There were a group for just 6 of us which made for a lovely personal experience. We had a walk around the vines learning about how they grow and are maintained. This was followed by a wine tasting, then each couple was led to a small area by the vines for the picnic. Darcy and Sebastien obviously had gone to a lot of trouble with a beautiful setting, wonderful food and some wine it really was lovely and intimate.

Great idea for a gift. Good value for money. Highly recommend.

Really nice location. Warm welcome. Nice tour around the vineyards, followed by tasting some lovely wine. The picnic was amazing. Plenty of food. Good quality products. Overall really good experience and great value for money

Loire highlight.

I can’t think of a more enjoyable experience than we had at Le Petit Thouars today. The weather was perfect which helps but the tour of the vineyard and the cellars was so interesting and the picnic was the icing on the cake. If you’re going here don’t go to Thouars. The château is 20 Kms away at St Germain sur Vienne.

Great picnic

Sebastian was a delightful host: informative, kind, and engaging. We loved learning about the almost 4 centuries the chateau has been in his family and how that impacts his precious party of five today. The homemade tomato salad and carrot salad as well as meat, bread, goat cheese, dessert, and of course wine! Made for a fabulous picnic. We would highly recommend, and we do not give false praise!

Wonderful!

Amazing experience, very educating, wonderful place and great wines!!! The picnic in the vines was memorable.

Super

The owner of the vineyard was exceptional in his explanation of everything to do with his vineyard and winery. You could tell he loved what he does.

Wonderful Day

Picnic in the vines was one of the highlights of our 2 week trip in France!! From the history of the family chateau to the wine tasting and wonderful picnic lunch out in the vineyard it all was amazing!! Thank you for sharing your story and wine Sebastian!!

Relaxing tour

The arrangement is just perfect. We did have a great time to enjoy the vineyard visit as well as the picnic. The wine tasting session is also very interesting. Will definitely introduce friends to visit there.

Lovely introduction to the Loire Valley!!

Sebastian was a wonderful informative host. We toured the vineyard and tasted a variety of wines from his small family vineyard, they were very good! Our lunch was plentiful and delicious. I would highly recommend this experience!

Not to be missed !

An absolutely fantastic visit. Very interesting and informative. The picnic in the vines was an absolute highlight of our holiday. I would recommend this visit to anyone and am thinking of a way to visit again !

Wonderful experience!

We really loved our visit to the chateau. It was great to see and hear all about the vineyard and then sample the wonderful wines produced. We are excited to take lots home with us! Our picnic was delicious too, thank you for such a lovely memorable experience.

A wonderful experience!

We had a wonderful time touring the vineyard and learning more about the wine making process at this charming chateau. After having the chance to taste several different wines, we ended our time with a lovely, private picnic at a table nestled in the trees surrounding the vineyard. Simply delightful.

Exceptional afternoon activity with great hosts

Great afternoon at a lovely chateau. Getting a behind the scenes look at the vineyards and cellars while learning about a small wine producer was an enlightening experience. Was especially interested in hearing about their newer planting of Chenin grapes to produce white wines. Sebastian was very knowledgable in explaining the different wines produced as well as the climatic impacts on the differences between the vintages. Excellent tasting followed by picnic in a quiet and shaded area. In particular loved the carrot salad. Added several quality and affordably priced wines to our collection. Highly recommended for a unique afternoon in the Loire.

Picnic in the vines - amazing

What a great few hours spent in a lovely setting learning about the history of the chateau and the making of the wines. We had a lovely walk in the vineyards followed by a tour of the cellars before enjoying a wonderful picnic in a picturesque setting. So much attention to detail. What a wonderful experience.

Perfect day out!

Absolutely beautiful Château for the backdrop of a wonderful experience ! We had a fabulous time learning about the winery and all the hard work which is involved. A fantastic wine tasting session with our host Sébastien, full of knowledge obviously passed down through his family generations. D’Arcy was charming and took us to the vines and provided a great lunch. A thoroughly recommended trip out, with an insight of a current family vineyard producing excellent wines! Thank you both so much and see you in September to collect my L’Amiral

Highlight of the...

Highlight of the excursion was enjoying the delicious terrine, tomatoes, bread and wine in a secluded picnic area. Sebastian George was a wonderful host.

Friendly and welcoming tour with delicious picnic under the trees

Beautiful chateau, highly informative and fascinating tour of the winery and a delicious selection of food consumed under the shade of the trees afterwards. The hosts and owners of the Chateau were really friendly and welcoming. We came away with some very reasonably-priced wine too!

Great time spent getting to know a modern version of a chateau!

Wonderful experience getting to explore a real Chateau that a family is trying hard to keep in the family. George is a great host and so very knowledgeable. Picnic was very good (each group gets a private spot) with amazing local cheese and meats.

Great tour to learn winemaking process at authentic small winery

As wine drinkers but not experts this tour worked for us. Sebastian explained his vines, the harvesting and wine making process in quite some detail and was happy to answer the many questions he got from the English and French speaking guests on the tour. We saw the vines, cellars including vats and barrels and learnt some interesting history on his beautiful chateau and grounds. There were 8 of us on the tour - a French family of 4 an American couple and us 2 Brits. We then had 6 wines to taste from his production and finished with a simple but delicious picnic lunch (inside as there were thunderstorms around). We didn’t finish the lunch but packed the leftovers (including 1/2 bottle of wine) up to take back to hotel with us. I need to add Sebastian’s daughter (about 4 or 5 years old) charmed us while we waited for the tour to start - if she chooses to follow her Father in the business then the future looks very secure.

Great afternoon

Excellent tour and great picnic. Owners were very friendly anf knowledgeable. We had a really good time.

Superb!

Not one to be missed! We had a wonderful morning visiting this vineyard. George is a great host, he made the tour very interesting with his knowledge and humour. The picnic was plentiful and delicious, accommodating my daughter separately as she is expecting. All set in a beautiful location. George was a great host however his daughter Alex stole the show… showing us to our table. All in all I would highly recommend.

An enjoyable experience

We recently enjoyed a visit to Chateau du Petit Thouars during our trip to the Loire Valley. D’Arcy took us on a tour of the vines giving us an insight into life at the vineyard. We then visited the cellars and this followed with some wine tasting in the courtyard. Our picnic was very tasty and a relaxed affair overlooking the vines. Her true passion and knowledge for wine making shone through and gave us a wonderful insight into the year as a wine producer. And the wines were good! Thank you D’Arcy for a truly memorable experience.

An authentic, family-owned wine chateau experience

Sebastian, the owner of this chateau, was charming, knowledgeable, and very fun to listen to! The "picnic in the vines" was a memorable experience, good food and an excellent bottle of his wine which paired nicely. We heartily recommend this chateau!

Wonderful Country Lunch, in the grounds of The Chateau.

Wonderful Family ,Estate Château with Vineyard tour and lunch in a lovely country setting. Highly recommend.

Intimate tour and tasting experience!

Amazing experience! The couple that owns this chateau are lovely people and very welcoming. The wine was delicious, and the food was fantastic. I’ve been on several tours of vineyards in Italy and France and this was my favorite by far. Also their cat Biscuit was so sweet. Extremely informative, thorough and beautiful property.

Wonderful experience

Wonderful experience!! The owner is very knowledgeable!! Wine is wonderful!! Lunch was great!! The chateau is beautiful!!

Not worth the money

We arrived 20 mins early after travelling for hours to get here. We were received with a rude welcome of "who are you" then "you are early." We were told to walk over to the blue door and have lunch first. We went inside and saw a table set up. We sat down in a dirty smelly room with mould on the windows and ceiling. Food was brought in plastic containers and with plastic wrap attached. We served ourselves. I went to use the toilet to find dirt all on the toilet and the door would not shut. We felt dirty. We decided to leave and knocked on the door of the castle and stood in the rain while the owner sheltered inside explaining that we were very disappointed and felt this was not worth the $100 EUR we had paid. The castle is in terrible disrepair and the owners have no idea about hospitality, how to serve guests. They should not be receiving guests they are not ready!! Not worth the money charged.

Highlight of our trip to the Loire valley

This was the highlight of our trip to the Loire Valley. The family were charming, the chateaux is full of history within the same family and the wine & food were amazing. Cannot recommend highly enough

Highly recommended

Beautiful location, it was great to meet the proprietor and hear about her story. Very personal experience.

Lovely Day

This was a lovely excursion. We biked from Chinon, pushed our bikes up the final hill, had a tour of the vines and caves, had a tasting, then a great picnic lunch. Highly recommended!

Perfect Wine Picnic day

Amazing experience. Exactly what we were looking for with the wine tasting and picnic lunch at a family owned castle.

Perfect day in a French winery!

This was the best experience of our trip! The host couple is so accommodating and share so much great information on the tour! The lunch is especially wonderful and the setting is gorgeous. Worth every penny!

Disaster averted

The visit got off to a poor start as our hosts hadn’t checked our booking, which was made on the Sunday prior to the Wednesday visit - they looked a bit startled when we arrived as they were having lunch! However, after the initial hiccup, Sebastian rearranged his afternoon to accommodate our booking, averting a disaster for us as we had travelled for 2 hours to get there! He gave us a lovely and informative tour, including the family history of the château. The dovecote and caves were amazing. Sebastian was happy to share his knowledge about caring for the vines and the impact of weather on the harvest. The wine tasting was lovely, a first for us and Sebastian was patient and guided us through the process expertly. Followed by an indoor picnic as rain threatened and thunder rumbled. Really enjoyable.

Excellent experience !

Everything was wonderful! I learned so much and the wine was great! Lunch was great too! The scenery was beautiful!