THE LOIRE - France 2014 - page 551

Near Amboise
Wine-Tasting in Vouvray
In the nearby town of Vouvray, 10 miles toward Tours from Amboise, you'll find wall-
to-wall opportunities for wine-tasting (but less impressive vineyards than in other parts of
France). From Amboise you can take the speedy D-952 there, or joyride on the more ap-
pealing D-1 (see map on here ) . Here are two top choices for testing the local sauce:
The big Cave des Producteurs is a smart place to start. It has an English-speaking
staff, English-language tours of the winery, and a good selection from the 25 producers
they represent, including wines from other Loire areas (free wine-tasting, cellar tour-€2,
daily mid-May-mid-Sept 9:00-19:00, mid-Sept-mid-May 9:00-12:30 & 14:00-19:00, cel-
lar tours in English at 11:30, 14:30, and 16:30—but call ahead to confirm, tel. [phone]
03, www.cp-vouvray.com ). It's just west of Vouvray in Rochecorbon. Go past the smaller
CavedesProducteursoutletyou'llseealongD-952inVouvray,turnwhenyouseetheblue
signs to Moncontour , then follow the small brown signs to Cave des Producteurs.
Foramoreintimateexperience,dropby Marc Brédif, whereyou'llfindatop-quality
selectionofVouvraywines,aswellasredwinesfromChinonandBourgeuil.Youcanalso
tourtheirimpressive1.2milesofcellarsdugintothehillside(freewine-tasting,cellartour-
€6,Mon-Fri9:00-13:00&14:00-18:00,Sat10:30-13:00&14:00-18:00,Sun10:30-13:00,
tel. [phone], www.deladoucette.net ) . Coming from Amboise, you'll pass it on
D-952 after Vouvray; it's on the right, just after the Moncontour turn-off.
For tips on wine-tasting, see “French Wine-Tasting 101” on here .
ZooParc de Beauval
If you need a zoo fix, this is France's biggest and most impressive one, with thousands
of animals from the land and sea. It's about 30 minutes southeast of Amboise toward
Vierzon—pick up details at the TI (daily from 9:00 to dusk, tel. [phone],
www.zoobeauval.com ) .
Sleeping in Amboise
Amboise is busy in the summer, but there are lots of reasonable hotels and chambres
d'hôtes in and around the city; the TI can help with reservations (for a €3 fee).
In the Town Center
$$$ Le Manoir les Minimes**** is a good place to experience the refined air of château
lifeina17th-centurymansion,withantiquefurnitureandpreciousartobjectsinthepublic
spaces. Its 15 large, modern rooms work for those seeking luxury digs in Amboise (tall