Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
French and take the throne back from the nasty English. Charles had taken refuge in this
well-fortified castle during the Hundred Years' War, making Chinon France's capital city
during that low ebb in Gallic history.
Visiting the Castle:
The castle has three structures separated by moats. Enter via the
oldest part, the 12th-century Fort Saint-Georges. Crossing a dry moat, you'll land in the
big courtyard of the Château du Milieu; at the far end is Fort Coudray. The fortress comes
with commanding views of the town, river, and châteaustudded countryside.
Follow the arrows through eight stark and stony rooms, enjoying the clever teaching
videos. There's a small museum devoted to the legendary Joan of Arc and her myth, deve-
loped through the centuries to inspire the French to pride and greatness. Chinon—both the
city and the castle—developed as its political importance grew. It was the seat of French
royalty in the 14th century. Most of the stones were quarried directly below the castle and
hauled up through a well. The resulting caverns keep stores of local wine cool to this day.
Wine Sights and Tastings in and near Chinon
Chinon reds are among the most respected in the Loire, and there are a variety of ways to
sample them.
La Cave Voltaire
At the most convenient of Chinon's wine-tasting options, pony-tailed, English-speaking
sommelier Patrice would love to help you learn about his area's wines. He serves inex-
pensive appetizers and has wines from all regions of France—the best, of course, are from
Chinon. It's a good place to come before dinner. The ambience inside is wine-shop cozy,
butthetablesoutsidearehardtoresist(daily10:00-22:00,nearPlaceduGénéraldeGaulle
at 13 Rue Voltaire, tel. 02 47 93 37 68,
www.lacavevoltaire.fr
)
.
Caves Plouzeau
This place offers another opportunity to walk through long, atmospheric
caves
—complete
with mood lighting—that extend under the château to a (literally) cool tasting room and
reasonably priced wines (€6-11/bottle, April-Sept Tue-Sat 11:00-13:00 & 15:00-19:00,
closed Sun-Mon and Oct-March, at the western end of town on 94 Rue Haute St-Maurice,
tel. 02 47 93 16 34,
www.plouzeau.com
).
Caves Painctes
Atthis
cave,
summertravelerscansampleChinonwinesandwalkthroughthecoolquarry
from which stones for the castle and town's houses were cut. This rock (tuff) is soft and
easily quarried, and when exposed to oxygen, it hardens. The
caves
, 300 feet directly be-
low the castle, were dug as the castle was built. Its stones were hauled directly up to the
