Chateau de Villandry and Vouvray Wine Tasting

Now that I am more situated in Tours, I am beginning to take advantage of my weekends. On Saturday, October 16 I went on a visit to the Chateau de Villandry and on Saturday, October 23 I went to Vouvray for a wine tasting. Both of these mini excursions were quite memorable…but in very different ways!

Jenna, Jenny, and I decided to visit the Chateau de Villandry before it was going to get too cold. Villandry is known for its beautiful gardens, so we had to go before they would be taken out. We went on a beautiful fall day; the weather was perfect, there was a cool, brisk breeze, and just enough sun to keep us warm. We decided to take the bus (Fil Vert) to Villandry…the other options were bikes (I am the only one with one), walking (haha), or by car. The bus ride was about 25-30 minutes and took us directly to the chateau. We arrived to Villandry around 10AM so it was well before the rush of tourists…this gave us plenty of time to explore the chateau and gardens leisurely and peacefully.

Here are a handful of photos of our beautiful day at Chateau de Villandry:

Jenny, Miriam, and I planned a Saturday trip to Vouvray.  The area that we are all in is known for its chateaux, but also its wine (almost in the heart of wine country). With this being said, we wanted to head to Vouvray (10 minute bus ride) to do a wine tasting and visit the Chateau de Montoucour-Vouvray.

On the contrary to my visit to Villandry, the weather for my visit to Vouvray was terrible! It was cold and rainy, and I found myself running almost 1.5km in the pouring rain to find a place to stay dry. Jenny, Miriam, and I had not really looked at the weather forecast before our departure…so we forgot the appropriate attire (i.e. umbrellas, raincoats, etc.). We also did not do enough research…because the Chateau de Montoucour-Vouvray is a private chateau (meaning no tours).  We were, however, able to do a wine tasting and visit a wine museum. Both were “OKAY”…

All in all, lessons learned: (1) look at the weather forecast and (2) make sure you do your research well. We will be returning to Vouvray again…because there are a lot of other places to do wine tastings and tours of wineries!

Here is the sole photo that truly captures the day…Miriam and Jenny are soaking wet  from running in the pouring rain and in the distance we can see the Chateau de Montcoutour-Vouvray. Though it is followed by a more cheerful one...food does make EVERYTHING better!

Well, that is all for now! I'm heading back from Paris in a few hours...HAPPY HALLOWEEN! -Alex