| The Loire
Valley is a wonderful place to explore, and is full
of historical sites. There are dozens of famous
chateaux within an hour of the house, many with fabulous
gardens. We are close to Chenonceau, Blois, Chambord,
Cheverny, Amboise, Villandry and Azay le Rideau, among
others. Valencay, the home of Talleyrand in the
1800s, is a ten minute ride from the house in a lovely
town with a wonderful Tuesday farmers’ market.
Wines:
The Loire also grows many good French wines,
and rides through the rolling countryside hold
many opportunities to stop for tastings. To the east
is the lovely hilltop village of Saucerre, which
has many very good vineyards and restaurants. Nearby
you will find Pouilly Fumé. All through
the center of the Loire we have the wines of Touraine,
easy drinking whites and light reds. Toward
the west there is Chinon, with good reds, Vouvray
where you can taste sweeter wines as well as a sparkling
white that many French will serve instead of champagne.
Food:
The region is also renowned for its “fromage
de chevre” or
goat cheeses, the most famous of which comes from our
closest neighboring town, Selles sur Cher. There
are also Valencay, St. Maure, Billy and others. And,
of course, there is fabulous French cuisine.
Nearby Michelin two-star restaurants – Lion
d’Or
in Romorantin and Bernard Robin in Bracieux – provide
fine dining experiences. Charming restaurants are all around. The local traiteur,
Mme. Berthelot in neighboring Selles sur Cher, can
provide Paris-quality prepared food when you want life
to be simple. The kitchen at the the house has a great
gas stove with grill, and there is an outdoor gas grill…and
there are wonderful local markets with lovely fresh
meat, fish, fruits and vegetables and you have many
choices.
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