Langlois-Chateau Cremant de Loire tasting room ★ 4.5
6 by the glassSaint-Hilaire-Saint-Florent, Saumur
Langlois-Chateau, owned by the Bollinger Champagne house since 1973, is the second of the historic Saumur sparkling producers. Its tasting room at Saint-Hilaire-Saint-Florent pours the Cremant de Loire range and the prestige Quadrille Cuvee, alongside a small still-wine collection.
The list: Sparkling-only tasting room at the Langlois-Chateau house (Bollinger-owned since 1973); flight of Cremant de Loire and Saumur Mousseux
Tip: Quadrille is an age-worthy traditional-method Loire sparkling, bottle-fermented and aged in tuffeau caves for over 36 months. Worth the upgrade in the tasting flight.
Veuve Amiot tasting cellar ★ 4.3
5 by the glassSaint-Hilaire-Saint-Florent, Saumur
Veuve Amiot is the third of the historic Saumur sparkling houses (founded 1884) and runs a tasting room with cellar tour at Saint-Hilaire-Saint-Florent. The flight focuses on traditional-method Saumur and Cremant de Loire, with the Cuvee Royale as the prestige bottling.
The list: Sparkling-only tasting room with a flight of Saumur Brut, Cremant de Loire and the limited Veuve Amiot Cuvee Royale prestige cuvee
Tip: Veuve Amiot is less internationally distributed than Bouvet-Ladubay or Ackerman; cellar-door tasting is the easiest way to access the full range.
La Cremaillere ★ 4.4
25 by the glassTours Vieille Ville
La Cremaillere on the Place Plumereau is one of Tours' longest-running wine bars, with a Loire-heavy by-the-glass programme and a serious bottle list. Late-night Chinon, Bourgueil and Vouvray pours alongside the wider regional range.
The list: Loire-focused list of 200 bottles with 25 by-the-glass pours; Vouvray, Chinon, Saumur-Champigny and Sancerre by the glass nightly
Tip: Order the Loire-around-the-river flight (Pays Nantais, Anjou, Touraine, Centre-Loire) to traverse the four sub-regions in a single sitting.
Le Petit Comptoir ★ 4.5
18 by the glassTours centre
Le Petit Comptoir is the natural-wine pivot of central Tours, with a programme heavy on Touraine and Anjou small growers. By-the-glass Cabernet Franc from Chinon and Saumur-Champigny is the house signature, with the natural-leaning Vouvray and Montlouis whites as alternatives.
The list: Sommelier-driven natural and biodynamic Loire selection; 120 bottles, 18 by-the-glass; emphasis on small Touraine and Anjou growers
Tip: Ask the sommelier for the rotating natural-Cabernet Franc flight; the menu refreshes weekly and includes growers like Roches Neuves and Antoine Sanzay.
Le Loir dans la Theiere wine bar ★ 4.4
12 by the glassTours Vieille Ville
Le Loir dans la Theiere is a caviste-and-wine-bar hybrid in the Tours Vieille Ville, with a curated Loire selection and casual late-evening drinking. The corkage policy is generous (low fee for in-shop bottle consumption) and the food menu is small but cheese-and-charcuterie-perfect.
The list: Independent caviste-bar with 300 bottles for take-away or in-room consumption; 12 by-the-glass; whole-Loire focus from Pays Nantais to Pouilly-Fume
Tip: Buy a bottle from the shop and pay the small corkage to drink it on the spot. The Cremant de Loire selection is one of the best in Tours.
La Cave des Marchands ★ 4.5
20 by the glassSaumur centre
La Cave des Marchands in central Saumur pours the canonical Saumur-Champigny producers (Filliatreau, Roches Neuves, Sanzay) by the glass alongside the local Saumur Brut sparkling. The cellar is in a tuffeau cave at the back of the bar, visible from the seating area.
The list: Saumur and middle-Loire focus; 250 bottles, 20 by-the-glass; Saumur-Champigny verticals nightly
Tip: Ask for the Saumur-Champigny by-the-glass flight; the rotation captures three different growers across the same vintage for a textbook horizontal tasting.