Chateau de Rochecotte bar ★ 4.4
8 by the glassSaint-Patrice, near Bourgueil
Chateau de Rochecotte, the former estate of Princess Dorothee de Dino (Talleyrand's mistress), sits in vineyards above the Loire near Bourgueil. The candle-lit bar in the stone-vaulted basement pours the Bourgueil and Chinon range alongside Vouvray and Saumur Brut.
The list: Chateau hotel wine list of 200 bottles with Bourgueil and Chinon emphasis; 8 by-the-glass; candle-lit stone-vaulted bar
Tip: Combine an evening at the bar with a stay in the chateau for the next day's Bourgueil cellar visits; the bar gives easy access to wines from estates a kilometre away.
Hotel de l'Univers bar lounge ★ 4.7
12 by the glassTours centre
Hotel de l'Univers, Tours' grand 19th-century hotel near the train station, has a wood-panelled wine lounge that serves as the city's most established evening wine-drinking address. The aged Vouvray moelleux vertical (going back to 1947 vintages in the rare-wine cellar) is the house signature.
The list: Grand-hotel wine lounge with 300 bottles; whole-Loire range; 12 by-the-glass; aged Vouvray moelleux vertical
Tip: Aged Vouvray moelleux is poured by the glass at premium prices; the 1947 and 1959 vintages have appeared in recent rotations. Book in advance for the rare-wine programme.
Domaine des Hauts de Loire lounge bar ★ 4.7
15 by the glassOnzain (Touraine)
Domaine des Hauts de Loire is a Relais et Chateaux property in a 19th-century hunting lodge between Tours and Blois. The lounge bar pours one of the deepest Touraine wine lists in the region, alongside the property's two-Michelin-star restaurant cellar.
The list: Relais et Chateaux wine lounge with 400 bottles; Touraine, Cheverny, Vouvray and Sancerre vertical range; 15 by-the-glass
Tip: The lounge bar opens to non-residents but reservations are advised. The Cheverny and Cour-Cheverny sections of the list are unusually deep for a non-AOC restaurant.
Le Saint-Laurent ★ 4.5
18 by the glassAngers Saint-Laurent
Le Saint-Laurent on the place Saint-Laurent in Angers is a wine-and-cocktail lounge with an Anjou biodynamic wine list at its heart. Coulee de Serrant, Domaine Mosse, Domaine Patrick Baudouin and Ferme de la Sansonniere all appear by the glass in rotation.
The list: Wine-and-cocktail lounge with Anjou wine focus; 150 bottles, 18 by-the-glass; biodynamic Anjou list
Tip: The biodynamic-Chenin Blanc focus is the unique angle; on a Friday or Saturday evening expect a wait without a reservation.
Hotel Loire Valley Lodges lounge ★ 4.5
12 by the glassEsvres (Touraine)
Loire Valley Lodges is a contemporary tree-canopy hotel near Tours with a glass-walled forest-view lounge bar. The wine list emphasises Loire natural wine alongside the standard appellation range, and the lounge serves until midnight with a tapas-style food menu.
The list: Forest-canopy hotel lounge with 180 bottles; Loire and natural-wine focus; 12 by-the-glass
Tip: The hotel's all-suite tree-canopy lodges are a unique stay; the lounge is open to non-residents but only by booking ahead due to limited evening seating.
La Vinotheque de Touraine (fortified collection) ★ 4.3
12 by the glassTours centre
La Vinotheque de Touraine is a caviste-and-tasting-bar with one of the broadest fortified and VDN selections in the region. The collection includes Pineau des Charentes (the Cognac-must blend), French vermouth and a small selection of VDNs from Roussillon and Beaumes-de-Venise.
The list: Caviste-bar with a deep Pineau des Charentes, vermouth and VDN selection alongside the main Loire range; tastings by reservation
Tip: Ask for the Pineau des Charentes flight; Cognac-region fortified is the natural spirits cross-over from a Loire visit.