La Deferlante ★ 4.4
14 by the glassTours Vieille Ville
La Deferlante on rue de la Monnaie in Tours combines a natural-wine list (Touraine and Anjou-heavy) with a vinyl record programme. The wine selection is short but exceptional: Domaine de la Garreliere, Olivier Lemasson, and other Touraine natural-wine growers by the glass.
The list: Natural-wine bar with vinyl programme; 100 bottles, 14 by-the-glass; Touraine and Anjou natural-wine focus
Tip: The bar's Saturday vinyl sets draw a young Tours crowd; weekday evenings are quieter and better for wine-focused conversation.
Chateau de Saumur hotel bar (Hotel Anne d'Anjou) ★ 4.6
15 by the glassSaumur quais
Hotel Anne d'Anjou's wine bar on the Saumur quais offers a candle-lit setting under the chateau walls, with the Loire flowing past the terrace. The wine list is Saumur-Champigny-heavy with verticals back ten or fifteen years from the major producers.
The list: Hotel bar list of 200 bottles with deep Saumur-Champigny vertical; 15 by-the-glass; candle-lit setting facing the Loire
Tip: Reserve a terrace table at dusk for the sunset view over the Loire. The Saumur-Champigny library cuvees by the glass rotate monthly.
Domaine de la Tortiniere bar ★ 4.5
10 by the glassVeigne (15 minutes south of Tours)
Domaine de la Tortiniere is a Relais et Chateaux property in a Napoleon III chateau south of Tours, with a stone-vaulted bar facing the parkland. The candle-lit setting, log fire in winter, and serious Touraine wine list make it an evening destination for non-resident wine drinkers.
The list: Chateau hotel wine list of 250 bottles; Touraine focus with Vouvray, Montlouis, Chinon and Bourgueil verticals; 10 by-the-glass
Tip: Non-residents are welcome at the bar but call ahead in high season. The chateau's grounds are walkable for an aperitif stroll before dinner.
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.