8 late wine bars in Loire Valley, editor-picked by Cork & Curve. All Loire Valley nightlife.
La Cremaillere ★ 4.4
Tours Vieille Ville · 23 rue de la Rotisserie, 37000 Tours, France
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.
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
Tours centre · 5 place de la Resistance, 37000 Tours, France
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.
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
Tours Vieille Ville · 21 rue du Grand Marche, 37000 Tours, France
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.
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
Saumur centre · 8 rue Beaurepaire, 49400 Saumur, France
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.
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.
Le Bouchon des Quais ★ 4.7
Nantes quais · 3 quai de la Fosse, 44000 Nantes, France
Le Bouchon des Quais on the Nantes waterfront is the city's reference Muscadet wine bar. Twenty Muscadets by the glass, including (in season) all seven Cru Communaux (Clisson, Gorges, Le Pallet, Goulaine, Monnieres-Saint-Fiacre, Chateau-Thebaud, Mouzillon-Tillieres), alongside the standard Sevre et Maine sur lie.
Tip: The all-seven Cru Communaux flight is the rare reference tasting; it is not available year-round but the bar attempts to keep at least four crus open at any time.
La Cigale brasserie wine bar ★ 4.6
Nantes centre · 4 place Graslin, 44000 Nantes, France
La Cigale is the historic 1895 Belle Epoque brasserie of Nantes, listed as a French national monument. Its bar section pours an excellent Muscadet selection alongside a wider Loire and Atlantic-coast wine list.
Tip: La Cigale fills early; the bar section accepts walk-ins without reservation. Pair with the brasserie oyster plate for the classic Nantes pairing.
Le Favori ★ 4.6
Angers centre · 16 rue Saint-Laud, 49100 Angers, France
Le Favori on rue Saint-Laud is one of Angers' most serious wine bars, with an Anjou-Saumur focus and a natural-wine list that includes Marc Angeli, Olivier Cousin and the wider Anjou natural circle.
Tip: Le Favori's natural-Anjou flight rotates monthly. The bar fills during the Salon des Vins de Loire week in early February; book ahead.
Le Clos Saint-Paul ★ 4.5
Sancerre town centre · 5 rue Saint-Andre, 18300 Sancerre, France
Le Clos Saint-Paul in Sancerre town centre is the local cellar-and-bar where Sancerre growers gather after the day's tastings. The list is single-village heavy (Chavignol, Bue, Verdigny) and offers the rare chance to taste Sancerre rouge Pinot Noir by the glass alongside the whites.
Tip: Ask for the Chavignol-Bue-Verdigny by-the-glass flight; comparing the three soil types (Caillottes, Terres Blanches, Silex) side by side is the best Sancerre tasting in town.