Sancerre (place de la Halle)
Sancerre's annual wine fair is held on the Pentecost weekend in the hilltop town centre, with dozens of growers from Sancerre, Bue, Chavignol, Verdigny and surrounding villages pouring the new vintage of Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir. Free entry on Saturday and Sunday with paid commemorative tasting glasses.
Tip: Buy the commemorative tasting glass on arrival, which gives access to all the producer stands. Combine with a walk along the GR3 footpath through the Sancerre slopes to Chavignol (3 km, ~1 hour) for a vineyard hike between the fair stands.
Saumur and surrounding Anjou vineyards
Anjou Velo Vintage is a vintage-bicycle festival staged in and around Saumur, combining period costumes, pre-1987 vintage bicycles, routes through the Saumur tuffeau cellars and the Saumur-Champigny vineyards, and tastings at producer cellars.
Tip: Vintage bikes are required for the headline routes; rental supply is limited so reserve at registration. The 30 km Saumur-Champigny cellar route is the best wine-tasting itinerary of the weekend.
Vouvray (place du Marche)
Vouvray's village harvest festival is the largest annual public event in the appellation. The Chenin Blanc growers of Vouvray, Vernou-sur-Brenne, Reugny, Chancay and Noizay set up tasting stands in the village centre, pouring the full sweetness range (sec, demi-sec, moelleux) and the sparkling Vouvray Brut. The brotherhood (Confrerie des Chevaliers du Tastevin de Vouvray) inducts new members in a traditional ceremony.
Tip: Vouvray's tuffeau cellars cut into the hillside above the village are open during the festival; combine the tasting stands with a free cellar tour. Domaine Huet's cellar door is in the village and runs by-the-glass tastings.
Bourgueil
The Fete des Vins de Bourgueil is the appellation's headline annual gathering, held on 15 August in the Bourgueil town centre since 1977. Several dozen Cabernet Franc producers from Bourgueil and Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil pour the new and library releases alongside the Touraine wine brotherhood.
Tip: Bourgueil and Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil are separate appellations on adjacent gravel terraces; taste both side by side at the fete and decide which Cabernet-Franc profile suits your palate.
Angers (Centre des Congres)
The Salon des Vins de Loire is the Loire's flagship trade tasting, bringing several hundred Loire producers together at the Angers Centre des Congres each February. Pays Nantais to Pouilly-sur-Loire, all major appellations represented; trade and press credentials required.
Tip: Combine the salon with the Levee de la Loire and Demeter Loire satellite tastings the same week for the most efficient Loire-wide assessment of the new vintage.
