Bouvet-Ladubay Cellars and Tasting Room ★ 4.6
Bouvet-Ladubay troglodyte cellars in Saint-Hilaire-Saint-Florent, founded 1851. Eight kilometres of tufa galleries, methode traditionnelle production hall and tasting room.
Tasting Rooms in Saint-Hilaire-Saint-Florent, Saumur
Ackerman 1811 Cellars ★ 4.5
Sparkling-wine house founded 1811 by Jean-Baptiste Ackerman, with three kilometres of tufa cellars and contemporary art alongside the riddling racks.
Langlois-Chateau Tasting Cellars ★ 4.4
Cremant de Loire specialist owned by Champagne Bollinger since 1973. Tufa galleries, riddling and disgorgement halls finish with a Quadrille and Cremant range tasting.
Wine Schools in Saint-Hilaire-Saint-Florent, Saumur
Bouvet-Ladubay Wine School ★ 4.4
Bouvet-Ladubay in-house wine school inside the tufa cellars, covering methode traditionnelle from base-wine assemblage to disgorgement plus a personalised blending workshop.
Wine Experiences in Saint-Hilaire-Saint-Florent, Saumur
Bouvet-Ladubay Sparkling Wine Masterclass ★ 4.5
Methode traditionnelle masterclass at Bouvet-Ladubay's tufa cellars covering base-wine assemblage, secondary fermentation, riddling and disgorgement of Saumur sparkling.
Bouvet-Ladubay Underground Bicycle Cellar Tour ★ 4.5
Self-paced bicycle tour through eight kilometres of Bouvet-Ladubay's underground tufa galleries, with route signage on methode traditionnelle and a tasting at the visitor cellar.
Nightlife in Saint-Hilaire-Saint-Florent, Saumur
Bouvet-Ladubay evening tuffeau cellar tour ★ 4.6
Bouvet-Ladubay runs evening guided tours of its 8 km of tuffeau cellars during summer (June through September), with a four-cuvee Saumur sparkling flight at the end. The tour is bike-friendly (open guided tours by underground cycling) and the cellar atmosphere is dramatic by lantern light.
The list: Evening guided tour of 8 km of tuffeau caves with Saumur Brut and Saphir Brut tasting flight; reservations required
Tip: Evening cellar tours sell out a month in advance during summer high season. Book through the Bouvet-Ladubay website; the bicycle-cave tour covers around 8 km of the cellar network.
Ackerman Cremant tasting room ★ 4.5
Ackerman, a Saumur sparkling house founded by Jean-Baptiste Ackerman in 1811, runs a dedicated Cremant tasting room in its tuffeau cellars. The flight covers Cremant de Loire Brut and the Saumur Brut range alongside a single rose Cremant.
The list: Sparkling-only tasting room at the Ackerman house, oldest Saumur sparkling producer (founded 1811); flight of Cremant de Loire and Saumur Brut cuvees
Tip: Combine with the underground cellar tour for the full Saumur sparkling experience. The Ackerman cuvees are bottle-aged in the tuffeau caves for at least nine months.
Langlois-Chateau Cremant de Loire tasting room ★ 4.5
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
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.