THE VINEYARD TRAIL

Make your tastebuds sing. With its 15,000 hectares, ideally situated at the mouth of the Loire Valley, between land and sea, the greatest garden of Nantes offers a whole range of wines, including the famous Muscadet. Light and fresh, the white wine is wonderful with fish, seafood, white meat...

The Nantes vineyard trail will take you through captivating countryside with gentle slopes striped with vines, its great church bells and its waterways; Loire, Sèvre, Maine, Lac de Grandlieu.

Lightness, freshness and intensity are characteristics of the muscadet wine. Stemming from the unique melon de Bourgogne' grape, muscadet  is a regional appellation named after the vines of 3 appellations: the Sèvre et Maine' produced around Vertou, Le Loroux-Bottereau, Vallet, Clisson et Aigrefeuille-sur-Maine; the Coteaux de la Loire' produced on both sides of the river near Ancenis, and the Côte de Grandlieu' produced around the lake itself.

Gros Plant is a dry and lively white wine, pleasant to drink young. Its 'folle blanche' grape first appeared in the 16th century. It is one of the first wines from Nantes to become popular in the northern European countries.

 

Muscadet sur Lie is a method of wine-making entirely specific to the vineyards of Nantes. During the winter, the wine settles on the fermenting sediment, in the spring it is drawn off straight from the barrel. This technique allows the aroma to impregnate the wine and for it to tingle on the tongue with a 'ripple.'
This method of wine-making is particular to the vineyards around Nantes, it was officially recognised in 1977 and is subject to strict production rules. Muscadet wine is bottled from 1st March to 30 th November.

Muscadet "Haute Expression"
This recent appellation was awarded by the wine professionals and covers wines produced in best years and from the richest soil. An impressioned know-how and strict procedures (wine-production, land selection, its yield...) has released new savours. Muscadet "Haute Expression" improves with four to five years maturing which gives it a fullness and roundness, with an evolved flavour and complexity evoking minerals and dried or candied ripe fruits.

To note: the Nantes vineyards make up the largest in France,  having 750 wine producers and 20 wine merchants. 

In Clisson, the Château is a beautiful medeival romantic ruin, attracting painters and sculptors.
Close to Clisson , in Gétigné, the domaine de la Garenne-Lemot is a picturesque park on the banks of the Sèvre Nantaise, it marks the Italianate style of the Pays Clissonais.
In the heart of the Nantes vineyard (15 km south-east of Nantes), visit the Château de Goulaine, with its vast tropical butterfly house and its LU collection.
In the château de Fromenteau in Vallet, you will discover an entertaining trail from vine to wine, with maze, followed by a tour of the cellars.
The Musée du vignoble nantais in Le Pallet

The château de la Noë de Bel Air in Vallet.
the Chaussée des Moines, a barrage built in around the year 1000 in Vertou.
The Musée de la vigne et du vin in the Loroux-Bottereau.

The vineyard tourist trail has many stops for tastings and exploration :
- Maison des vins de Nantes
- Maison des vins in la Haye Fouassière
- Maison du Muscadet in Vallet
(02 40 36 25 95)
- Caveau des Vignerons in Clisson (02 40 51 02 95)

Day sessions organised by the wine-growing and wine-tasting centre in Vallet. Contact : Aline Le Moal (02 40 36 34 64)

To know the wines of Nantes, go and see the producers who enjoy to welcome you. See the list of the cellars [>>

- about Clisson [>
- about Vertou [>
- about the pays du vignoble[>
- download the vineyard tourist trail