In preparation of the forthcoming Loire Valley Tour 2024 by ombiasy WineTours, Annette and I spent a night in Nantes, where the tour starts. We stayed at Hotel de France, where the group will stay and had dinner at Brasserie Cigale, where the group will have dinner.
Annette Schiller: What comes to your mind when you hear ‘Loire Valley’? Of course images of glorious Châteaux pop up in your mind. Yes that is true and we will visit some iconic château and dig deep into France’s history. However, during this wine tour we also discover a magnificent, but often overlooked French wine region and one of the most exciting best kept secrets of excellent, high quality wines at very reasonable prices. The Loire Valley wine region is a vast area and consists of several distinct wine regions, each with its own characteristic grapes, appellations, and wine style. We take you on a journey from the Atlantic Ocean to the Auvergne mountains to explore this unique region. We learn to appreciate “Sancerre”, "Pouilly-Fumé", “Vouvray", “Chinon”, as well as many other not so familiar appellations.
Hotel de France
This 4-star hotel in the center of Nantes, built during the 18th century and recently completely renovated, charmed us with its history, its architecture, its comfort and its bar.
Afternoon Walk
Nantes is a big city and the afternoon walk was quite interesting.
Dinner at Brasserie La Cigale
The restaurant was designed by Émile Joseph Libaudiere in the exaggerated Art nouvou style of the era. On 1 April 1895, the brasserie was opened for business by its first owner, Mrs. Calado.
From the beginning the restaurant attracted a bourgeois clientele that mixed with artists from the nearby theater. Scenes from several films were shot there.
Brasserie La Cigale has been clasified as a monument historique.
3-course Menu and Plateau des Fruits de Mer
Annette had a 3-course menu while I had a plateau des fruits des mer. Annette had a glass of Crémant de Loire Brut and I a glass of Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Sur Lie as aperitif.
The Wine: Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Sur Lie
tastings.com: Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Sur Lie refers to a dry white wine from France’s
Loire Valley, produced from the Melon de Bourgogne, grape, sometimes
mistakenly referred to as the Muscadet grape.
There are three
districts that can produce Muscadet Sur Lie (aged on its lees), with
Muscadet Sèvre et Maine being the largest and most famous. It is
situated southeast of Nantes and is named for two local rivers, the
Sèvre Nantaise and the Petite Maine. The soils here are quite rocky,
with deposits of quartz and granite.
The typical Muscadet Sèvre
et Maine Sur Lie is medium-bodied with a green/straw color with gold
reflections. Most are not aged in wood, but have notable texture, thank
to the sur lie aging. Acidity is quite good in most years, and because
of the soil composition, there is a distinct minerality to theses wines.
While they are immediately accessible upon release, most examples drink
well for 5-7 years.
The classic pairing for Muscadet Sèvre et
Maine Sur Lie is shellfish, especially oysters. It also works well with
seafood salad, crab or goat cheese – the tangier, the better!
Annette: 3-course Menu
Christian: Plateau des Fruits de Mer
Brasserie Cigale offers 3 different seafood plates, for Euro 45, 59 and 75. I took the middle one.
Back to the Hotel
Next Day: Breakfast with a Gâteau Nantais
This rich yet simple cake has been a specialty in the western French city of Nantes since the 18th century. It’s a tasty mixture of sugar, almonds, butter and Antilles rum from the Antille islands.
Château des Ducs de Bretagne
The Château des ducs de Bretagne (Castle of the Dukes of Brittany) is a large castle in Nantes. It served as the centre of the historical province of Brittany until its separation in 1956. It was the residence of the Dukes of Brittany between the 13th and 16th centuries, subsequently becoming the Breton residence of the French Monarchy.
We might visit it on the Loire Tour 2024 in June.
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