Do you know Wine Cellars Plou & Fils near Amboise? Renowned for its winemaking expertise since 1508, this house offered us a wonderful sensory experience. A wine tour, wine-making methods, troglodyte caves and wine tasting - you'll be carried away by this unforgettable visit that taught us so much.
Here are some useful tips for planning your visit to Wine Cellars Plou & Fils en Loire.
This guide is completely independent, based on our experiences. We visited the region anonymously, making our own choices and paying our bills in full.
Is a visit to Cellars Plou & Fils worthwhile?
Yes, Wine Cellars Plou & Fils is well worth a visit and a tasting! We particularly enjoyed the troglodyte cave experience and the wine tour. Did you know that this is one of the oldest houses in the region? The Plou family has been refining and passing on its know-how for 24 generations! Founded in 1508, these cellars are dug into ancient tufa quarries. We've learned that they provide the perfect setting for aging wines.
This is one of the best cellar wine tastings in our opinion!
What you can see
The expertise of the Plou family, winegrowers for 24 generations
Arriving in the village of Chargé on the banks of the Loire River, you'll notice the 16th-century stone building surrounded by trees and flowers as soon as you enter the estate. Today, the 24th generation of the Plou family manages the estate and production, a know-how that has been handed down for over 5 centuries! Impressive, isn't it?
Troglodyte caves dug in the 15th and 19th centuries
During our guided tour of Caves Plou & Fils, we entered the troglodyte caves several meters high. Some were dug in the 15th century, others in the 19th century, in tufa stone. Did you know that this rock was used to build the Châteaux de la Loire? We also learned that huge blocks of tufa stone had been removed to be transported for the construction of castles in and around Amboise during the Renaissance. Quite fascinating, isn't it?
These caves are ideal for aging and preserving wines. You'll notice that it's between 12°C and 14°C all year round! And don't forget to bring something to cover up with, even in summer, so you don't get too cold during your visit.
OUR TIPS FOR RENTING A CAR IN Loire
- Compare prices on our preferred platform: DiscoverCars - one of the best rated sites.
- Choose a fairly compact car (many villages have narrowed the road).
- Think aboutfull insurance (parking in big cities is really tight).
- There is a lot of demand, book it early.
The estate: over a hundred hectares of vines
We were surprised and delighted to discover this 108-hectare vineyard. The company produces 600,000 bottles a year, half of which are Crémant de Loire (traditional method). A know-how that has been preserved and passed down for centuries! The vines were planted on hillsides to avoid flooding and rising water levels in the Loire.
During our hot-air balloon ride over the vineyards and Châteaux of the Loire, we were also lucky enough to catch a glimpse of the vines and troglodyte caves of Caves Plou & Fils. Would you like to join us for a unique experience in the air, followed by a visit and tasting session at Plou & Fils? Book your hot-air balloon ride now!
A pleasant and educational wine tour
After climbing the stairs and slope leading to the hillside vineyards, you'll see dozens of hectares of vines lined up in front of you. A soothing, bucolic show! On your left, stop for a few minutes to read the explanations on the educational panel, then continue the 3.5km country walk!
Other panels further along the route helped us understand the sustainable agriculture approach adopted by this house. We learned more about the direct impact of pesticides on insects. Only 2 species of butterfly are considered harmful to vines, and the house explains the techniques used to keep these insects away.
Traditional winemaking methods and vine cycle
During our wine tourism tour of Caves Plou & Fils, we rediscovered the winemaking process, in particular the traditional method used by the company.
Educational panels and explanatory diagrams gave us a clearer idea of the different stages, from harvesting to tasting! And to learn more about the vegetative cycle of the vine according to the seasons. A beautiful walk along the Loire wine route!
The example of stirring
Let's continue our stroll inside the rock-cut cellars. After fermentation, the bottles are placed in these large wooden crates for the riddling stage. The bottles are placed head-down and stirred 3 times a day by people whose job it is to stir the bottles, because stirring is a real art! The cranks you see on the sides allow professional "stirrers" to turn the crate so that the liquid is stirred without the bottles colliding, always upside down.
At the end of this riddling stage, a deposit settles near the cap that holds the bottle closed. You'll notice that the liquid is now very clear!
Aging wine in barrels
In the 2nd troglodytic cellar we visited, several wooden vats were stored for maturing the wine. Keeping the wine for several months in these oak barrels gives the wine a woody, spicy, sometimes even toasty taste! Maison Plou & Fils has 225L, 500L and 3000L barrels from Tonnellerie Allary in this particular cave. It's one of the last houses in France with an ancestral craftsman's cooper's know-how. The taste of the wine will therefore vary according to the size of the oak vat. For example, the smaller the vat, the greater and more concentrated the quantity of wine in contact with the wood. This can add a touch of complexity to wines, especially reds.
A house of innovative techniques: wine in amphorae
Do you know amphora wine? Our guided tour gave us an insight into this innovative winemaking method. Instead of being aged in vats, the wine is subject to maceration in an earthenware amphora (on the right of the image above). Maison Plou & Fils has been using this innovative method for nearly 5 years. The terracotta gives the wine an orange-yellow color. We tasted it afterwards, and the color suggests that it will be very mellow. On the contrary, it is very dry and mineral, which will surprise your palate.
The bottle corker
Let's continue this playful tour with the "corking machine" which, as its name suggests, is first used to apply pressure to the deposit at the end of the bottle. Plunged head-down into a cold bath, it allows the deposit to cool down, making it easier to remove in the next step.
The deposit is then ejected by the articulated arm of this other machine above, before the cork is inserted. Ready for the last step before tasting?
And finally, labelling
Let's end this tour of the troglodytic cellars of Maison Plou & Fils with the bottle labeling stage. Once the production has been bottled and the cork applied, the wine bottles are labeled by this machine you see above. The different shapes of some bottles help the team to identify the different wines.
The icing on the cake: tasting
The icing on the cake is the long-awaited moment! To round off this original visit, we had the pleasure of tasting some of the house's great cuvées, including Chenin, Chenin sec Les Hauts d'Artigny and the sparkling white Méthode - Brut Plou & Fils. The most surprising was undoubtedly the famous orange wine macerated in amphora! In our opinion, Caves Plou & Fils is one of the best wine tastings in the Loire (see our article here) and one of the best wine cellars in the Loire (see our article here).
WHERE TO STAY IN Amboise
Downtown
To enjoy the city, its restaurants and castles, we recommend:
- Hotel Le Manoir Saint Thomas - view prices, pictures and availability
- Hotel Le Manoir des Minimes - prices, pictures and availability
- Hotel Au Charme Rabelaisien - prices, pictures and availability
In the countryside around
Charming places nearby. We recommend..:
- Hotel Château du Perreux - prices, pictures and availability
- Hotel Château de Pray - prices, pictures and availability
- Hotel Chateau de Nazelles - prices, pictures and availability
Wine Cellars Plou & Fils in Chargé: access
Where are Wine Cellars Plou & Fils located?
- In the village of Chargé in Indre-et-Loire (Touraine)
- Less than 10min drive fromAmboise
- Located less than 20 minutes by bike and 10 minutes by car from the Royal Château of Amboise and the Château du Clos Lucé.
- Located 45 minutes by bike and less than 20 minutes by car from the Château de Chaumont.
- Access at 26 rue du Général de Gaulle
Access by car and parking
If you arrive by car, you'll follow the Loire on one bank via the D952 road and on the other bank via the D751. Free parking is available in the private outdoor parking lot at the entrance to Cellars Plou & Fils.
Public parking is also available opposite.
Public transport access
There is a bus network in the area, but you'll be limited in terms of times and possibilities for reaching Wine Cellars Plou & Fils. You can also get there by bike in just 15 minutes from Amboise.
Visiting difficulties
We have not identified any particular difficulties on the Caves Plou & Fils wine tourism route, apart from access to the vineyards. The troglodytic caves can be visited on one level, and the store and toilets are also easily accessible. However, as the vines are on a hillside, the vineyard walk is accessible by stairs cut into the rock and a steep path (so no PRM access).
If you're claustrophobic, the tour takes place in caves for 15 to 20 minutes, with no view of the outside world. It's also between 12°C and 14°C all year round in the troglodytic caves, the ideal temperature for aging wines, so remember to bring appropriate clothing to keep out the cold.
HAVE FUN WITH THESE activities
Visit Cellars Plou & Fils: useful tips
Schedules and prices
Schedules:
- Cellars open every day of the year
- Monday to Saturday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 7 p.m.
- Sunday from 10am to 1pm and from 2pm to 7pm
Visits are free of charge:
- 1h30 self-guided tour with signposted educational trail
- 20-minute guided tour of the cellars
- Free tasting
See the latest news on the official website here.
Like us, take advantage of a free guided tour and tasting at Plou & Fils when you opt for a hot-air balloon flight over the Châteaux of the Loire! Book your magical sunrise or sunset hot-air balloon ride!
How long
Allow around 1 to 2 hours depending on the wine tour you choose, including a visit to the cellars, a wine walk and wine tasting.
Best moment
There's really no better time to visit Wine Cellars Plou & Fils, as they are open all year round and offer fun and educational wine tours. However, note that the summer period is synonymous with large crowds in the Loire region, so if you prefer to avoid the crowds, visit in spring, autumn or winter.
Direction of visit
There's a set direction for the guided tour of the cellars, which follows the route described above, with 15 to 20 minutes in the troglodytic caves, followed by a tasting session at the end, with access to the boutique. The wine tour is free, with explanatory signs along the way.
Visiting with children
The visit is accessible to children and can be quite original to do with the whole family to share this cultural and historical dimension of the know-how around wine in the region. We're sure the troglodytic caves will delight young and old alike! They can also enjoy grape juice during the wine tasting that closes the visit. There's also a children's play area with chalkboard and drawing table.
Eating out
The wine trail offers picnic tables close to the vineyards, in a bucolic, rural setting. You can bring your own snack and enjoy it between the vines and the signs explaining the route, in the shade of the tall trees. However, you're only a 10-minute drive from Amboise, so check out our selection of the town's best restaurants.
Hotels
You're close to Amboise, which is a great place to stay. Here is our selection of the best hotels in Amboise.
DISCOVER Amboise
- Things to do in Amboise
- Where to sleep in Amboise: best hotels
- Where to eat in Amboise: best restaurants
- Visit the Château d'Amboise
- Visit the Château du Clos Lucé
- Mini-cake park
- Best castles around Amboise
