4 Best Sights in Sancerre, The Loire Valley

You can taste a full range of Sancerre’s appellations, including Sancerre, Pouilly-Fumé, and Menetou-Salon, at this fourth-generation winemaker about 3 miles from town. A recent crossover to organic, Eric Louis also employs some biodynamic principles in the vineyards. At this modern facility, you’ll see how the wines are produced, from blending and storage to bottle labeling. Though it does feel a little industrial, you’ll get a thorough introduction to the process and the wines via a full-flight tasting paired with charcuterie and the local Crottin de Chavignol goat cheese made right on the winery. Kids can join in or play outside in an enclosed playground.

This award-winning “historic” garden is just the spot for those who want to enjoy a long pastoral ramble in a place where you have to guess what century you’re in. From the storybook chateau and the meandering trout stream complete with lily pads (and noisy frogs in springtime) to the long alleys of ancient lindens, wooded paths, and charming formal herb and rose gardens (not to mention the manicured box hedge maze), this is a perfectly poetic introduction to a great French garden. The owners do encourage picnicking, but be sure to bring only what you can take away.

The immense charm of this chateau lies in its unusually harmonious layering of the centuries, from the 12th-century fortress to the elegant Renaissance chateau with later 19th-century embellishments, all dramatically reflected in a Gallo-Roman-era reservoir that surrounds the turreted castle. Visitors can explore the Renaissance chateau’s lovely interiors (the owners live in the medieval building), as well as visit the small exhibition on history and fishing (yes, fishing). Then you can take a rowboat out on the pond and, if so inclined, borrow a fishing rod to enjoy it yourself (catch and release only). The award-winning gardens (spectacular in late May and early June when the roses, iris, and poppies are in bloom) are well worth an hour or more of your time, and you're encouraged to enjoy refreshments in the vine-clad outdoor café or play a fun solve-the-mystery game for kids.

Just a few steps from city hall and an 18th-century church, this spot offers a unique introduction to the local wines via a tasting machine that dispenses a revolving selection of 12 of the finer local appellations, including six distinctive reds, a color less associated with Sancerre (€2–€16). Downstairs, visitors can get the whole story through a 3D presentation on the soils and climate that give the wines their character, and then follow a friendly bee in the rollicking—literally—six-seat cinema through the whole wine-making process. Afterwards, you can shop in the boutique and enjoy the gardens and panoramic views of Sancerre and its vineyards on the terrace.