In “Le Grand Meaulnes, Alain-Fournier evokes that elusive moment when reality becomes almost magically festive. For Vitiloire 2025, it’s less about vanishing châteaux and more about reappearing passions—one sip at a time. On May 24 and 25, the city of Tours will, once again, gracefully uncork its boulevards to let vines and voices mingle. The garden of the Préfecture, General Leclerc Square and Boulevard Heurteloup become a great open-air salon, where around 140 winemakers will pour the soul of their terroirs for nearly 40,000 impassioned visitors.It’s hard not to smile at the contrast: once the epicenter of French royal power, the Loire now plays host to tastings where discussions of chenin’s minerality replace courtly intrigue. Still, there’s elegance here—the kind found in a glass of Montlouis, or in a chef’s gesture over a velouté of river trout. The Pavillon des chefs becomes a culinary amphitheater, where stars like Christopher Coutanceau choreograph textures and aromas before an audience awash in appetite and curiosity.
But this year adds a new vintage to its story. On Sunday, May 25 from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m., a brand-new “master class” will decode the whispers of cabernet franc and dissect the vocabulary sommeliers guard like treasure. And if wine’s always tasted too cryptic for your palate? Let Alexis Caraux, the sommelier with a gift for synesthetic suggestion, paint your ideal bottle as a true “flavor portrait.”
This edition is also rich in cultural terroir. From May 17 to September 28, Laure Dégo’s photographic journey “From Vine to Glass” strolls through Tours’ most poetic gardens—first the Préfecture, then the Jardin botanique and finally the Prébendes. Her lens captures not the cliché of vineyards, but their quiet labor and seasonal chiaroscuro.
No tour of the senses would be complete without a challenge. Sunday morning’s Grand Test of Loire wines (8:30–12:00) returns, inviting oenophiles to blind-taste their way through five whites, five reds and three sparkling candidates, deciphering grape, region and—if the gods smile upon your palate—even vintage.
And while your senses swirl, history murmurs in the background. The Loire Valley, after all, didn’t become a UNESCO World Heritage site by hiding its light under a barrel. From the elegance of Saumur to the minerality of Sancerre, the wines here tell centuries-old stories—and Vitiloire is your chance to listen, one sip at a time.
Before bidding farewell, duck into Les Halles de Tours for aged Sainte-Maure or venture a few steps further to Le Bistrio, a quiet spot where lunch comes with a Loire glass and a courtyard whispering 19th-century confidences.
With its blend of soul, soil, and savoir-faire, Vitiloire is more than a open day tasting—it’s the Loire, poured with grace. Perhaps it’s time your next adventure fermented here. As always, your glass—and our newsletter—await down below.
