Wine Touring by Ebike in times of COVID19

by Micaela Frow
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21 Jul, 2020
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A lovely guest review for our Electric Bike Wine Tour in the Loire

As seen in The Guardian and The Observer

20 of the best sustainable holidays in Europe for 2020

Listed in Sawdays and FurtherAfield.

https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2019/dec/26/20-best-sustainable-holidays-europe-2020-green-getaways

“ We booked the 2 night Ebike Wine Tour at La Grande Maison in spring 2020 for July. Micaela and Sue had carefully adapted the itinerary to fit with covid-19 guidelines, and since travel restrictions were fortunately lifted just in time, we felt comfortable enough to travel.

Micaela greeted us with a glass of bubbly on arrival, followed by a fantastic three course spread and more delicious local wine.

Breakfasts and the picnic post-wine tasting were equally fantastic! The views, sunshine and food were really the stuff of dreams.

Particularly under the circumstances, using the E-bikes to get around for our wine tasting was an ideal way to enjoy the best that the region has to offer: we were out in the open the majority of the time, which made it easy to maintain social distancing without compromising on experience. The e-bikes are comfortable and easy to use - we cycled a picturesque route both on and off-road, through vineyards, along quiet country roads and along some rougher tracks too.

We enjoyed two fantastic tastings, the first in the morning at a locally owned vineyard and cave at Le Puy Notre Dame, Domaine de la Paleine and the second in the afternoon at Chateau de Fosse Seche. We tried a range of excellent whites, reds and sparkling wines which we then had the opportunity to buy at very reasonable rates.

In both instances, Sue provided additional information on viticulture, the wine-making process and tasting notes and tips. She is clearly extremely knowledgeable about the region, its producers and its wines - being fairly inexperienced wine tasters we both felt we learned a lot without being overwhelmed.

Between tastings, we enjoyed lunch at a local restaurant which was also lovely - setting, food and wine were all fantastic.

After almost four months being unable to travel, we felt that the tour was the perfect antidote. Fresh air, sunshine, wonderful food and wine and perfect hosts - an idyllic weekend.” Catherine and Iain - London UK July 2020