Cunault

Thursday 06/06/19

Bokkie hasn't travelled far today; it might or might not have something to do with a certain amount of wine tasting that took place along the way.  😇

Bokkie's spot for the day - the view from her front window

Driving into Saumur

We had heard about Ackermans cellars in Saumur from Ettienne and Debbi so decided to give it a visit.  It was well worth it with a self-guided tour through the extensive caves, which were hollowed out for the limestone blocks used to build the local area.  It turned out to be the perfect place to mature wines and sparkling wines and is a fascinating place to visit.  The areas within the caves are huge and, as we were there quite early, we had the place to ourselves.  Nice and quiet but a tad spooky at stages.

Bottles and bottles of bubbly.

The areas within the caves are vast (and cold)

Giant ventilation shafts

Sniff testing along the way - we were rubbish at it!

Our favourite artwork.  A room-full of 3D string and nail patterns - stunning!

Huge columns of limestone blocks, Jenga for giants

The scale of the place is amazing

3D Picasso?

The games room - we weren't very good here either but had loads of fun.
We should have tried again after the tasting.

They have areas with artists' displays on for three years at a time and some of these were awe inspiring.  To finish the tour we indulged in some wine-tasting and bought some of the local produce - it would have been rude not to.

We stopped at a nearby aire to make lunch and decided to stay, we're not in a hurry and it's a pretty place to chill.