Wine tasting holiday in the Loire Valley
How this holiday makes a difference
Environment
We are a small family run business, which has been operating since 2006 and our principal aim is to provide quality tours in the Loire Valley to meet the needs of our customers.
Our restored building has a number of features which we have installed which significantly reduce our energy consumption, including the installation of double glazing and insulation throughout which exceeds the French requirements. This often provides the springboard to discuss with guests how we can all conserve energy, particularly in an stone building where you have 60cm thick walls.
Our drainage system is standalone and we have approval to drain the filtered water into the rain water drains as it is classed as “clean”. To ensure the quality of water we do use only bio-friendly detergents and minimise use of these by not changing sheets and towels daily
We recycle plastics, glass, paper, cartons and compost. We insist that our guests to do the same and so provide you with appropriate means to do this.
We use low wattage lights wherever possible, recycle rain water for the garden and are currently researching the use of solar heating both for the production of hot water and also for pool heating.
We recommend travel to us by train, a much more eco-friendly solution over renting cars, or air transport to minimize the Co2 emission by capita. We use locally owned and run businesses for all of our external requirements. These include all our suppliers and the places that we visit during our tours and for meals and shopping.
Community
Our accommodation is here in our property, which we restored and rebuilt with the help of local artisans – using local suppliers and local materials wherever possible, such as the tuffeau stone which is common to this region. We use our own 7 seater transport, which reduces the impact on the environment as groups can travel together in one vehicle.
We have established a friendly network of professionals and contacts including many wine growers who are also firm believers of sustainable development, many of whom now grow grapes organically and are looking at alternative ways to ensure good harvests each year, in preference to pesticides and chemical treatments.
For the meals we serve here – again with local produce depending on the season being prevalent – as we are in the heart of the “Jardin de France” we use local vegetables and fruits wherever possible. We believe that over a meal and/or a drink is also the ideal time to discuss ways in which we can all help prolong the life of the planet which we share.
As well as visiting the ‘headline’ chateaux in the area, we also provide the opportunity to see some of the lesser known sites – often run by individuals with a passion for their local heritage. This greatly enriches your experience (you learn about the ‘real’ locals and their past) as well as helping these important sites economically.
In summary, we believe we are operating an environmentally friendly vacation, with a high level of interaction in the local community, benefiting our economy. Of course, anything can be made better and we are striving to do so – guest who think like us are most welcome.
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