This is a trip built for spring (April to June) or early autumn (September to October), when the cellars are calm and welcoming; note that many family estates close for a few weeks in August, and harvest in September means growers are busy, so book cellar visits ahead either way. Saumur is your base for the first two nights. Most people reach it by flying to Nantes or Paris and taking the train (direct trains run from Nantes, Angers and Paris-Austerlitz), then hiring a car locally — a car is what unlocks the smaller growers' cellars, though the town-to-town legs later in the week all work by train too. Book flights →

Base yourself in Saumur's centre, within walking distance of the old town and the riverfront, so you can leave the car parked for the evening. This is Cabernet Franc and Chenin country on tuffeau limestone, and the same soft white stone the town is built from is what makes the underground cellars possible. Search hotels →

The white château on its bluff above the Loire is the postcard shot of the town, and the cobbled streets below it reward a slow wander. The château-museum is open Tuesday to Sunday (closed most Mondays outside bank holidays), so if you arrive on a Monday, admire the exterior and the ramparts view and save the interior for another day — the walk up is worth it regardless.

Ease in over dinner at a bistro on or near Place Saint-Pierre with a glass of Saumur fizz — the region's traditional-method sparkling made mostly from Chenin Blanc. It's the gentlest possible introduction to what the valley does with its two signature grapes, and a good moment to plan tomorrow's cellar visits.