A tour to be recommended - Our host, Sebastien, who is the owner of the property was knowledgable and enthusiastic about his wines. He was also proud of the fact that his family had owned the property for over 400 years although the vineyard had gone out of production for some time before his father replanted the red Cabernet Franc vines some 30 years ago and then the white Chenin Blanc vines 13 years ago. Sebastien had planted a further two hectares of white vines vines four years ago and these vines were being tended in an approved eco-friendly way. Our tour consisted of six people and was conducted in English. After setting the scene we moved to inspect the two plantings of white grapes but, in view of the excessive heat, no one wanted to stay outside longer than necessary so we moved fairly quickly to the caves which were exactly that, natural caves in the cliffs for which the region is famous. They make an ideal situation for wine storage and aging. After our visit to the caves we went to the chateau to taste a sparkling rose, a white and two reds of varying vintages. The wines were overall of good quality with the sparkling rose deserving a special mention. We then moved on to the picnic in the chateau grounds. The site was on the side of a hill with splendid views across a tree-covered valley to open farmland several miles away. Truly delightful. The Picnic was fairly basic with two types of pate, cheese and an excellent tarte plus, of course, a red wine from the chateau which was a perfect accompaniment to the meal. The tour lasted about three hours. Overall an excellent tour with Sebastien providing an enthusiastic and knowledgeable insight into the property.

Great event on our Loire bike ride, worth a stop. - Right away, the picnic ingredients were excellent. Friendly welcome, there was an idea about the history of the chateau and then insights into vineyard and the wine cellar.

Great Experience - The tour was interesting and the owner was very kind and answered any question. The wine and picnic were great. Would absolutely recommend. The Chateau cat, Biscuit, was an added bonus.

A lovely way to experience French hospitality! - This tour, tasting and picnic at Chateau du Petit Thouars turned out to be one of our favorite activities during our trip to France in early May. We began with a walk in the vineyards and through the underground wine cellar with Darcy. She spoke beautiful English and French and we learned so much about the growing of organic grapes and the wine making process. We then met her husband at the barn where he explained to us the variety of their wines and gave a tasting of several that they produce. Next each couple was led separately to a secluded picnic spot overlooking the vineyards where we found our own table set with a pretty cloth and china plates. The picnic food was truly fabulous and was accompanied by a bottle of wine. We were invited to take with us the food and wine we couldn't finish and we enjoyed it as our dinner that night in the garden of the B & B where we were staying in Chinon. This remains a unique and very special travel memory for us and we recommend it highly.

Picnic in a vineyard - Lovely afternoon…walk around the grounds, chateau and vineyards learning about the history of the estate, followed by a tour of their cellars and wine tasting / picnic - loved their sparkling rose! Thoroughly enjoyed the experienced and recommend to anyone in the area.

Excellent - would highly recommend - This was an absolutely lovely experience which I would highly recommend. There were a group for just 6 of us which made for a lovely personal experience. We had a walk around the vines learning about how they grow and are maintained. This was followed by a wine tasting, then each couple was led to a small area by the vines for the picnic. Darcy and Sebastien obviously had gone to a lot of trouble with a beautiful setting, wonderful food and some wine it really was lovely and intimate.

Great idea for a gift. Good value for money. Highly recommend. - Really nice location. Warm welcome. Nice tour around the vineyards, followed by tasting some lovely wine. The picnic was amazing. Plenty of food. Good quality products. Overall really good experience and great value for money

Loire highlight. - I can’t think of a more enjoyable experience than we had at Le Petit Thouars today. The weather was perfect which helps but the tour of the vineyard and the cellars was so interesting and the picnic was the icing on the cake. If you’re going here don’t go to Thouars. The château is 20 Kms away at St Germain sur Vienne.

Excellent time spent - Very beautiful castle and magnificent views. Perfect welcome and the romantic lunch location was magnificent (given the weather conditions). The content of this lunch was also very pleasant and the tasting of the wines, produced on site, was very generous. Our host's explanations were top notch. She listened to us and was able to answer all our questions. The little extra would be to see a little more of the interior of this castle.

Nice wine tasting on family estate - Interesting to know how they make organic wine. This family business is established for centuries and they are very passioned about what they do.