A Perfect Week in the Loire! - My wife and I planned an ambitious month-long visit to Spain and France to celebrate our 30th anniversary. We choose not to drive in Europe, which works out fine in most places, but presents a challenge in others, like the Loire Valley. I searched the Internet for tour options and couldn't believe my eyes when I read the description of Wine Geometry Tours. The host and tour guide, Sylvain (who is a sommelier/history buff/language expert/and a helluva nice young man), runs a B&B with his wife, and arranges all meals, admissions to major sites of interest, wine tastings, visits to other regional crafts, and transportation. It seemed too good to be true. I scrutinized the reviews for criticisms and found none. I then started an email exchange with Sylvain and threw lots of questions and requests his way. He responded immediately and enthusiastically every time. He listened to our dreams and fashioned a personalized itinerary that was ideal for us. The price he quoted seemed more than fair. We decided to change our original plan to split our five days between Loire and Bordeaux and put all our chips on Loire and Sylvain. Boy, did that bet pay off! The first day, he picked us up at our hotel in Amboise and took us right away to an intimate "degustation" with a local winemaker, who was charming and generous (he even opened a bottle of 1989 when he heard it was our anniversary). Then it was off to Vouvray for one of the best lunches my wife and I have ever had. Then to our first Chateau--Chaumont--and its beautiful gardens to finish out our first afternoon. Sylvain took care of all the details with the winemakers, sites, restaurants. It was wonderful not to have to take out our wallets, except, our course, to pick up a couple of bottles of wine at each vineyard (at unbelievably affordable prices compared to what we pay in the states). We then got to the B&B, where we met Sylvain's lovely and gracious wife, Irina, their precious 4-month old daughter, and Irina's adorable young brother, who was visiting. They all made us feel so welcome. The room was lovely (some of the old timbers of the original structure were preserved in it). Sylvain then walked us to a local restaurant where we had the first of five amazing dinners. We later told him he undersold the quality of the dinners in his description. They were each unique and fantastic--from small brasseries to Michelin-rated restaurants. Breakfast the next morning included an assortment of delicious, locally baked treats. We jumped in the van and were off for another day of touring, tasting, and eating. I should say that we were always given special treatment at the tastings. It was clear that the proprietors had great affection and respect for Sylvain. The middle of the week featured "the heatwave" (105,103,108 degree days). Sylvain was attentive to how we were handling the heat and adjusted our itinerary according to our wishes. Despite the heat, it worked out beautifully. We spent lots of time together in the touring van (from about 8a-6p each day), but instead of tiring of one other, we had more and more wonderful conversations over a broad range of topics. We are so happy to have spent the week with Sylvain, Irina, and their family. We consider them dear friends. The whole experience far exceeded our expectations. The rate is a steal, given what is included (consider what you would pay just for a private tour guide for a day). A week that we will never forget!

Amazing tour, far beyond our expectations! - For anybody who is uncertain about this tour, I highly recommend it. The wines are excellent, and Sylvain can answer any questions about them. The passion of the winemakers is clearly evident in every sip you take. The breadth of your knowledge about wines will be much greater after you are guided on an exploration of this unique wine region. Make sure you don’t let the name fool you, the tour is much more than just wine and castles. Sylvain is incredibly knowledgeable and will guide you through the complete history of the Loire Valley, and much of France. His understanding of the iconography and symbolism of french art is unrivaled by other guides, and that becomes clear from the moment you arrive at your first castle. The gastronomy is very good as well. You will dine in rustic settings as well as modern high end restaurants and the food will range from hearty traditional meals, like endless bread with delicious sides, to a single bite of vegetable tartare with cold miso black tea served on a tree trunk (which was exceptional). Sylvain is also very accommodating and willing to adjust the schedule of the tour according to the needs of his group. The tour is very personal, and you will feel guided, rather than instructed. This tour is not only worth your time if you plan on visiting the Loire Valley, but I even recommend detouring from your time elsewhere in France to join this tour, regardless of whether the Loire Valley is on your itinerary.

Perfect Balance of Wine, History and Fine French Gastronomy! - For lovers of French wines, perhaps one of the regions often not top of mind would be the Loire Valley. Driven by a quest to learn more about Loire wines, not from reading but from trying, we joined the passionate Sylvain Gamard on a Tour de Force of the Val de Loire, quenching our thirst for knowledge (and wine of course) about the history of France as well as experiencing a delightful week of gastronomy! It was an ambitious 5 days - wine-wise we covered 75 % of the Loire valley which stretches 500km from the Western Nantes (Atlantic) to Center Loire with the famous wine area of Menetou Salon, Sancerre and Pouilly Fume. History wise we covered each milestone of French history via the majestic castles of Chambord, Royal Chateau de Blois, Chateau de Chenonceau (built over the river Cher), Chateau de Chaumont and the garden festival. Sylvain's passion for the history of the Loire Valley is apparent as he loved to explain the details of each period of time, and the very interesting political intrigues with each King as history rolled on. I made the trip to Loire primarily for wine, and Sylvain's Sommelier side really made the trip special for me. As a Sommelier of course he had a very good palette, but he was able to connect the wines to the historical perspective which was eye-opening. We visited the village of Romorantin to try this rare cousin of the Chardonnay grape, once the favourite of the 1st King of France and quite a treat! (think Chablis-esque). Sylvain has also a network of winemakers to show the winelover traveller - from small boutique winemakers with only 6 hectares in Vouvray, to famous names like Alphonse Mellot and Henri Bourgeois in Sancerre. We also got a private visit to the family cave of a well-known biodynamic winemaker in Saumur Champigny and drank a Solera System blend of their Cabernet Franc that was made for the family. Wow! Overall, we loved the experience of the entire customised tour, the convenience of an End-to End package (staying at Sylvain's property and getting recommendations to the great restaurants in Loire) and most of all the warmth and welcome that Sylvain and Irina (his better half) that made us feel at home, away from home.