Beautiful Old Winery & Gardens near Saumur

Make yourself at home in this unique & tranquil ancient winery. Built of beautiful local tuffeau stone, this historic building is full of character & rustic charm. The courtyard embraces you as you pass through the huge & architecurally significant gate. Enjoy time out in proper French countryside with the sound of bees & birds, & watching sunset views from the top of the house. It's located in a UNESCO world heritage site full of natural & cultural interest. One minute walk to a delicious boulangerie, two restaurants, and one of the best wineries for sparkling, red, white & rose tastings in the region.

In the heart of old Anjou, Le Puy-Notre-Dame, a Petite Cité de Caractère & Village de Charme, is a beautiful mini-Mont St Michel in a sea of vineyards. It even has its own AOC "Saumur Puy-Notre-Dame" with 27 independent winegrowers producing whites, crémants, rosé & reds. Every year, in July, the village is filled with the roar of the engines of pre-war automobiles which race around the village in the Grand Prix Rétro. You are close to grand chateaux, the Loire river & beautiful towns & villages. Saumur is close by with its stunning castle on top of a hill overlooking the Loire river. Visit at the weekend when the market stalls spill all through the cobbled streets. Le Puy is less than 5km to Doue-la-Fontaine, with its famous troglodytic Bio-Parc & roses, & Montreuil-Belly, with its exquisite chateau overlooking the Thouars river - a great place for kayaking. Finally, literally everywhere is beautiful – get in a car or on a bike & explore!

The House:

With its traditional shutters, original features, & many old oak beams, the house is a warren of book-lined shelves, unexpected spaces, & cosy areas. The property is entirely enclosed by a walled-garden, the grand entrance & an enormous wine chai, so that you have complete privacy.

There are four bedrooms:

- The showcase Family Room with Mezzanine: an enormous room with double height, oak-beamed ceiling, superking size sleigh bed, large ornamental fireplace, & a mezzanine level with a double & single bed. The sunset views are breathtaking from the top of the house. There is an attached shared bathroom with shower.

- The Zebra Room: a comfortable king size bed and private en-suite with a bath.

- The Stag Room: a pretty triple en-suite with shower & a double & single bed.

- The Gate Room: a triple room with a king & single bed, with sink.

There are four living spaces:

- The Salon: a traditional book-lined lounge with a grand tuffeau fireplace, with a chiminea to keep you warm in the cooler months, a sofa & chairs, reading lamps, & a table for playing one of the many available board games. There is also a mini-museum with artefacts from the time when this was a working winery.

- The Games' Room: a room between all of the bedrooms on the first floor. This contains a pool table, numerous DVDs, a large TV, and English language books for children of all ages.

- The Kitchen-Lounge: a rustic triple aspect room that's full of light, with views over the courtyard & stables.

- The Dining Room: a large blue room with a table for larger groups, & more books.

- Further rooms are the laundry/utility room, a ground floor shower & WC, & an outside WC.

The Garden:

- The Courtyard: At the heart of The Old Winery is an enormous space that feels like a village square. This is the best spot for star-gazing, bird & bat watching, & having aperos with friends and family. There is table tennis available in the garage too.

- The Walled Garden: This space is full of creatures such as carpenter bees, swallowtail butterflies, hummingbird moths & lizards, who enjoy the lavender & rosemary. The orange rose tree was planted by the grandmother of the winemaker who last made wine here in the 1990s. You’ll notice that one wall has not been repaired… this is because the view of the orchard, goats & chickens is too beautiful to hide! The large trees that circle the garden are walnut - there is usually a great crop in the Autumn. The vines are local 'chenin' grapes - feel free to eat them when ripe!

- The Stables: these once housed the working horses Madeira & Sheep!. You'll find a variety of outdoor games here that you are free to use.

- The Barn: beautiful wisteria grows on the outside & old tools grace the walls.

- The Terrace: this used to be the old laundry, but now houses tables & chairs.

- The Smallholding: this area used to house pigs, chickens, doves & rabbits. It’s now a good spot to dry your washing!

- The Chai: this huge wine warehouse borders the smallholding & was where the wine was made & stored.

There is a 3mx3m round above ground pool available in July and August. It is unheated but is usually really warm because of the summer sunshine.

A High chair and travel cot can be supplied upon request.

Please note, the Old Winery is very old with some steep steps. Please always supervise children for their safety.