Wine flight

Our afternoon started with a little stroll through the cobbled streets of Sancerre. It was still a bit drizzly so we headed towards the Maison de Sancerre. Which was actually a small museum dedicated to the region and its key products, red, white and rosé wine.

The tour of the museum led us downstairs into a little cave, which had a 3D model of the region in the centre, which had a little movie projected onto it, describing how the land around Sancerre had been formed, and, importantly, what differing soil types are in place now.

Although quite a small area, the wine region of Sancerre is pretty complex, and is responsible for a wide variety of flavours in their wines. The main soil types are chalk, flint, clay and limestone.

After a few further exhibits, including an interactive quiz, we settled in for a ‘4D’ experience about wine production. It was rather hilarious, as seconds into the video, the 4D kicked in and we were sprayed with water, mimicking juice squirting from the grapes. Our chairs then started rolling and rattling as we were suddenly flying over the vineyards. Five hilarious minutes later we came out laughing our heads off.

After the tour we headed up for our first proper tasting. We were handed a credit card, charged with enough credits that we could each choose three different wines to taste, which between us gave us a good selection to try, and to then discuss which ones we preferred.

When we emerged from the musée our view down the street was stunning.