Pure Wonders of the Loire Valley
For a few years, I’ve imagined France as a spot the place sheep graze freely within the pastures, which felt like a part of the nation’s storybook attraction. My mom has a stunning portray in her eating room of sheep grazing in a meadow. She stated to me, “That is so very French.” On the time, I didn’t fairly perceive what she meant.
Final yr in the Loire Valley, I lastly noticed it with my very own eyes.
We pulled as much as a winery for a tasting, and there they had been, sheep grazing peacefully among the many vines. It was a magical, full-circle second for me. The sheep weren’t only a fairly image, both; they had been a part of the winery’s ecosystem. They nibbled away at weeds and undergrowth, and in flip, left behind pure fertilizer, a sustainable, time-honored approach of caring for the land and the vines.
Meals and wine in the Loire Valley start with the land itself, and that features the animals which have formed this panorama for hundreds of years. From goats whose milk turns into the fragile recent chevre you’ll discover at each market, to the workhorses nonetheless guiding farmers by the vines, livestock is woven into the rhythm of French nation dwelling.
One scene is etched in my reminiscence perpetually. As we crested a hill as much as a rolling winery, the recent spring grass waved within the breeze. Past it, rows of vines so far as the attention may see unfolded, and within the distance, a younger girl appeared, guiding a Clydesdale with a picket plow.
Our information defined that this conventional technique not solely clears overgrowth but additionally turns the soil gently, with out disturbing the fragile subsoil. It was like stepping again in time, a glimpse of France’s agricultural heritage nonetheless alive and thriving as we speak.
And naturally, there are the swans, strutting by the château grounds, their white feathers glistening like one thing from a fairytale.
Chickens strut round farmhouses, goats peek curiously over fences, and for those who’re fortunate, you would possibly even get to present one a scratch behind the ears.
The Loire Valley is thought for its castles, its wine, and its gardens, however its wildlife is equally enchanting. All over the place you flip, there’s a reminder that nature and custom are woven seamlessly into every day life right here.
JOIN ME IN THE LOIRE VALLEY APRIL 2026
Registration for the Loire Valley is now open, and areas are filling quick. Don’t miss your likelihood to be a part of this magical week in one of the crucial stunning areas of France, the place historical past, nature, and tradition come collectively in unforgettable methods.
See you quickly!
XOXO Lorie
