Fundamentals

The Ambacia Cellars have a rich history. For 500 years, generations of men and women have succeeded one another to make this place a space dedicated to wine and French gastronomy.
The Ambacia Cellars' collection of Vouvray wines (1874-present) is a testament to this heritage.
One of the words most often associated with wine is "complex".

The world of wine may seem complex because it is vast and varied.
Also, oenologists and sommeliers often use technical terms that are difficult to understand.
Here are some examples of words you will hear from winemakers or wine merchants: tense, tannic, minerality, robe, balance...
The terms used here must be accompanied by the simplest possible explanations (at first) in order to better understand the wonderful world of wines.

Wine is an apprenticeship, like the arts of painting or music.
At Ambacia Cellars, we like to think and understand wine through the pleasure and emotions it brings.
We are real enthusiasts and experts of French wines and gastronomy.
It seems fundamental to us to show pedagogy, simplicity and a great humility to share our knowledge with you.
All visitors to our house, whether experts or amateurs, will leave with some knowledge and gastronomic understanding of our philosophy.
Learning about wine and gastronomy is limitless.

Wine is first and foremost a pleasure, some are wines of GASTRONOMY, some are rarer wines of EMOTION.

The professionals : (restaurant owners, sommeliers, oenologists, wine merchants, producers) who visit us, participate in enriching us with their knowledge.

The general public: you will discover and learn about wine in a playful way through our tour (the Odyssey), you will understand how to taste and how to enhance the wines with the appropriate dishes.

Children: they are welcome at Caves Ambacia. Whether in the family or school setting (schools, colleges, universities), we take great pleasure in entertaining children and working from an early age to awaken their sense of taste.

The Ambacia Cellars are at the crossroads of history, culture and heritage, wine and gastronomy.

The history of Ambacia Cellars is part of a much larger and richer story.
France is the world reference for the quality of its wines. The history of our vineyards is linked to the development of Christianity. The Loire Valley begins to produce wines thanks to Saint Martin in the year 350 (Abbey of Marmoutier, Vouvray).

France is the world reference for the quality of its wines. The history of our vineyards is linked to the development of Christianity. The Loire Valley begins to produce wines thanks to Saint Martin in the year 350 (Abbey of Marmoutier, Vouvray).
The stones extracted from our cellars also contribute to make the Loire Valley shine with its more than 400 castles and abbeys. Here are some of them, just for your pleasure: Château de Sully sur Loire, Château Royal de Blois, Château de Chambord, Château de Menard, Château de Cheverny, Château Chaumont sur Loire, Château de Loche, Château Royal d'Amboise, Château du Clos Lucé, Château Gaillard, Château Valmer, Château and gardens of Villandry, Château d'Azay le Rideau, Château Langeais, Château Chinon, Royal Abbey of Fontevraud, Château de Saumur and so many others...

UNESCO : The Loire Valley is an exceptional cultural landscape, including historic towns and villages, great architectural monuments - the castles - and cultivated land, shaped by centuries of interaction between people and their physical environment, including the Loire itself.

The criteria used are that:

• The Loire Valley is remarkable for the quality of its architectural heritage, with its historic cities such as Blois, Chinon, Orleans, Saumur and Tours, but more particularly for its world-renowned castles, such as Chambord.

• The Loire Valley is an exceptional cultural landscape along a great river. It bears witness to an exchange of influences of human values and to the harmonious development of interactions between people and their environment over two thousand years of history.

• The landscape of the Loire Valley, and more particularly its numerous cultural monuments, illustrates to an exceptional degree the ideals of the Renaissance and the Enlightenment on the thought and creation of Western Europe.

Wine and gastronomy are in the DNA of Ambacia Cellars since since the construction of troglodytic houses, men have developed the wine trade by using the galleries and loading their barrels on the boats of the Loire. In the spirit of Ambacia Cellars, wine is associated with gastronomy and we are very proud that the gastronomic meal of the French is recognized by UNESCO.

Inscribed in 2010 on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
The gastronomic meal of the French is a customary social practice intended to celebrate the most important moments in the lives of individuals and groups, such as births, weddings, anniversaries, successes and reunions. It is a festive meal where the guests practice the art of "eating well" and "drinking well". The gastronomic meal emphasizes the fact of being well together, the pleasure of taste, the harmony between the human being and the productions of nature. Among its important components are: the careful choice of dishes from an ever-growing body of recipes; the purchase of good products, preferably local, whose flavors go well together; the marriage between food and wine; the decoration of the table; and a specific gesture during the tasting (smelling and tasting what is served at the table). The gastronomic meal must follow a well-defined pattern: it begins with an aperitif and ends with a digestive, with at least four courses in between, namely a starter, fish and/or meat with vegetables, cheese and a dessert. People who are recognized as gastronomes, who have a thorough knowledge of the tradition and preserve its memory, ensure the living practice of the rites and thus contribute to their oral and/or written transmission, in particular to the younger generations. The gastronomic meal tightens the family and friendship circle and, more generally, strengthens social links. ©MFPCA 2009.

Some quotes

« We are what we eat. »

~ Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin

« I believe that happiness is born to men where good wines are found. »

~ Léonard De Vinci

« Wine is the healthiest and most hygienic of drinks. »

~ Louis Pasteur