Wine & War in the Loire

Day 1 -
Welcome to Angers 
 

Begin your journey in the medieval city of Angers, nestled in the heart of the Loire Valley. After check-in and a short walking tour, we’ll come together to meet fellow participants and set the stage for a week of themed exploration.

Activities:

• TGV arrivals throughout the day; staff greet participants at Angers Saint-Laud station.

• Check-in to hotel or apartments in central Angers.

• Evening: Welcome dinner & orientation.

• Evening Stroll Through Medieval Angers - an optional walking orientation to the central area of the city.

Day 2 - 
Angers: Occupation, Resistance, and Wine

Trace the layers of Angers’ wartime past—from medieval fortifications to Nazi checkpoints and Resistance safe houses. Today’s walking seminar introduces the social, political, and geographic dynamics of occupation in the Loire Valley.

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Today, we also introduce Operation Vintner: A narrative-based, optional experience that runs throughout the week. Participants may choose how deeply deeply to engage—no espionage background required!

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Finally, we unveil The Vineyard Dispatch—our shared Padlet board. Throughout the week, travelers are invited to post captioned photos that capture moments of meaning or curiosity. Together, we’ll build a living digital archive of our journey—one image, one story at a time.

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Activities:

• Morning seminar: France Under Occupation – An Urban Lens. From de Gaulle to Pétain, and the Choices of Ordinary People

• Guided walking tour of WWII-era sites in Angers

• Visit to the Resistance & Deportation History Center (optional)

• Visit the Maison des Vins d'Anjou et de Saumur in central Angers for a guided tasting focused on regional varietals and terroir

Day 3 -Fontevraud & Saumur: Codes, Captivity, and Cellars

We begin the day at Fontevraud-l’Abbaye, a thousand-year-old monastic complex that became a WWII prison under Nazi occupation. This powerful site invites quiet reflection on the intersecting themes of captivity, resistance, and resilience. While on the grounds, participants will complete an Operation Vintner mission drawn from historical tactics used to conceal and pass coded messages. Afterward, we break for lunch in the nearby village before traveling to Saumur for a guided tour and tasting at one of the region’s most storied wine caves—ending the day where resistance and viticulture once shared the same tunnels.

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Activities:

• Morning visit to Fontevraud Abbey, including WWII-era history and guided exploration

• Operation Vintner mission on the abbey grounds, inspired by covert resistance practices

• Lunch in the village of Fontevraud-l’Abbaye (independent or in small groups)

• Afternoon guided tour and wine tasting at Robert et Marcel wine caves in Saumur

• Return to Angers by early evening

Day 4 -The Land Remembers: Terroir, Silence, and Small Acts

Today we venture into the countryside to explore the quieter forms of legacy—how landscapes hold memory, and how stories are preserved not just in stone, but in soil and tradition. We begin with a wine-paired lunch and cellar experience at Domaine de la Paleine, a biodynamic estate in the Saumur-Champigny appellation. After lunch, we continue to the nearby hilltop town of Puy-Notre-Dame, where discreet acts of wartime resistance took place far from public view. While there, participants will complete a light Operation Vintner mission designed to honor the quieter forms of defiance—those rooted in place, family, and the refusal to forget.​

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In the evening, those who wish can join us at a riverside guinguette in Angers—a relaxed, open-air spot for local wine, music, and conversation under the trees.

Activities

• Guided wine tasting and lunch pairing at Domaine de la Paleine, with cellar visit

• Scenic drive and walking tour of Puy-Notre-Dame, including the cathedral and surrounding village

• Operation Vintner mission: interpret a fictional (but fact-inspired) coded message passed between vintners during the Occupation

• (Optional) evening visit to a riverside guinguette in or around Angers

• Return to Angers by late afternoon or evening

Day 5 – Borders, Memory, and the Long Road to Celebration

We begin the day in Blois, home to the Centre of the Resistance, Deportation, and Memory—a museum and memorial that grounds us in the lived realities of occupation and loss. From there, we travel to Amboise, once a vital crossing point on the demarcation line between occupied and Vichy France. While on the château grounds, participants will engage in an Operation Vintner mission inspired by the covert crossings and coded messages that once defined life on the border. We then continue on to Rochecorbon, just outside Tours, for an optional open-air dinner at La Guinguette de Lulu Parc.

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This day moves across geography and emotion—from remembrance to quiet defiance, and finally to joy—capturing the full spirit of Wine & War in the Loire.

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Activities:

• Guided visit to the Centre of the Resistance, Deportation, and Memory in Blois

• Afternoon visit to Château d'Amboise, including time for independent lunch in town

• (Optional) Operation Vintner mission: The Line Between

• Explore Amboise’s medieval center, with an Operation Vintner mission highlighting clandestine activity across the demarcation line

• (Optional) Early return to Angers via private coach

• (Optional) Evening celebration at La Guinguette de Lulu Parc, with food, music, and open-air camaraderie along the river

• Return private coach to Angers

Day 6 -
Choose Your Own Adventure: Rails, Rivers, or Resistance

Take a break from the group to explore independently—whether by train or bike. Today’s tracks offer three unique ways to engage with the Loire’s layered history, from bustling cities to quiet trails. Optional Operation Vintner side missions will be available—lightweight, self-guided challenges that reveal hidden resistance stories embedded in urban and rural spaces.

To ensure support and continuity, Rob and Anne-Marie will separately accompany the two train-based groups, while a local guide will lead the Resistance-themed bike tour.

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Activities (choose one track):

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Tours Option:

• Morning train to Tours

• Explore Renaissance architecture and bustling squares

• Optional Operation Vintner micro-mission in the old quarter

• Return to Angers by evening

Nantes Option:

• Morning train to Nantes

• Visit to the Machines de l’île or Château des ducs

• Optional Operation Vintner challenge along the Loire riverfront

• Return to Angers by evening

Local Option – Resistance by Bike:

• Morning departure for a guided cycling loop through Angers and surrounding countryside, tracing paths once used by Resistance couriers

• Stops may include historical markers, river crossings, and discreet locations used for document drops and coded communications

• Optional Operation Vintner mission: decrypt a local map and locate a symbolic “drop site” along the route

• Midday riverside picnic or café lunch

• Return to Angers by late afternoon

• Note: The guided ride is moderate in pace and accessible for most fitness levels. Bikes and helmets provided.

Day 7 -Reflection

As our seminar draws to a close, we pause to reflect on the themes that have shaped our journey: wine as culture, land as memory, and resistance as lived experience. The morning offers space to connect these threads through journaling and discussion—and to explore The Vineyard Dispatch, our shared Padlet board, where participants have been posting captioned images throughout the week. Together, we’ll look back through this living digital archive and revisit the moments, spaces, and surprises that defined our time together.

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Although the afternoon is unscheduled, free day doesn’t mean you’re on your own. Rob and Anne-Marie will be available to help plan optional independent excursions—from half-day walks within Angers to full-day train trips to nearby towns—and they’ll informally gather with anyone who wants to share a café table, conversation, or a last local adventure.

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We reunite in the evening for a celebratory farewell dinner at La Réserve, where rooftop views of the River Maine and Angers' iconic château set the stage for one final toast to the stories we've uncovered, the missions we've completed, and the friendships forged along the way.

Day 8 -
Departure

• Morning check-out and assistance with TGV departures.