Bourgueil

Bourgueil is a small wine village in the Loire Valley, in the Indre-et-Loire department of France, known above all for the red wines made from the Cabernet Franc grape on the gravel and limestone terraces that rise from the north bank of the Loire. The village itself is a quiet, low-key place of pale tuffeau stone, an old market hall and the cellars, some cut into the soft rock, where the local growers age their wine.

The surrounding countryside is gentle Loire country, close to the great chateaux of Touraine and the river itself, with vineyards, woodland and cycling paths along the valley. It is at its best from late spring through the autumn harvest, when the vines are in leaf and the tasting rooms are open. For families and groups who want a quiet base for the vineyards and the chateaux, luxury villa rentals in Bourgueil sit among the vines and villages of the Loire.