Caves Ackerman — Attraction in Saumur

What a fantastic place! Exceeded all my expectations. Beautifully maintained, thoughtfully designed, well documented for English speakers, welcoming staff. An excellent and breathtaking art exhibition in the inner parts of the cave, thanks to a magical collaboration with the Fontevraud Modern Art Museum. Well done to the management for keeping such a heritage gem alive and relevant! The wine tasting at the end of the visit was the cherry on the cake, we were guided through the wine repertoire by a highly knowledgeable young lady who should be proud of herself for representing the brand and her region so well and so confidently. We timed the visit well, sheltering from the sweltering heatwave that sweeped across the region that week. This visit was truly one to remember for us all, it had tons of appeal to our family of two adults and our 11 and 14...

We had a wonderful time touring the Ackerman cave, tasting the wines and learning all about the production process.

The caves are huge (really need to be seen to comprehend) and they are quite chilly (12 C)! For €6 you get a self-guided tour of the cave and a tasting. What a bargain!

There are lots of interesting things to see in the cave related to the Ackermans, how the vineyard was started, their marketing (gout anyone?) and the process of making Crémant de Loire. There are also art installations which are incredible, and a game room.

The tasting itself was great and we had all 8 wines and an extra one. Charlotte, our server was really knowledgeable and spoke very good English.

We skipped out of there with 6 bottles of plonk and an excellent bottle opener!

Would highly recommend if you’re in the area. And they are dog...

Surprisingly fun way to spend an afternoon. €5 entry which includes a wine tasting session afterwards.

The caves start with some history of the company and an exhibition of the wine making process. It then becomes more of a modern art gallery with beautifully lit sculptures and whole-room installations. At the end are a collection of parlor games which can be played.

Finally you go back out into the shop for the tasting session. Even if you know nothing about wine the staff are very helpful and happy to give recommendations. They have some alcohol-free products too for the designated drivers.

Unsurprisingly we ended up leaving with 4 cases of wine. Probably goes some way to explaining the low...