Gastronomy - Oenology
ACTIVITIES AROUND THE ESTATE
The Restaurant des Plantes
The restaurant des Plantes combines successfully and with much expertise contemporary and gourmet cuisine by reinterpreting traditional recipes and highlighting local produces.
Affordable prices, original wine list and wise advice from Fabienne when it comes to wines. When summer weather is back, you can have lunch or dinner outside on the terrace.
Located in Durtal less than 10 minutes from the Orangerie de la Touchardière, we will be glad to keep a table for you there.
Domaine du Closel
Located in Savennières, the Château des Vaults was built in the 17th century and reshaped in the 19th. Its Closel vineyard produces Anjou rouge, Anjou village and Savennières wines with AOC protected designation.
This 14-hectare (35-acre) domain where vine is grown with biodynamic methods, stretches on a terroir of clay, sandstone, schists and volcanic rock.
The Domaine du Closel fits in a very dynamic oenotourism approach and organises many events in relation with nature, season and moon cycles, gastronomical pleasure, vintage, culture, literature, sculpting, music… to be discovered at the Château des Vaults.
At the Orangerie de la Touchardière, you will be provided with free admissions to the Domaine du Closel for a guided driving tour across the vineyard and the château’s park, before you are offered to taste 3 wines in the cellar.
It is possible to take deeper visits but in all cases it is absolutely necessary to make a reservation on the website of Domaine du Closel.
La Sablésienne
The Biscuiterie of Sablé finds its origin in a man, Georges Justier, a sparkling figure who worked as a pastry chef and used to take a bike ride to deliver his small shortbreads. It was in 1962 that he decided to set up a biscuit manufacture in Sablé-sur-Sarthe, the Biscuiterie Justier, which has now become the Sablésienne.
That way, the founder made the tradition of “petits sablés” live on. These biscuits are iconic of the town, which they are named after, and the Marquise of Sablé was their advocate at the the king’s court.
Being 20 minutes from La Sablésienne, we at the Orangerie de la Touchardière will be glad to offer you those delicious shortbreads, which will delight the mouthes of both children and adults.
The butter shortbreads of Sablé-sur-Sarthe are a tradition of France’s culinary heritage.
Thanks to her passion for taste, innovation and creation, Amélie Loret-Scherrer has been in charge of leading La Sablésienne since 2003.
You will be able to find out about the world of the Sablé biscuit by making a reservation for a guided tour around the workshops. To do so, call +33 (0) 2 43 95 04 53 or message contact@sablesienne.com. Visits are only available on weekdays in the morning.
Les Saveurs de Tom
The company “Les Saveurs de Tom” now offers a wide range of jams, which have the peculiarity of containing saffron in their recipes.
Grown and harvested by his wife Marie, saffron is an exceptional ingredient that gives Tom’s jams an unparalleled taste. Thomas is a long-time enthusiast and is in search of new tastes and flavours to delight more and more people.
At the Orangerie de la Touchardière, you will have the opportunity to discover Thomas’ jams and jellies on the breakfast table.
You can also go to Daumery for a sampling, but before that, make a reservation at +33 (0) 2 41 27 34 16.
The Four Seasons Mill
Located at the heart of the very welcoming valley of the Loir river (not to be confused with the nearby, larger Loire with a final e !), the Moulin des Quatre Saisons in the town of La Flèche is a starred gourmet restaurant where you can taste a creative and modern cuisine that follows the cycle of seasons and will delight your eyes and your mouth.
In the summer, a most enjoyable patio on the riverbank will let you savour contemporary cuisine with the accompaniment of splendid wines, all the while seating in an enchanting background.
At the Orangerie de la Touchardière, your charming residence, it will be a pleasure for us to book a table as you request it.
The Château of Épiré
It was in 1882 in the village of Savennières that the Bizard family settled in the Château of Épiré. Since then, the estate has remained in the same family and nowadays, the fifth generation has taken over the operation of the vineyard, which means it is the oldest family-run winegrowing estate with the Savennières indication.
11 hectares (27 acres) of vines have been planted on Loire-overlooking slopes of Épiré, out of which 9 hectares (22 acres) planted with chenin grape variety to produce indicated Savennières.
Grown according to the traditional ways, the vines are harvested manually and the wine is fermented inside small, stainless steel vats before being bred “on lees” in barrels. The château’s wine cellars have been set up in the village’s ancient romanesque church.
As for the vineyard, it is divided into three plots: the 5-hectare (12-acre) park near the château, the 2.5 hectare (6-acre) Croix Picot which overlooks the Loire river, and the Hu-Boyau, a plot scattered with blue volcanic jaspers.
The 4-step guided tour is available all year-round from Mondays to Saturdays, by reservation only.
