Travel Agency Prospectus
Commission based proposal
Now is the perfect time to partner The Elite Wine Tour Company.
Organic and biodynamic might be newer phrases, but they are traditional practices for the winemakers we partner.
Loire Valley wines represent style and sophistication, whilst remaining affordable.
The Loire Valley is an UNESCO World Heritage site, home to hundreds of castles and ancient ruins, as well as some exceptional winemakers and their domains. It is for those reasons and more that The Loire Valley is a popular holiday destination attracting over 8 million tourists in 2019.
If it sounds like it gets crowded then rest assured that, stretching over 280km, there is ample space and unlimited amounts of serendipity all along the way. Having operated across Val De Loire for more than twenty years, The Elite Wine Tour Company is proud to introduce sightseers to the locations where all the finest sites, restaurants, walks, castles and most importantly, vineyards lie.
Through our trusted, independently owned and operated Travel Agents, The Elite Wine Tour Company is excited to offer commission to sales personnel of 20% on all sales through 2021 and 2022.
Below you shall find information to present to potential clients, as well as a sample of the pricing available. With such a vast array of options taking into consideration bespoke wine tours for from as little as two, up to as many as twenty-six people, lasting from as little as half a day up to four days, we cater for couples and groups of all sizes.
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In an ongoing effort to support ethical practices, The Elite Wine Tour Company exclusively partners family wine makers whom work the land organically or biodynamically; producing limited yield. We will not work with winemakers that supply supermarket chains, that add sulphites or excess sugars or yeast to their wine, use pesticide on their land or are contracted to produce corporate levels of stock. In some instances, the winemakers we partner produce as few as 2000 bottles in certain cuvees, each vintage.
The wine your clients taste is made available to buy direct from the winemaker, costing from €4 up to €400 per bottle.
We look forward to you getting in touch with all queries regarding your and your customer’s needs. As an experienced, family run business we pride ourselves in offering client led experiences with customer satisfation being the absolute utmost of importance to us.
We welcome your prompt correspondance.
Cheers!
Christopher Garry
Tour Coordinator
regions
All regions covered extensively
In order to assist agents in guiding clients toward the choice that will create the most unforgettable moments, laid out below are the wine regions within Val De Loire that The Elite Wine Tour Company covers.
Sancerre
Sitting on the Loire river, you will find one of the most romantic and enchanting places to visit in all of France. The unspoilt medieval hilltop town of Sancerre is home to jaw-dropping sprawling vineyards, producing some of the most highly distinguished and historically important examples of the Sauvignon Blanc grape in the world.
Chinon
On the banks of the Vienne river, this incredible Renaissance town known as The Garden of France, is not only a world heritage site; the Chinon region in which it lies, is also one of the world’s greatest and most prolific producers of wines consisting of 100% Cabernet Franc.
Vouvray
Thought of as perhaps the greatest white wine producing region in the world, all of Vouvray’s winemaking efforts are centred around producing Chenin Blanc. The diversity and ageing potential of just one grape is demonstrated incredibly when opening a bottle of Dry, Sweet, Dry sparkling or Sweet sparkling white wine. The region produces all styles impeccably.
Touraine
Dotted around the heart of The Loire Valley with many beautiful chateaux is Touraine. This region is well known for it’s Sauvignon Blanc, yet also produces traditional style light & fruity red wines using Malbec, Gamay, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon & Pinot Noir grapes. Exceptionally popular within France and wholly enjoyable in very early vintages.
Cheverny
Possibly the best kept secret of all French winemaking regions. Cheverny & neighbouring Cour-Cheverny produce distinct white wine using a rare Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay blend (Cheverny) & even rarer Romorantin (Cour Cheverny). The grapes used to make exceptional reds and rosé are Pinot Noir & Gamay.
Pouilly Fumé
With vineyards dating back to the fifth century, Pouilly-sur-Loire is home to the rolling Pouilly-Fumé vineyards that wrap around and along the town’s countryside. Despite only being grown for Sauvignon Blanc since the 19th century, the vineyards here now produce unmistakably characteristic white wine which can rival any region’s dry white wine in the world.
Bourgueil
With strikingly individual character, the Apellations of Bourgueil & St. Nicolas-De-Bourgueil both excel equally in delivering exceptional quality Cabernet Franc. There is real beauty in experiencing not only the passion; but the differences in just how the two dedicated wine making towns, only two miles apart, craft incredible red wine in their own inimitable style.
Menetou-Salon
Dating back to the 11th century; it is this region that has the mighty Sancerre looking over it’s shoulder. Excelling in producing refreshing, crisp white wine using Sauvignon Blanc; Menetou-Salon’s finest examples are something to behold. This appellation also devotes a fifth of its yield to producing equally refreshing and crisp light, fruity red wine using Pinot Noir.
Saumur
A complex ensemble made up of diverse apellations; aptly named “the Pearl of Anjou”. Saumur Champigny is revered for it’s reds made using cabernet franc & cabernet sauvignon. AOC Saumur itself is highly regarded for sparkling white & rosé wines from both Chenin Blanc & Chardonnay grapes, whilst Coteaux de Saumur produces illustrious & exceptionally rare semi-sweet Chenin Blanc.
Quincy
Famous for its castle built by King Charles VII, one of France’s very first appellations is a tiny, traditional & dedicated wine making town with a population of less than 1000 people. Having flown under the radar for so long, Quincy is finally achieving legendary status. Exclusively producing crisp, stylish, dry white wine using Sauvignon Blanc.
Reuilly
In the last twenty years, the overall amount of wine produced in Reuilly has increased by a staggering five fold! It is for this reason that the Sauvignon Blanc made from recently planted vines is generally overshadowed by that of neighbouring Quincy (see above). However, oaked & unoaked veilles vignes Pinot Noir can be truly outstanding, and fans of Rosé will adore the sublime Pinot Gris.
quick knowledge to hand
I'm no wine expert, but...
You are a dedicated travel agent, a brilliant people person whom excels in assisting clients in creating exceptional experiences. We don’t expect, nor even need you to become any kind of wine guru. So below we have created a handy quick glance guide which enables you to best serve your clients needs and saves you sending a red wine lover to somewhere that only produces white wine.
Where to find different styles & types:
Beauty in diversity
The vast array of different styles of wine and types of grapes, as well as blends, is astonishing. Unlike more famous regions like Bordeaux, Burgundy & Champagne; The Loire Valley produces truly affordable wine that clients can take home with them by the cartload. So whilst the wines dont generally have the ageing potential as the above mentioned places, this is more than made up for by the approachability and sheer amount of different types of wine made here.
Sauvignon blanc
Sancerre
Pouilly Fume
Quincy
Reuilly
Touraine
Menetou-Salon
Cheverny
pinot noir
Sancerre
Reuilly
Menetou-Salon
Touraine
Cheverny
cabernet franc
Chinon
Touraine
Saumur
Bourgueil & St. Nicolas De Bourgeuil
Chenin Blanc
Vouvray
Chinon
Touraine
Saumur
Chardonnay
Saumur
Touraine
Cheverny
Rosé
Sancerre
Reuilly
Cheverny
Chinon
Bourgueil & St. Nicolas-De-Bourgueil
Touraine
Menetou-Salon
Malbec (Cot)
Touraine
Gamay
Touraine
Cheverny
Sparkling
Vouvray
Touraine
Cheverny
Dessert wine (sweet wine)
Vouvray
Touraine
Cheverny
Saumur
For when a prospective client says they prefer:
Bordeaux: Touraine produces red blends using Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon & Malbec (Cot)
Burgundy: Sancerre makes some incredible red wine using Pinot Noir
Champagne: Sparkling Vouvray is made to the same standards by using the exact same method with Chenin Blanc
testimonials
what our current & previous clients say
Below are some of our favourite previous client experiences. Included in order to help travel agents to converge with clients and decide on the regions and types of wine they are interested in so they can make informed decisions on where they are most excited to visit.
Aaron
As the somellier at my uncle’s NYC restaurant, wine is always around me. Anytime I am in Paris I book a tour. I originally booked to go to Chinon; which is fantastic, and since then have also explored Bourgeil, St Nicholas & Saumur. No matter where, The Elite Wine Tour Company takes me to one unbelivable family winemaker after another.
Ed & Andi
He likes white wine, I like red wine & we both absolutely adore rosé. So what better way to spend two days than the first day in Sancerre followed by the second in Chinon? Utterly blissful.
Brenda
It was in a group during a week long visit to Paris that some of us decided to break away in an effort to explore the vineyards of France! I really enjoy sparkling white wine & rosé, and seeing the process of the grapes being pressed and the bottles being turned in the caves of Touraine Amboise is an experience I shall never forget.
Heather
What an amazing one day tour of The Loire Valley! I visited Cheverny & Cour Cheverny. Previously I had only ever really liked white wine, but now I have been introduced to the type of lighter red wine made here, I have fallen in love with Pinot Noir & Gamay.
Simon & Mandy
We wanted to find the perfect wine for our big day so it was incredible to have the whole trip tailored to our needs. In the months leading up to visiting Vouvray, Pouilly & Sancerre, we went back and forth with The Elite Wine Tour Company on a regular basis, tweaking the experience so that we could sample enough wine & also have plenty of downtime to enjoy in France. What we achieved in our 2 days was très formidable!
Meredith
Being introduced to Touraine is a dream come true. It has everything you want; castles, quaint little towns and villages on the river, vineyards that stretch on and on as far as the eye can see! They produce the most unbelivably good goat’s cheese here and also have just about every wine variety you could possibly think of to pair it with! It is basically heaven.
Erin & Jess
Escaping Paris for a full day excursion to Chinon was just what the doctor ordered! Not only did we both get to visit our favourite winemakers, we soon discovered that this region also makes really great white & rosé wine too.
Pam
We are massive fans of Malbec, however the Sauvingon blanc & Chardonnay blend being produced in Cheverny is something else, and you simply must sample Romarantin, grown in nearby Cour-Cheverny. It is the only place in the world producing wine from this grape and it lends to an extremely rare, complex & balanced dry white wine which we adore.
Warren & Joy
For our 30th wedding anniversary we visited Sancerre, and we have been back every year since! Nowhere else in the world offers the romance & the winemaking history that this adorable little hilltop town does. We absolutely love it!
Toby & Benjamin
Visiting Vouvray was an absolute joy. Being shown around the vineyards and then sampling the various vintages on offer was a dream come true. The levels of detail that go into producing this wine are unreal. Elite Wine Tour even helped us ship several crates of our favourites back home!
Reg & Dionne
The more we come to Touraine the less we seem to drink of anything else. Whenever we travel to France we are always taken somewhere new, as well as being reminded of our favourites! The sheer amount of family winemakers that Elite Wine Tour has meaningful partnerships with really is commendable.
Kenneth & Alison
Each time we book an Elite Wine Tour in The Loire Valley; whether it is Quincy, Reuilly, Menetou-Salon or Sancerre, we count down the days until we are in France, at another exceptional vineyard, in the company of the wine makers themselves, sampling their wine. It truly is a remarkable experience.
Courtney
I could not wait to visit Vouvray. Upon arriving at the first vineyard I was astonished to learn how approachable and humble the winemakers and their family are! Meeting them and sampling their wine in their prescence was something I’ll never forget.
Owen
I wanted to send nothing but genuine world class white wine home, having sampled it on the actual domain of the family that had produced it. Elite Wine Tour brought me to Quincy where I was able to visit 3 vineyards and at all of them I found wine that I will never forget. My understanding & appreciation is growing exponentially!
example prices
Below are some sample pricing options
When consulting wine lovers it is important to bare in mind that with bespoke wine tour experiences there are no off the shelf products. In order to guide agents and give an idea of pricing, below are some popular sample tour experiences on which to base rough price estimates.
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Quincy/Reuilly for 2 people HALF DAY $235 (£170) per person
Vierzon train station pick-up & drop-off point or any hotel or other destination within 20km
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Sancerre for 2 people FULL DAY $395 (£285) per person
Vierzon train station pick-up & drop-off point or any hotel or other destination within 50km of Vierzon or Sancerre
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Vouvray & Chinon for 4 people FULL DAY $915 (£665) TOTAL
Tours train station pick-up & drop-off point or any hotel or other destination within 50km
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Sancerre & Chinon for 6 people FOUR DAY $2250 (£1625) TOTAL
Pick up & drop-off anywhere in Central Loire Valley region (Blois, Bourges, Chartres, Chateauroux, Orleans, Tours)
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Touraine, Vouvray, Cheverny & Cour Cheverny for GROUP of 26 TWO DAY $3950 (£2855) TOTAL
Pick up & drop off in Paris, or anywhere in Central Loire Valley region, overnight stay in Central Loire Valley region hotel. (Hotel rooms can be included at additional cost)
Commission based
The above prices are mainly to be used as a guide. A successful strategy generally involves consulting with clients as to which region(s) they might prefer to visit, for how many people and for what duration, then putting together a package including travel and stay. We will then price the tour portion of their package appropriately, you will receive 20% commission of this price and handle all other incidentals besides the wine tours.