Anjou's vineyards and tuffeau, on two wheels

Maine-et-Loire is the core of the Anjou-Saumur wine zone, producing Chenin Blanc in forms that range from bone-dry Savennières to the sweet Coteaux du Layon and Bonnezeaux appellations — all within cycling distance of each other along the Loire's left bank. The soft tuffeau limestone that underlies much of the department was quarried for centuries to build the Loire châteaux, and the resulting caves became cellars, mushroom farms, and — around Saumur and Doué-la-Fontaine — entire inhabited underground settlements. La Loire à Vélo (EuroVelo 6) runs through the département on largely flat levée paths and traffic-free greenways, passing vineyards, river islands, and tuffeau cliffs from Saumur west through Angers to the Loire-Atlantique border.