Colin is an absolutely lovely person who ensured we tasted all of the great wines of the loire valley. He was very knowledgeable of the wine and the area & overall was a delight to spend the day with. We would book with him again & hope to in the future.

Fantastic day tasting over 30 wines at 3 very different vineyards - got an authentic and personal experience as the group was small and Martin is well known locally and very knowledgeable. Comfortable transport, super lunch - HIGHLY recommended!

What a wonderful day my wife and I shared with Colin on the Natural Wine tour. Colin was a wonderful host for our day trip from Paris. Met us promptly at the train station, and took us to 3 really special wineries, lunch in Chinon, concluding by getting us back to the station on time for our return train. He is incredibly knowledgeable and imbedded in wine culture even beyond the Loire valley. He taught us many new interesting facts about the world of wine. He was a great driver, in a clean car, and was very professional. I couldn't recommend this trip enough for those interested in seeing/leaning about the Loire Valley. Thank you, Colin for the wonderful memories

My wife and I are visiting the Loire Valley for the first time. Being from Napa Valley, we were quite keen to learn about the specific nature of the local red wine growing and production methods and how they may differ from Napa. After a careful review of tour choices, we chose Colin Elliott - he was responsive to our specific interests and suggestions for certain wineries to visit in our email exchange. We visited four wineries over the day. Colin even took the time to walk us out into a few vineyards to show us the pruning and vine management techniques. As the day progressed, Colin’s friendly style and cultural knowledge came through immensely. He became a new friend , more than just a driver and guide! Colin’s passion for wines really made a difference in our opportunity to learn more about the wines of Chinon, Bourgueil and St Nicolas de Bourgueil . He also made time to visit a Chateau and describe the history related to its presence. We had the best experience, thanks to Colin. We had the best time, learned a lot and had fun!

We feel so fortunate to have booked a two day Loire Valley tour with Collin. My husband and I were visiting France for the first time on our honeymoon and unfortunately did not know much of the language. As Americans, to have a British guide who spoke perfect French was such an asset in bridging any cultural gaps and making sure we were learning about all the wines we were tasting and the history of the area. Collin has great relationships with many vintners and we enjoyed meeting the families who owned these beautiful properties. We purchased about 5 cases of wine which Collin shipped back to US. After taking a group tour in the Rhône which a bit disappointing, I would say it’s definitely worth it to book a personal guide instead. Will visit again!

Colin was a fantastic host and guide throughout the loire valley for the day. We chose the Best Reds tour with a visit to the gardens. Colin communicated perfectly prior to our trip regarding pick up and was very timely. He helped us navigate around the valley both by driving and communicating with the locals. He helped us purchase and ship wine back to Chicago. Could not have asked for a better day in the loire valley and very much advise anyone to seek out Colin’s services.

This was a fantastic tour, and we can't thank Colin Elliott enough for the amazing day he gave us! We booked the Chenin Blanc Tour with Colin as part of our honeymoon. We're so glad that we did. Every place we visited was special, and Colin felt like a longtime friend even though we just met him that day. He drove more than an hour from his home to personally pick us up and even adjusted the time he dropped us off to make sure we made it in time to make it for our balloon ride that ended up being postponed from the day before. We had waited more than a year and a half to finally take this tour because of Covid travel restrictions, and it was definitely worth the wait. Colin was gracious with us every time we had to reschedule and we're so glad we got to do it as planned. The wines were incredible, and we got a lot of tastings throughout the day. We also were able to buy bottles at all of our stops at incredibly low prices compared to what you'd pay for similar quality French imported options in the United States. We mostly drank whites but were offered some reds as well. Every wine was special in its own way. Colin made the ride between each of our stops fun with great information about the region, lots of interesting facts about the wines in the area, and good humor. His relationships with the owners of each winery helped us get great access inside the cellars and unique opportunities to see work being done on site. Our adventure took us inside the the caves of Montlouis, to the tasty sparkling wines at Monmousseau, to an excellent lunch in downtown Montrichard, to a family-run vigneron at the Caves du Pere Auguste, to beautiful Chateau Moncontour in Vouvray. It was a day full of laughs and tastes we'll remember for a lifetime. You'll get to the heart of what the Loire Valley is all about if you book. Highly recommended. Thank you again, Colin!

The Wait was Worth it. Having had to delay our visit to France for over a year, the highlight of out first time in the Loire Valley was a day with Colin enjoying the "Best of Reds", lunch in Chinon and a visit to the gardens of Villandry. A perfect combination in the company of Colin who provided appreciated insight into the wines and growing methods of the Loire Valley and expert guidance through one of the most magnificent gardens of the world. A renaissance man in his own right, he kindly shared his life story with us over a wonderful lunch in Chinon. He also orchestrates the shipping of our wine purchases to our home in USA. We highly recommend the Loire Valley Wine Tour, which can be customized to your own interests. We hope to engage Colin's services again in the future.

My husband and I recently traveled with two other couples and their children to a small town outside of Sancerre for a friend’s 50th birthday. I knew I wanted to do something special for her on her special day and was so thankful to find Colin. We knew that touring a bunch of wineries would be boring for the kids so I asked Colin if he would come to us and do a tasting at the chateau we were staying at. It was great, he showed up with 12 different wines from the Loire Valley and a map that he used in his storytelling of the area-specific varietals and the wonderful winemakers that put their heart and soul in bringing out the terroir of these delightful gems. Colin was extremely knowledgeable. We were a mix of first-time wine tasters through to someone who worked in the wine industry and we all learned something new. He will truly make your experience a special one!

This was easily one of our most memorable days in our entire trip to France. Colin is a wonderful guide to the Loire Valley and one of the most genuine and kind individuals you'll ever meet. We only did a half day tour and wish we did a full or more - we'll be back! Colin brought us to two beautiful, friendly and fantastic wineries. He had us tour the caves, taught us about the entire process - especially champagne which was fascinating - and introduced us to wines he knew we'd love based on personal preference. The day was unpretentious and made us feel as though we were tasting wine with an old friend. Colin pointed out the beautiful sites of the area and shared tales about his passions for good wine. We never once felt like we were being quizzed about our knowledge or our preferences. We had come to the Loire Valley specifically seeking Sauvignon Blanc and Sancerre, but left learning so much more about other varietals and with so much wine! We can't wait to make another trip back in a few years. Colin truly made the day spectacular. He had long standing relationships with all the vineyards which created a one-of-a-kind experience, he had a wealth of knowledge on wine and we so enjoyed hearing his stories about gardening design. He was truly just a gem of a person, you will not regret booking a tour with him. It's worth the money alone to book a tour with him for his knowledge of the area and relationships with local vineyards, but where you get your true money's worth is that he is such a pleasant and wonderful guide to the area, putting a smile on our face even during a blustery, windy, rainy day.

This tour was definitely a great value. We were two couples who took the 1/2 day tour together. We booked it solely based on the description and reviews we found on line and were delighted with our choice. First, Colin is absolutely delightful to hang with. He really made us feel welcome and was full of useful and helpful information about the vineyards, the grapes, the wines and the whole growing & production systems. While we had some rudimentary knowledge of the wine making process, Colin added significantly to our knowledge and made it an enjoyable learning experience. His knowledge of the local wines was complete and honest and really made the tasting experience something special. He also was an excellent adviser when we were selecting wines. By the time the tour was over we were sorry we only had time for the half day tour and felt we actually had spent that time with a friend and a totally enjoyable companion. We are pleased to give Colin and the tour our highest recommendation. Thanks Colin for a wonderful experience.

My husband and I did the half day wine tour with Colin this week for our 1 year wedding anniversary and can't rave about this enough. I came into this a complete novice, simply knowing the loire valley seemed nice, I enjoy white wine and I was looking for somewhere close to Paris to do one overnight trip. I was very overwhelmed during trip planning when I realized how large the loire valley was! Colin was helpful giving me advice on where we should stay and his choice of Amboise as a homebase was ideal for us since we were taking the train and wouldn't have a car. We took the 750am train from Paris arriving in Amboise at 10am. Colin picked us up at 1:30pm and took us to three vineyards in the afternoon. He was so friendly and knowledgeable and authentic and carried conversation so well. He drove us to three different vineyards and we tried flights of wine at each and he took us through the caves and showed us how the wine is made. He also made the trip personalized for us - giving us options as we drove through based on our taste. We chose the general option giving us a mix of different white and reds. The wine is amazing at each vineyard and Colin can set you up w/ shipping back to the US. Now that we are back, we wish we had taken him up on this and brought back more. We bought 5 bottles and took them back in our suitcase on the plane. Having just met him, it felt immediately like we were traveling through wine country with an old friend. My only regret is not spending more time in the Loire Valley!

We had a delightful two days with Colin traveling the Loire Valley. Colin is extremely knowledgeable when it comes to wine and horticulture. On top of that, he is great fun and full of interesting and enjoyable stories. Colin takes great care in making sure you get the most of your experience with everything being tailor made. Lastly, Colin can manage shipping wines back home, which is important in the Loire Valley. It was a treat to spend our two days with Colin in the Loire Valley.

We had a wonderful day touring and tasting the Loire Valley wines with Colin. He is charming and knowledgable. We highly recommend this tour as a way to appreciate one of the highlights of the Loire, the wine! This was our favorite tour of our week long trip.

We added this to our trip and I must say I wasn't sure about an all day long wine tour..............but, OMG is was the highlight of our trip. What glorious countryside to enjoy from the comfort of the luxury tour bus that brought us around the area. Hugo, our tour guide, brought the castles we visited to life with his rich storytelling of the owners and their mischiefs of the time. The wine tasting was exceptional as was the luncheon. To this day, I have become a rose wine drinker. Who knew rose wine wasn't all sweet??? It was a magical day with many wonderful memories and new friends met. I strongly encourage you to add this tour to your Paris visit. It is a nice balance of city bustle with countryside ambiance. Enjoy!