The Pente des Coutis and its vineyards | Office de Tourisme de Vendôme

A site to discover

On the heights of Vendôme, facing the castle, discover the vineyards of the Pente des Coutis.

Covering 10 hectares, the vineyards were refitted with an ampelographique garden to study grape vines and an orientation table map presenting the picturesque landscape of the Loir valley.

A vine lodge was also built in an old-fashioned way with traditional materials.

An exceptional panoramic view
over Vendôme and its monuments!

The Pente des Coutis (or Coutis slope) is accessible on foot (it is a stop on the Pays Perche-Vallée du Loir GR hiking trail) or by car (parking available at Bigoteries street).

An ideal spot for a picnic

If you like mixing patrimony and picnics, you should go to the “Pente des Coutis” over Vendôme.
It’s an ideal site with a view over the Trinity church and the chateau of Vendôme.
If it rains, you can take refuge in the vineyard lodge next to the panoramic view map.

The pineau d’Aunis wine: particular, rare and unique.

The pineau d’Aunis grapevine gets its name from the Aunis locality, near Saumur. Monks used to grow grapes there in the Middle-Ages. King Henri III Plantagenêt imported this light wine to England in 1246.

In Vines, Grapes and Wines, Jancis Robinson declared that the Pineau d’Aunis was the most admired grapevine of the Loire Valley and in the Middle-Ages the name “pineau” seemed to be given to the best grapes.

Today, it is still a varietal appreciated by connoisseurs, a rare identity, a niche product where the soil imparts an authentic and cultural aspect.

These wines offer numerous pairings with regional, national even international food and wine.

Vignoble de la pente des Coutis à Vendôme

The vine lodges

The vine lodges are little houses (4 to 20 sqare meters) located in or near the vineyards. Walls are built with parget rubble, white limestone (tuffeau) or bricks.

Each one has a door, a window (very often with a wooden shutter) and almost always a fire-place. Built with local materials, they fit in perfectly with the landscape.

The frame is essentially built of oak, sometimes of chestnut or poplar. The roofs are made of tiles (60%) and slate.

The facade opens mainly to the south, sometimes south-east or south-west.