The Loire, France’s longest river at over 1,000 km, flows through numerous wine regions, including Orléans, Anjou, and the Nantes region, which are represented at the FICB by the Confrérie oeno-gastronomique des vins AOC Orléans et Orléans Cléry, the Fins Gousiers d’Anjou, and the Ordre des Chevaliers Bretvins.
On the weekend of May 16 and 17, 2026, the confrérie des fins Gousiers d’Anjou held its chapter meeting in Chalonnes-sur-Loire, during the Anjou Wine Festival.
More than twenty winemakers were there to showcase the wines of this region, where Chenin Blanc is the primary grape variety. The region is particularly famous for its sweet white wines, but it also produces wines of all colors, including the renowned sparkling wines of Saumur.
Concerts, entertainment, boat rides on the Loire, tastings, and lectures punctuated the event.
About twenty regional brotherhoods were welcomed to the Sailors’ Hall by the host brotherhood.
The brotherhoods made their way on foot to City Hall; the town’s new mayor, accompanied by the departmental councilor, the senator, and the congresswoman, as well as the president of the organizing committee and the president of the wine industry association, welcomed them and thanked them for the values they uphold.
After the official speeches and breakfast, the Saumur marching band and majorettes led the brotherhoods from City Hall to the riverbanks along the Loire, where about ten people were inducted in an open-air ceremony.
After lunch, accompanied by four wines from local winemakers, the Confrérie des Fins Gousiers d’Anjou and the Confrérie des amis du Roquefort forged an alliance.
On Sunday, May 17, Father Nectar’s hike took participants through the vineyards and along the banks of the Loire, and a boat tour up the river was organized by the boatmen’s association. An aperitif followed by a picnic lunch was served.
Let it be known: : “Ignorance of the Loire is no excuse”
For more information, visit the website of the Fins Gousiers d’Anjou, from which several of these photos are taken.
