Tuffeau Stone
Tuffeau is a type of limestone used throughout the Loire Valley, both in the construction of Chateaux and more modest dwellings.
The Loire region was once an ancient sea bed of the Paris Basin where the gradual compression of fossilised marine organisms over millennia formed Tuffeau.
The wine industry of the Loire Valley utilises vast networks of Tuffeau tunnels and caves for vinification as the stone helps to maintain optimal year-round temperature and humidity.
The stone is often brownish-green when extracted…..
….whitening as it dries.
Below (images courtesy of www.ot-saumur.fr): Ancient troglodyte caves cut into cliff faces surround Saumur. They are now often used for growing mushrooms to be sold at markets or supplied to restaurants in Paris.