The Château de Brissac at BRISSAC-QUINCÉ (guided tours only: July & Aug daily 10.15–12.15 & 2.20–5.45; April–June & mid-Sept to Oct daily except Tues 10am–noon & 2.15–5.15pm; €7.50) has been owned since 1502 by the same line of dukes. Of the original fortress, only the fifteenth-century fortified towers remain, and they were long due to be pulled down in deference to the symmetry of the seventeenth-century additions.The interior is a riot of bad taste, but it has some beautiful ceilings and tapestries, as well as an interesting portrait in the Gallery of Ancestors of Mme Clicquot, the first woman to run a champagne business, and her granddaughter, the present duke's grandmother, apparently one of the first women to get a driving licence. The Château has had a vineyard since 1515, with its own label, and wine tastings can be arranged through the château's ticket office (€2.80, including access to grounds). Alternate spellings:: France, Château de Brissac, Château de Brissac, Chateau de Brissac
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