hécy is a small town of the Loire valley on the right bank of the river, 10 km east of Orléans, 110 km south of Paris and within the perimeter of the UNESCO World Heritage. Located at the crossroads of Roman ways connecting Orléans, Paris, Gien and Sens, Chécy has been inhabited since the conquest of Gaul by the Romans who introduced the first vineyards, in the area next to the Loire Valley.

Back in the Middle'ages, at the time of the Capetian kings, Orléans stood right at the center of the kingdom of France, of which it was the capital city. On the River Loire, the traffic was very important and the port of Chécy could display an intense activity.
Chécy was one of the enfranchised towns from the Orléans area as reported on the charter of franchise of 1180.

1. Chécy from the canal

   

2. Chécy from the sky

   

3. The town center

   

4. The Johannine feasts

   

5. The vineyards of Chécy

   

Queen Ingeborg, wife of King Philippe-Auguste, was the owner of a winefarm-house in Chécy which she bequeathed to the La Cour-Dieu Abbey of Ingrannes in December 1231. An historical fact worth mentioning: it’s recorded that - Joan of Arc had a rest at Chécy on April 29, 1429 to enjoy a glass or two of our famous Gris-Meunier wine she had heard about, before proceeding to reclaim Orleans… At that time most of the agricultural land of Chécy was planted with vineyards.

In the 17th et 18th centuries, two-thirds of the population of Chécy were winemakers, or had a job related to wine and vineyards activities (coopers, wine merchants, innkeepers, and, of course, assorted drunkards…)
During the French Revolution and Napoleon's reign, the canal of Orléans - built a century earlier – was the busiest route of France, with frequent congestion at its locks and Checy was teeming with an intense activity, enhanced, no doubt by the free and steady flow of our wines…