A 30-tonne menhir marks the entrance to the old Château de Cholet. It has a funny nickname: the Vinegar Stone. This is thought to come from the custom of making religious offerings of wine on the upright stone. A common prank was to squash someone’s nose up against the granite to make them smell the allegedly sour odour. A more poetic story traces the nickname back to an ancient ritual. On the night of a full moon, infertile women would gather here to call upon the deities in the hope of getting pregnant. During their trances, their sweat would flow onto the stone and leave behind a vinegary smell. You choose whichever story you prefer!
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