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Private full day Rhone wine tours and tastings departing from Lyon

Join us for a private car tour that takes you on a wine tasting journey through some of the most sought-after vineyards and wineries in the Rhone Valley, a region of remarkable beauty and astonishing diversity. We will focus on the Côtes du Rhône septentrional, the northern part of the region from Vienne to Valence, where vines are cultivated on very steep slopes using mostly Syrah grapes for reds and Viognier for whites like Condrieu. The grapes are picked by hand and have to be hauled up the hillside on trolleys.

E.Guigal is the most famous producer in the region and is the table wine in France producing 40% of the entire appellation as well as other other appellations Condrieu. St. Joseph, Crazes Hermitage. Chateauneuf du Pape, Gigondas.

Visit 1 ▸ The E. Guigal Experience
Begin your tour with a visit to the renowned E. Guigal winery in Ampuis, where you'll indulge in a multi-tasting experience featuring some of the most complex and full-bodied wines in the world. Learn about the winery's history and dedication to producing high-quality wines. E. Guigal is the most famous producer in the region and is the table wine in France, producing 40% of the entire appellation as well as other appellations like Condrieu, St. Joseph, Crozes-Hermitage, Chateauneuf du Pape, and Gigondas.

Visit 2 ▸ Ampuis Cellar Exploration
Continue your journey with a cellar tasting at another winery in Ampuis, where you'll get the opportunity to sample a variety of wines while learning about the unique characteristics of each wine and the region's winemaking techniques.

Lunch ▸ Culinary Delights at Auberge de la Source
You'll savor a delicious lunch at Auberge de la Source, where your meal will be paired with exceptional wines from the region.

Visit 3 ▸ Condrieu Vineyard Discovery & Multi-Terroir Tasting
After lunch, explore the vineyards in Condrieu, known for its exceptional Viognier wines. Experience a multi-terroir tasting, discovering the nuances and flavors that distinguish each terroir and how they contribute to the complexity of the wines.

Cotes du Rhone 89% of all wines are red, 7% rose, and 4% of the production is white wine. While there are 21 different allowable wine grapes able to be planted in the Cotes du Rhone, the dominant red wine grapes are Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, Cinsault and Carignan.

Condrieu
The rare wines made in the AOC Condrieu are exclusively white, from the Viognier grape, along a 9 mile stretch overlooking the Rhone river. They are characterised by delicate aromatics of peaches, dried fruit and white flowers. The wine is full bodied, rich in a style similar to Chardonnay and meant to be consumed young to retain its fruity characteristics.

Saint Joseph
St Joseph is primarily a Syrah red wine made with softer tannins and a dry light style.The soil consist of light schist and gneiss over a granite bedrock and gets less sunlight and heat than AOC Condrieu. These wines were a favourite of Louis XII.

Cote Rotie
Syrah and Viognier are the two main grape varieties of the AOC Côte-Rôtie The vineyards are located in Saint-Cyr-sur-le-Rhône, Ampuis, and Tupin-et-Semons with steep slopes facing the river. The best Cote Rotie wines are medium to full bodied wines with a silky texture. Côte Rôtie means roasted slope in French, a highly appropriate name for many of the south-facing vineyards, which benefit from maximum exposure to the sun's rays.