Côtes du Rhône, half-day
The origins of Syrah and Viognier grapes
Welcome to the northernmost part of the Côtes du Rhône area, land of the legendary Syrah and Viognier grapes. Just 25 minutes south of Lyon, you'll be discovering one of the oldest and steepest vineyards in France, with terraces built during Roman times! Here, you'll be visiting two Côte Rôtie appellation estates: Condrieu and Saint-Joseph, both considered to be among the most prestigious appellations among Côtes du Rhône wines.
On the way, you and your guide Olivier, expert in oenology, will be stopping in Vienne at the vantage point of Notre-Dame de Pipet church, to admire the magnificent panoramic view over the Rhône valley, and the Roman amphitheatre built over 2,000 years ago. You'll then be passing through Ampuis, the world capital of Syrah grapes and gateway to the Côte Rôtie vineyard. The minibus will drive you up the dizzying slopes of the Côte Brune and Côte Blonde vineyards, where you'll have no trouble imagining how difficult it must be for people to work on such steep vine-covered hills.
Your tour will then take you on to Condrieu, which has lent its name to the famous eponymous white wine appellation. Here, you'll be told the history of Viognier grapes, and how they very nearly disappeared a few years ago… Then on to an estate, where you'll be taken round the wine making storehouse and get to discover the unique know-how required to produce wine in the northernmost part of the Côtes du Rhône area. You'll also be given the opportunity to taste 5 different wines, among which the following appellations: St-Joseph, Condrieu and/or Côte Rôtie.
And finally, this oenological tour will then take you to a second winegrowing estate for a guided tasting session of 5 different wines: your opportunity to enjoy the aromatic wealth of Viognier grapes and the complex sensuality of Syrah grapes in their original "terroir".
Worth knowing
- Please ensure you arrive 10 minutes before the tour commences.
- Booking is necessary.
- Cancellation free of charge 72 hours before schedule activity.
- We recommend wearing walking shoes and a warm jacket.
- Children's car seats are compulsory for children under 8. Please request when booking.
- This tour is also available in Spanish,on request.
- Tasting of at least 10 different wines.
- Excessive drinking is dangerous for the health; alcoholic beverages should be consumed with moderation.
& practical information
Duration
Half-day tour visit
Type
Escapade in the Côtes du Rhône vineyards
Prices
Adult
€99.00
Child till 12
€65.00
Meeting place
In front of the Tourist Office, place Bellecour - Lyon 2nd
Access
Metro A or D > Bellecour
Interesting and informative
by emma
Olivier gave us a very interesting tour of two winemakers, and was also very informative about the history, le terroir and much more during our journey through the Cote de Rotie and back. He catered well for both English and French speakers.
Educational and entertaining
by richard
We enjoyed our time riding through the countryside along the Ronan river and stopping in Vienne for an overview of the town. Our driver was very friendly and knowledgeable about the wines of the region, and we enjoyed the tastings very much.
Tour guide was awesome
by kanako
I'm so glad there was one spot left for me to book this tour.
A small group tour is so much nicer than a large group tour.
The guide was very knowledgeable, thorough and entertaining. He explained in English first then French later. It was a very good French lesson for me.
It was a valuable time for me to learn about history of Rhône valley.
Knowledgeable and fun guide
by rosep
The half day wine and cheese excursion was a beautiful way to see the countryside and visit places that only locals know about.
Well selected small local producers introduced us to the best the area has to offer.
We learned quite a lot thanks to our guide and it was fun!
A Little More English
by laurel
The tour was great, wonderful wines and beautiful scenery. My only comment is that with the mixed language group, 80% of the conversation and explanation was in French and I felt that the English translation of the conversation and technical explanation was minimized. But I would still recommend this tour to anyone interested in wine and wine making. We saw a variety of locations from overlooks to being able to stand on the edge (and in one case, in the middle) of a vineyard. We went to 2 different wineries; at the first we tasted 5 wines, at the second we tasted 4.
Response from ONLYLYON Tourism
30/09/2019 by Olivier, Kanpai
I am Olivier from Kanpai Tours and I had the pleasure to guide you on last Tuesday 10th of September to the RHone Valley / afternoon.
Lyon Office de Tourisme contacted me because in your comment you said that during the tour, 80% of the conversation and explanation was in French and ... 20% in English... which is NOT correct for the Tourist Bureau in terms of touring quality.
Sincerely, I have not the feeling that it was the case, I translated all the explanation in English ... giving a lot of energy to this tour and trying to interact with everybody going from English to French. At the first winery, Mathew was talking in French and I was translating everything in English ... We did 6 different wines ...
Maybe, your feeling comes from the last winery visit, the French and Québecois couples were interacting directly with the wine-maker Stephane who does NOT speak any word of English and it was harder for me to keep up with the translation (questions + answers) ...
For your information Stephane (the wine-maker) just uses many sentences to present his ideas (Well, I explain you how it work, if you want, we put the grape in a Vat, then, the grapes when there are in the vat, we take the temperarture, etc.), so I was not going to translate all these information which is not revelant but just "We fill the vat from the top and the first thing the wine maker does is to take the temperature ... but really I did my best to give you the complete technical information in English.
Also, the french couple from Lyon, (the man) had a very strange sens of humor ... so same, I was not going to translate all his jokes ... which were in my opinion not so good !!!! Sorry for him ...
Last, on the way back in the minibus, I was talking more English than French to the other speaking couple ...
This email was just to give you back my feeling, of course, sometimes, I have only English speaking guests on my tour, but I am a small company and I am not able to do 2 minibuses, one with only French language and the other only with English language.
I can understand that it woud be more pleasant for you a tour 100 percent in English ... All my apologies for that.
Anyway, thank you very much for your feedback and I send you my best regards from Lyon, France.
Olivier
Excellent Day
by trish
Wonderful day learning and tasting Cotes Du Rhone wines. What absolutely fantastic views of the cities in the area. Breathtaking. Our guide Justine was the best tour guide we have ever had - she is engaging, knows her stuff and knows how to make your time special.
Response from ONLYLYON Tourism
21/08/2017 by Laetitia, Lyon City Expert
Thank you for this excellent feedback! Justine is indeed a very welcoming person and she knows perfectly the winery and its secrets!
nice trip to Côtes du Rhône
by bobochan
if possible, I would like to visit " Temple d' Auguste et de Livie" in Vienne. Except that, I could enjyoy!! Excellent.
Lovely!
by woozi
It's my first time wine tour. But realy fantastic!
It was wonderful!
by corrine
We learned so much about the wines and terroir in Côte du Rhone. The tour of the two wineries in Côte du Rhone was very informative and the wine tastings excellent. Our guide was very knowledgeable and so helpful in showing us the vineyards and wineries.
It was fascinating to visit two different types of wineries and taste the different wines. We were so surprised to see the Côte du Roti steep hillside wineries. It was also a great way to spend a rainy afternoon outside Lyon.
The tour was definitely worth the expense.
It was a lovely sunny afternoon...
by sally
The tour was interesting and the guide was very friendly and informative. We went on the tour in a small group of 6 which which was just great (I don't like those enormous bus tours).
