Private Rhône-Valley wine tour
Private wine tour of the Rhône Valley, a day out in France tasting great wines in a unique atmosphere.
France's great north-south wine corridor, stretching from the granite Syrah terraces of Cote-Rotie and the fragrant Viognier of Condrieu to the sun-scorched Grenache galets of Chateauneuf-du-Pape and the rosé vineyards of Tavel.
Drink your way through Rhone Valley
Wine festivals coming up in Rhone Valley
All Rhone Valley wine festivalsBook wine experiences in Rhone Valley
Romans and Wine
Discover two of the best preserved Roman monuments in the world: The Roman Theatre of Orange and the Aqueduct of the Pont du Gard (UNESCO Sites) and enjoy a wine tasti...
Avignon City of Popes and Wine Tasting Private Full Day Tour
Explore the beautiful city of Avignon. See the Papal Palace, enjoy some lunch, visit Chateau Sainte-Roseline, and taste the wine of the Provence.
Where to stay
Stay in Rhone Valley
Base yourself in the wine towns: compare hotels, guesthouses and wine-country stays. Prices and availability open on the partner site.
Hotels in Rhone Valley on Booking.com
Hotels in Rhone Valley on Zen Hotels
Holiday rentals in Rhone Valley on Holidu
Most estates are a drive apart: car hire from Avignon on VIP Cars
Map of Rhone Valley
Every vineyard, tasting room, wine bar and cellar we cover in Rhone Valley, pinned. Click a pin for the page.
Signature wines of Rhone Valley
The iconic bottles that define Rhone Valley.
Cote-Rotie La Mouline
Producer: E Guigal
One of Guigal's three single-vineyard Cote-Rotie cuvees, first vinified separately in 1966. Cote Blonde Syrah co-fermented with 11% Viognier delivers a floral, red-fruit profile with silky tannins and 20-30 year cellaring potential.
Price: EUR 400-600 at retail
Cote-Rotie La Landonne
Producer: E Guigal
100% Syrah from the iron-rich Cote Brune, first vinified separately by Marcel Guigal in 1978. Granite-and-iron intensity with 25-40 year cellaring potential.
Price: EUR 400-700 at retail
Hermitage Rouge
Producer: Domaine Jean Louis Chave
The Chave family has farmed the Hermitage hill since 1481. The annual assemblage of multiple lieux-dits is built on iron mineral and old-vine concentration, and a 500-year viticultural lineage.
Price: EUR 200-350 at retail
Hermitage La Chapelle
Producer: Paul Jaboulet Aine
Named for the Saint-Christophe chapel on the Hermitage hill, La Chapelle has been produced since the house was founded in 1834. The 1961 vintage is a benchmark Northern Rhone Syrah, drawn from the Le Meal and Les Bessards parcels.
Price: EUR 100-180 at retail
Hermitage Blanc
Producer: Domaine Jean Louis Chave
Marsanne and Roussanne assembled from multiple white parcels on the Hermitage hill. The Chave family has farmed the hill since 1481, producing both the white and red Hermitage assemblage as a single bottling each vintage.
Price: EUR 200-350 at retail
Condrieu Coteau de Vernon
Producer: Georges Vernay
From the oldest Viognier vines in Condrieu, this single-vineyard white is the appellation's benchmark. Georges Vernay saved the near-extinct Condrieu AOC in the 1970s; Christine Vernay continues his legacy with this extraordinary Viognier.
Price: EUR 100-160 at retail
Vineyards to know in Rhone Valley
A handful of the estates we send friends to when they are in Rhone Valley.
E. Guigal
Ampuis-based negociant and domaine celebrated for the single-vineyard Cote-Rotie La La La trilogy from old Syrah vines.
Signature wines: Cote-Rotie La Mouline, Cote-Rotie La Landonne, Cote-Rotie La Turque
M. Chapoutier
Tain-l'Hermitage negociant under biodynamic conversion since the 1990s, producing benchmark Hermitage Syrah and rare Marsanne whites.
Signature wines: Ermitage Le Pavillon, Ermitage De l'Oree Blanc
Paul Jaboulet Aine
Paul Jaboulet Aine, founded in 1834, is a Tain-l'Hermitage negociant producing Hermitage La Chapelle Syrah from the hill's granite flanks. Now owned by the Frey family (since 2006).
Signature wines: Hermitage La Chapelle
Domaine Jean-Louis Chave
Mauves family domaine with Hermitage holdings tracing to the 15th century, producing assemblage Hermitage Syrah and Marsanne from multiple lieux-dits.
Signature wines: Hermitage Rouge, Hermitage Blanc
Auguste Clape
Auguste Clape established the domaine in 1955, farming old Syrah vines on Cornas AOC granite terraces. Pierre-Marie Clape (third generation) continues the traditional whole-cluster fermentation and old-foudre aging.
Signature wines: Cornas
Thierry Allemand
Cornas artisan with cult status, producing old-vine Syrah from Chaillot (younger vines) and Reynard (centenarian-vine parcel) with zero intervention.
Signature wines: Cornas Reynard, Cornas Chaillot
Wine country is cheese country
The cheeses of Rhone Valley
Sub-appellations of Rhone Valley
Cote-Rotie (Cote Rotie/Rotie)
Vertiginous terraced granite above the Rhone, where hand-harvested Syrah co-fermented with fragrant Viognier produces structured, aromatic red wines on the AOC's 340 hectares.
Condrieu and Chateau-Grillet (Condrieu/Chateau-Grillet)
Fragrant schist terraces where Viognier grows above the Rhone, filling the air with peach blossom and apricot. Condrieu AOC was decreed in 1940; Chateau-Grillet got its own AOC in 1936.
Saint-Joseph Corridor (Saint-Joseph/Saint Joseph)
A long north-south granite corridor where fresh, aromatic Syrah and floral Marsanne-Roussanne whites grow far from the hype and prices of Hermitage, offering some of the Northern Rhone's best value.
Hermitage Hill (Hermitage/Tain l'Hermitage)
A lone granite hill dominating a bend in the Rhone, visible for miles, where age-worthy Syrah and Marsanne whites grow across 136 hectares of named lieux-dits.
Crozes-Hermitage Plateau (Crozes-Hermitage/Crozes)
The approachable face of the Hermitage zone: wide plateaux and alluvial flats producing Crozes-Hermitage Syrah and Marsanne at prices that make the Northern Rhone accessible.
Cornas and Saint-Peray (Cornas/Saint-Peray)
Cornas is granite intensity at its most uncompromising, dark and brooding Syrah from an amphitheatre of vines; Saint-Peray offers the only white appellation of the Southern Northern Rhone.
Also: Saint-Peray
Rhone Valley wine, FAQ
When is the best time to visit Rhone Valley for wine?
Peak wine-travel season in Rhone Valley is spring through autumn, with harvest the standout window.
Do I need an appointment to taste at Rhone Valley estates?
classified-growth and grand-cru estates require booking days to weeks ahead; smaller family domaines often take walk-ins midweek.
What hours do Rhone Valley cellars and tasting rooms keep?
most estates open 10:00 to 17:00 by appointment, often closed Sunday and Monday.
How does tipping work at Rhone Valley tastings?
tipping is not expected at tastings; buying a bottle from the cellar door is the customary thank-you.
What is the one wine to try in Rhone Valley?
If you only open one bottle, open Cote-Rotie La Mouline by e-guigal. It is the wine most associated with Rhone Valley.