Avignon
Inter Rhone's flagship professional tasting event assembles around 200 producers from across the Rhone Valley in Avignon each April. The event is the definitive trade and press showcase for new Rhone releases, covering all appellations from Cote-Rotie to Chateauneuf-du-Pape and Tavel. Trade and press credentials required for entry.
Tip: Apply for credentials via the Inter Rhone website by February. The event is held at the Palais des Congres or equivalent central Avignon venue.
Chateauneuf-du-Pape
Chateauneuf-du-Pape's medieval festival celebrates the veraison (grape colour change) each August. The village dresses in medieval costume, processions wind through the ruined papal chateau, and the appellation's producers pour their current releases. Medieval banquets, grape-treading contests, and archery displays complete the programme. One of the most atmospheric wine festivals in France.
Tip: Accommodation in the village is extremely limited. Base in Avignon (20 minutes by car) and book shuttle services. Medieval banquet tickets often sell out months in advance.
Tain-l'Hermitage and Tournon-sur-Rhone
A half-marathon and marathon running race staged through the vineyards of Tain-l'Hermitage and Tournon-sur-Rhone each autumn, with wine tastings at aid stations along the route. Runners sample Crozes-Hermitage, Saint-Joseph, and Hermitage wines at designated tasting stops and receive a wine-tasting package at the finish. One of several 'wine marathons' in France, combining sport and cellar tourism.
Tip: Register in spring as places fill quickly. The scenic route through the terraced Hermitage hill is unforgettable from a pace below 6 minutes per kilometre.
Tain-l'Hermitage
The annual wine festival of Tain-l'Hermitage brings together the producers of Hermitage, Crozes-Hermitage, and Saint-Joseph for two days of public tastings in the town centre. The backdrop of the Hermitage hill terraces makes this one of the most visually striking wine-town festivals in the northern Rhone. Artisan food stalls, cellar visits, and helicopter flights over the hill are offered alongside producer tastings.
Tip: Most Tain domaines open their cellars during the festival weekend, making it the best opportunity of the year for private-visitor tastings at smaller estates.
Gigondas
The Gigondas wine market, held over the Pentecost long weekend, is the village's annual celebration of its Grenache-dominant reds and the more limited blanc production. Producers set up tables in the main square and surrounding streets. Gigondas itself, perched below the rocky Dentelles de Montmirail, is one of the most scenic wine villages in Provence and the festival draws both trade and wine-curious tourists.
Tip: Combine the festival with a morning hike through the Dentelles de Montmirail limestone spires before the afternoon heat sets in. Accommodation in Gigondas is limited; Vaison-la-Romaine or Orange are practical bases.
Tournon-sur-Rhone
Saint-Joseph AOC celebrates its patron saint's feast day each year with producer tastings in Tournon and the surrounding village cellars. The event brings together the appellation's diverse growers producing Syrah reds, Marsanne whites, and Marsanne-Roussanne blends across the broad west-bank corridor. An unpretentious, local-oriented event contrasting with the larger Avignon and Tain festivals.
Tip: The event is a good opportunity to taste the range of Saint-Joseph styles, from the leaner, mineral Tournon end to the richer, more structured Mauves and Saint-Jean-de-Muzols bottlings.