Recommendation for Wine Touring Near Lyon

[smkit]

In a couple of weeks I will be traveling to Lyon and will try to fit in a day for wine touring. I was thinking of going a bit south to Vienne and driving around Côte-Rôtie (Ampuis and Verenay), but I am afraid there might be a bit of wine sticker shock in that area. If that doesn't work out, maybe I will go north to Beaujolais.

If anyone has a recommendations for reasonable and good wineries to visit or if there are some good wine shops or tasting rooms near to Lyon, I would love to get some recommendations.

k.

[kerriar]

If you finally include the option of going northwards towards the Beaujolais area, you should drop in to the Cave Cooperative in Pouilly Vinzelles http://www.lesgrandscrusblancs.com/ . This is a "cave cooperative" well above the norm with very fair pricing – try their Pouilly-Vinzelles Vieilles Vignes if you are looking for decent white burgundy for under €10. Notwithstanding the name of the website, the reds are equally interesting.

It's about a km from exit 29 (Mâcon Sud) on the A6 and is easy to locate. Worth noting is the very good local restaurant attached to the cave where you will get a great lunch – not sure if they are open for dinner.

[smkit]

Thanks for the recommendation. I would love to make it north of Lyon too. I'm going to have to start mapping my trip out and seeing how many days of wine touring I want/need.

I remember going to a producers coop (I think) in Côtes du Ventoux a while back and it was a pretty slick operation and fun.

k.

[Parigi]

Wonderful stories and info.
When I first came to France, for work I was often sent to St Chamond, not far from Verenay, Ampuis, Condrieu. Since I considered St Chamond to be the armpit of France, the second I could, I took the first train back to Paris. I remember the young vintners from the area were a generous, partying bunch, and loved to give invitations to wine-tasting balloon rides etc, which I never did. O just shoot me now.

[BN1]

By accident, I did what you propose for the Côte Rôtie this last March. It was raining as we were driving north to Burgundy and I didn’t want to get tangled up in Lyon after dark in the rain, so we stopped at Vienne. For entertainment, I Googled Vienne and discovered our proximity to the Côte Rôtie District, which I immediately determined to explore the next morning. It was sunny in the morning as we wandered down the west side of the Rhône as far as Condrieu. I especially like Côte Rôties, so I wanted to purchase a couple local examples, which would not be available in the U.S. We found a nice looking wine shop in Condrieu right on Hwy D386. The owner spoke perfect English and took care of my request with two not-too-expensive bottles, one to age and one to enjoy sooner. My wife explored the white wines and learned that the local white is Viognier, which she loves. We left with a recommended bottle of “Condrieu” for just slightly more than we usually pay for white wine. She opened that bottle the other day and WOW! - What a wine! We tried to replace that “Condrieu” at Kermit Lynch in Berkeley, CA and had sticker-shock. My wife vows to fill her suitcase with it next year. You are in for a treat.
La Bouteillerie
43 Route National 86
69420 Condrieu, FR
www.labouteillerie.com

[smkit]

Thank you very much for this. I was just talking to my wife about where to go, and I now think I might do Verenay, Ampuis, and Condrieu. I was hoping to find at least one good wine shop in that area, so I will definitely stop by that shop. Thanks again.

k.

[ChefJune]

E Guigal's home is in Ampuis. You might be able to score a tour and tasting if you email ahead of time. I would recommend it! ;)

[smkit]

I would love to get a tour there. I'm just afraid that with the price of their bottles from that estate I'd walk away a lot poorer man ; )

That is a good idea though. I suppose they will be getting ready for harvest in early September. Is it harder to get tours during this time?

[ChefJune]

not sure when vendange starts this year. could be later than that. It bears an inquiry...

[smkit]

Unfortunately, E. Guigal just wrote back and they are not conducting tours because of the grape harvest. They resume around the 15th of October. I think I will have to stick with wine shops and driving around the countryside.

[Busk]

I visited Jasmin in Ampuis last year and they were very welcoming and tasting was free. Also, their wine is a very good deal for cote rotie and it's easy to find just across the tracks on the left from the center square. I think I purchased their 2006 for 22 euro per bottle de-taxed.

[smkit]

Just a follow up on this. I wrote the man at La Bouteillerie and asked about local restaurants to stop at while touring, and here is what he recommended.

Le Cercle des Vignerons (Ampuis)
http://www.lecercledesvignerons.com/restaurant-vigneron.html

Bistrot de Serine (on the RN 86 in Ampuis)
http://www.bistrotdeserine.com/

Le Beau Rivage (Condrieu)
http://www.hotel-beaurivage.com/

l'Atelier d'Antoine (Chonas l'Amballan)
http://atelier-antoine.fr/restaurant/...