France’s love affair with wine has seen Oenotourisme (wine tourism) emerge as a thriving micro-industry, with a growing number of wineries in France opening their doors to curious visitors and committed oenophiles.
France is the second-biggest producer of wine in the world (largest by value). Harmonising a diversity of terroir, grapes, and techniques, there are 17 distinct wine regions and a prodigious number of renowned French wine appellations.
Customarily, a visite des vignobles finishes with a wine tasting in the company of experts itching to share inside knowledge, enriching an experience that draws millions of international visitors each year.
Even if you don’t love wine, exploring wineries in France is a rewarding way to discover the country,
Weaving through rolling vineyards along the picturesque route des vins reveals the best of rural France. En route, visitors are rewarded with pretty vineyards in evocative settings: chateaux, abbeys, wealthy estates, and colourful farms dotted throughout France’s diverse landscape.
To get a taste of what is on offer, here are 9 wineries in France that stand out.
1. Château Lafite-Rothschild, Bordeaux
Known for exceedingly expensive Bordeaux Grand Vins, Château Lafite-Rothschild invites visitors to look behind the curtains at one of the most prestigious wineries in France.
Tour availability is limited, but visitors who beat the booking system are rewarded.
The estate is home to an elegant château overlooking neat vineyards that stretch over 112 hectares of Burgundian countryside. The immense caves (cellars) centre on a unique octagonal, arch-supported cellar that houses immaculately tidy rows of exclusively crafted oak barrels.
Wine is not sold direct at the winery. Many of the estate bottles are priced in the four-figure range, so regrettable impulse purchases are safely dodged. With the fabled wine cellars as a backdrop, simply sampling exquisite wine in the company of experts is enough for many visitors.
If you can’t book a tour, tap the destination into your GPS: even the view from the gates is worth a detour.
2. Maison Brédif, Loire Valley
At Maison Brédif you can safely take home a case of wine without breaking the bank.
Literally more down-to-earth than most wineries in France, the haunting cellars at Maison Brédif are 10th-century troglodyte caves carved into the landscape.
Habitable caves are a historic feature of the region. This winery puts them to use storing their Vouvray wines, including an 1874 vintage.
Situated in the châteaux studded wine region of le Val de Loire (the Loire Valley), Maison Brédif is renowned for creating wines that age exceptionally well.
Visitors can sample a selection of contrasting wines, including a sweet, aged Nectar Marc Brédif and their exclusive Vigne Blanche.
Wine tours are inexpensive and easy to arrange. Planning ahead opens the possibility for private tours finished with a wine tasting and platters of fromage and charcuterie.
Noted vineyards are found all over Le Val de Loire, making it a bucket list destination for oenologists. The extraordinary caves at Maison Brédif stand out, making it one of the most unique wineries in France and an agreeable alternative to the classic vineyard and château combo.
3. Domaine Achillée, Alsace
Unless you can embark on a once in a lifetime, kilometre-crunching tour of the thousands of welcoming wineries in France, focussing on one region makes it easier to scratch beneath the surface of contrasting local flavours and terroirs.
Alsace is a magical escape for wine tourists. The third most visited wine region in France is home to the oldest route des vins in France, a diverse landscape, fascinating heritage, and some famous and distinctive wines. Along the vintage wine route sits one of the youngest and most innovative wineries in France.
A biodynamic and natural winery since 2003, Domaine Achillée does things a little differently. Their showpiece is an enormous bioclimatic cellar made with wood and 5,000 straw bales.
Offering a selection from the most notable wines of the region, including Riesling and a sparkling Crémant d’Alsace, visitors can experience first-hand the ideas and ethos behind biodynamic winemaking.
Natural and organic wineries in France are flourishing. Domaine Achillée is in the vanguard, making it an educational stop on one of France’s most evocative wine routes.
4. L’Abbaye de Valmagne, Languedoc
Languedoc is the place to be if you enjoy organic wines. The organic wine industry in France started there. And with around one third all French wine originating from there, it is home to some of the biggest and oldest wineries in France.
The history of L’Abbaye de Valmagne reaches back to 1138. It is an incredibly well-preserved Cistercian abbey, famous for its grand cloister and Gothic arches. Grapes have been cultivated there since the abbey was built, making it one of the oldest wineries in France.
Great wine (and beers, the monks were thirsty) didn’t spare the abbey from confiscation during the French Revolution.
Fortunately, the building was not razed. Winemaking continued — under new ownership — with the church hall converted into a vast wine cellar. A magnificent backdrop for wine tastings.
Today, the vineyard is entirely organic. Spread over 190 acres, the winemakers use the diverse terroir to create several distinctive wines.
At L’Abbaye de Valmagne you can walk in the footsteps of an ancient monastic order before enjoying the product of a vineyard as old as France — just the type of experience wine tourism thrives on.
5. Maison Taittinger, Champagne
Champagne needs no introduction. Big-name champagne houses have a long history of opening their doors to fans of the famous bubbly, and they remain some of the most visited wineries in France. Visitors have only one challenge, deciding which notable estate to visit.
The cellars at Maison Tattinger are a big draw. Buried 18 metres underground, they started life as excavated chalk pits in the 4th century. Nine centuries later, they were converted into the basement of an abbey.
Once again illustrating that abbeys were not a safe place to call home in the 18th century, the buildings above ground were razed during the French Revolution.
A champagne house rose on the site in 1734. Jump forward to the early 1900s, the Taittinger family took control and set to work elevating the niche champagne (and family name) to marquee status.
A tour of the esteemed champagne house takes in the cellars, production methods, and (if booked) a tasting. Tickets are expensively on-brand but easy to purchase — 80,000 visitors pass through each year.
While a more intimate experience may be found at boutique wineries in France, Maison Taittinger offers fitting splendour to accompany a glass of the famous wine.
6. Château Paradis, Provence
Rosé wine might not carry the same cachet as champagne, but it is a popular drink in France — frequently poured from battered wine boxes in garage refrigerators, primed for a sneaky between-chores break.
The best place to find an appreciative audience for rosé wine is the Mediterranean region of Provence, where the terroir is ideal for creating bright, refreshing wines.
Nestled in lush Provencal countryside, Château Paradis specialises in producing exceptional rosé, alongside lower volumes of reds and whites.
A full suite of activities and opportunities is offered to wine enthusiasts that cannot be found at other wineries in France.
The vineyards can be freely explored on designated paths. Immersive oenological tours dissect the detail of winemaking. Interactive workshops help reveal hidden talents for wine blending or finding the right food pairings.
One of the leading wineries in France to uncork the secrets of rosé, the oft-misunderstood sibling of red and white wine.
7. Château Cantenac, Saint-Emilion
The importance of Bordeaux to French winemaking cannot be overstated. Some of the biggest names in French wine are found there. Château Cantenac produces one of the grandest of Grands Crus for one of the region’s most famous appellations, Saint-Emilion.
Château Cantenac is one of the most enthusiastically endorsed wineries in the region. A small, family-run enterprise, it has won numerous glowing reviews for its highly-informative tours led by passionate guides.
Decoding each opaque step in the winemaking journey, tours are sprinkled with insight and anecdotes extracted from four generations of family history.
Château Cantenac wines are highly regarded, the winery much loved. The perfect pairing for Bordeaux wine devotees.
8. Domaine Preignes Le Vieux, Languedoc
Draw up a checklist of what to look for from the best wineries in France and, alongside delectable wines, you might add inspiring buildings, picturesque location, a rich heritage, or enthusiastic hosts. Domaine Preignes Le Vieux appears to check every box.
Dropped into the sun-dappled Provencal countryside, the winery is home to a 13th Century château and chapel and a handsome villa sitting on Roman ruins. Guests are invited to drink in breathtaking scenery along with choice samples from an inexpensive cellar stocked with various grape varietals and blends.
The short, informative tours and longer immersive workshops amid historic surroundings make this a compelling diversion for casual visitors and wine enthusiasts looking for a vineyard experience with broad tourist appeal.
9. Château Feely, Dordogne
Viticulture and oenology are distinct branches of winemaking. Château Feely covers it all, from harvesting the grape through to final tasting.
With plenty of hands-on activities along the way, it’s an apt final entry for our list: a vineyard showcasing how wineries in France are evolving to fit the needs of modern oenotourisme.
Tour guides promise to reveal the mysteries of biodynamic techniques and organic cultivation, through immersive activities encompassing everything from fleeting one-hour visits to multi-day regional wine tours.
Stay in comfortable, eco-friendly accommodation or set the dial to maximum unwind with an onsite yoga retreat. All while enjoying the delights of the surrounding Périgord region, a gourmet wonderland of endless charm.
Nearby Bergerac and Bordeaux may be better-known, but this château in Dordogne is a clear example of how wineries in France are evolving to suit modern wine tourism.
