FRANCE

Southern Rhone Valley Cru Villages

The Rhone Valley is divided into the Northern Rhone and the Southern Rhone. We will concentrate on the Southern Rhone, known for Grenache-based wines. We will stay in Orange, France, a small town of 30,000 people dating back to the Romans. It is close to many of the Cru villages in the Southern Rhone and is known for its beautiful Roman Amphitheater and in remarkably good condition.

This is a magical trip because of the complexity of the wines in the region. The flesh of which is comprised of old vine Grenache, the bones of Mourvedre, Carignan or Cinsault, the character or personality if you will, just a touch Syrah. Subtle differences of blends, exposure to the sun, altitude, and micro-climate make a huge difference in the finished product.

We will explore Gigondas, Rasteau, Seguret, Cairanne, and Vacqueyras during our journey, and evenings exploring the best of (Orange) gastronomy. As a special bonus, we will be attending the Les Printemps Chateauneuf-Du-Pape Wine Festival. All the great producers will be pouring in one location! It promises to be an enlightening journey.

At the end of our tour, you will return to Avignon, where you can connect to other cities by train. You can extend your trip with a visit to Provence, Languedoc, or Lyon at the beginning or end of the tour.

2027 Dates

April 1-8, 2027

Sample Itinerary:

Day 1- Avignon to Orange

Pick-up will be at the Avignon TGV train station just outside the city walls. We will drive an hour north to Orange, and check in to our hotel. We will give you a city tour, and then rest of the day is yours to explore Orange. We will have a welcome dinner in a cave restaurant in the evening.

Day 2- Chateauneuf-du-Pape and the wine festival

We will visit a winery just outside Chateauneuf-du-Pape for a unique wine tasting with a fantastic view. Afterwards, we will wander into town to explore its twisted cobblestoned streets and have lunch. The festival opens at 3pm, so you have time to visit some tasting rooms in town before sampling the best at the Les Printemps de Chateauneuf Wine Festival. This festival focuses entirely on wines from the Chateauneuf-du-Pape region.

Day 3- Cairanne

Wines from the Southern Rhone are named after their respective villages, not their grape varieties. We will visit a winery in the morning, have lunch at a local restaurant, and have free time in the village of Cairanne. In the afternoon, we will visit another winery for a tasting before heading back to Orange.

Day 4- Rasteau

On Sunday, Orange has a small farmer’s market in the morning. Grab some bread, cheese, and spreadables because today, we are having a picnic lunch at one of the two wineries we will visit today. The Rasteau AOC is very special to Tom, and we are excited to spend time here with old wine friends.

Day 5- Seguret

Known as one of the prettiest villages in France, Seguret sits on a hill overlooking the Rhone Valley. We will visit two wineries today, and you will have some free time to explore the village with its small galleries and stone work before we have a terrace lunch just outside of town.

Day 6- Vacqueyras

This small village is adorable, with a labyrinth of streets leading up to a church on a hill. You’ll have free time to explore, and time for a coffee and pastry before we visit some of our favorite wineries for the day. Lunch will be included at a local place that was highly recommended to us by several winemakers.

Day 7- Gigondas

Several fantastic wineries are in the Gigondas AOC. We will visit one winery in the morning, then proceed into town to taste wine at one of the many tasting rooms. You’ll have free time to walk around before lunch. Afterwards, we will visit another winery on our back to Orange.

If you want to ship wine back to your home country, some of the wineries will ship. In the evening, we will gather for our farewell dinner in Orange.

Day 8- Leave Orange

The van will head back to the Avignon train station today. You can choose to go back to Avignon and go south or west to other cities, or leave Orange by train and go north to Lyon or another destination.

***Pickup/Dropoff in Avignon, France.

What’s included:

Hotel for 7 nights
6 lunches
Orange city tour
Ticket to Les Printemps Wine Festival in Chateauneuf-du-Pape
Visit 6 Rhone villages
wine and picnic at a winery
Tasting fees are included at 10 wineries
Transportation to/from Orange
Pick-up/Drop-off at Avignon TGV station

What’s not included:

Flight to/from Marseille, Nice or Paris airports
Train to/from Avignon before or after the trip
Any lunches or dinners not mentioned above
Any shopping, souvenirs, wine, etc, that you buy on your own.

Cost of the Tour

This is a small group tour of 8 people max.
The cost of this week-long tour is USD $4800 / EUR $4150 per person based on double occupancy.
Single supplement is an additional USD $750 / EUR $650.
A deposit of $600 USD/EUR per person is due to secure your spot on the tour. The deadline for the first deposit is due by December 1, 2026 to secure your spot.

The remaining balance can be paid in monthly payments. Final payment due February 1, 2027.

Payment will be made through Zelle (USA) or PayPal. Fill out the contact form below, and we will email you the payment details.

Check out our FAQ page for culture and cancellation policies.