You will be picked up from your Lyon hotel in a private air-conditioned minibus by your driver and guide for the day.
Thus beings your Original Syrah and Viognier private sightseeing tour, named for the grapes that populate the gently sloping hills of the Rhone Valley.
Your first stop is St. Christopher Chapel, which, like the area’s wines, has aged well since its construction in the 13th century. From the Chapel you are afforded breathtaking views of the vineyards in Hermitage wine country, where the Syrah and Viognier grapes are nurtured into sumptuous reds and whites.
Descend into the valley to sample several Rhone wines at La Maison Chapoutier, a vineyard and wine cellar where seven generations of vintners have honed their craft.
Eat lunch in a local restaurant in Tournon, a waterfront gateway to France’s mountainous Ardèche region. Enjoy classic French cuisine with selections starting from €20 (payable direct).
After a satisfying feast, your minibus will take you to the ancient village of Ampuis, where Roman ruins still ornament the landscape. Walk along the dizzying terraced slopes of Côte Brune and Côte Blonde, which alternate between quartz mica schists and gneisses and reveal a much more ancient history of pressure and change.
Bring your afternoon to a fruity, full-bodied finish at a family winery, where you are treated to Condrieu and Côte Rôtie, the most revered wines in the Côtes du Rhône family.
Your private minibus will take you to the vicinity of your hotel in Lyon at day’s end.