France is renowned worldwide for its delectable cuisine and fine wines. It’s one of the world’s biggest producers of wine, producing around 7 to 8 billion each year. Because of this, you’ll come across vast stretches of vineyards in the country. The wine regions of France are not only famous for their delicious wine – they also boast incredibly stunning sceneries, combining fairy-tale chateaux, scenic lavender fields, and verdant vineyards. To help you navigate the country’s wine regions, refer to our list of the best regions for luxury wine travel in France.
1. The Loire Valley
Located in central France, the stunning Loire Valley is renowned for its fairy-tale chateaux, scenic countryside, and bountiful vineyards that produce some of the world’s best wines. Stretching along the Loire River, the valley boasts fertile farmlands, dubbed the “Garden of France.” If you want to combine your wine tour with exploring the country’s most beautiful places, visit the Loire Valley.
The Loire Valley produces an astonishing variety of wines, from Cabernet Franc to Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir. Aside from having over a thousand kilometres of wine route, the Loire is home to historic wineries and fascinating wine districts. Over a thousand vineyards are open to the public for a tour, and about 400 have specially accredited wine cellars.
As you explore these incredible wineries, you will have a chance to meet with winemakers to learn more about the different wine varieties and sample some of them. With numerous wine cellars, excellent wine-tasting tours and boat cruises gliding through rows of scenic vineyards, the Loire Valley is a fantastic destination for luxury wine travel in France.
2. Burgundy
Sitting in the heart of France and sandwiched between Paris and Lyon, Burgundy has a burgeoning wine industry. Aside from producing excellent quality wine, Burgundy delights visitors with its delectable cuisine, medieval abbeys, Renaissance chateaux, and beautiful stone-walled villages.
As one of the most picturesque regions of France, Burgundy seems like it’s from the pages of a fairy-tale book, with majestic castles all around. It’s home to some of France’s most magnificent structures, such as Château de Cormatin and Château d’Ancy le Franc, giving off an old-world charm. Burgundy’s vineyards are some of the finest in France, with several rows of vines producing vast wine varieties, including Pinot Noir, Beaujolais, and Beaujolais.
Burgundy is more than just a wine region – the region’s capital city, Dijon, is fun to explore on foot. It’s where the Dukes of Bourgogne used to reside, which are the rulers of Burgundy during France’s Ancien Régime. You’ll love strolling through Dion’s narrow cobblestone streets with its gothic cathedral and honey-coloured houses. Check out the city of Beaune, home to enchanting wine caves, a fascinating Hospice, and bustling food markets. Book a private guided wine tour, taking you to the best wineries of Burgundy with a stop at the region’s charming cities.
3. Paris
Paris may be the last place on your mind when going for a luxury wine travel in France, but it has plenty to delight wine lovers of all kinds. There are some wonderful and bespoke tours around Paris, and joining these tours, with high class travel companies such as Premier Tours and Travel, is the best way to try out the finest wine varieties in the city.
Champagne, the world-renowned sparkling wine, is the aperitif of choice in France. So when in Paris, forget about the trendy cocktails. Instead, head to the city’s best wine bars and indulge in a bottle of free-flowing champagne. The best way to sample the best wines in Paris is to join a wine-tasting tour and visit the best wine bars to sample the country’s bounty.
The fun wine-tasting tours of Paris will take you to delightful wine bars for the day, led by professional French sommeliers. They will deliver an extensive tasting of France’s award-winning wines in some of the city’s best wine bars. You can choose from different wine-tasting sessions. At the end of your tour, you’ll learn how to pair French wine with food and distinguish notable characteristics of French wine from other varieties.
4. Champagne
The lush valleys of Champagne are renowned worldwide for producing the sparkling wine that was, in fact, named after the region. With over 80,000 acres of rolling hills, Champagne is an ideal destination for a wine tour. Aside from champagnes, it produces other delicious wine varieties, such as Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Boasting verdant landscapes, Champagne is also home to picturesque towns, Reims and Épernay. So, during your wine tour of Champagne, take the time to do a bit of sightseeing.
You can enjoy a wine tour in the region and explore the cities along the Champagne Route, where you visit family-run vineyards and cellars. In Reims, you’ll find a 13th Century Reims Cathedral, a UNESCO-listed site featuring marvellous Gothic architecture and Ruinart, the town’s oldest Champagne House. Meanwhile, the picturesque village of Épernay is home to the world-renowned Perrier-Jouët and Moët & Chandon wineries.
No visit to the region is complete without some champagne tasting. During your estate tour, you’ll delve behind the scenes of champagne production and learn more about the traditional method of producing this world-famous sparkling wine.
5. Versailles
A decadent symbol of French royal power and influence, the Palace of Versailles is definitely worth a visit on your luxury holiday in France. And you’d be glad to know that it’s possible to combine your visit to the town with a wine-tasting tour.
Many tours to Versailles will include an opportunity to sample some of the best wine varieties in France. You will visit a wine shop and meet with an oenologist who will present carefully selected red and white wine varieties you can pair with sweet and savoury bites.
While Versailles is famous for the Palace of Versailles, you can find many other things to enjoy in this lovely place. So, after your wine-tasting tour, take the time to explore its famous attractions. If you already have your fill of the palace and its ornate gardens, visit the Royal Opera of Versailles, the Grand Trianon, and the Versailles Cathedral.
