The time for the harvest has come! It's the perfect time to rediscover the best wine tourism destinations. From the famous Champagne to Provence, France is, it is well known, the land of wine! Discovering its wine regions and their productions on foot or by bike is a real spectacle. Wine lovers will not miss the Montmartre harvest festival every year, which celebrates the arrival of the cuvées from its clos. However, it would be wrong to believe that it is only in France that we produce good wine: Europe is not left out in the field! From Italian Chianti to Portuguese Port, we show you our favorite wine routes in France and Europe.



Champagne, a sparkling destination

How not to name in this article one of the most prestigious wines, the one that is part of all major events, the famous champagne! Reims or Épernay are emblematic cities and you can visit the cellars of renowned houses such as Moët & Chandon or Taittinger. The Champagne tourist route is divided into six routes which reveal, in addition to the splendor of the Champagne vineyards, villages clinging to the typical slopes of the region. A unique experience for all bubble lovers!



The Provence wine route, life in rosé!

From the Alpilles to the Estérel massif, the Provençal vineyards produce rosé wines, but not only! We also taste very good white or red wines. In total, 9 AOC (Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée) are produced in the region. One of the most famous and appreciated wines is certainly the “Côte de Provence”, you will discover the vineyards which produce it in the Var. You should in particular make a detour to Bandol, renowned for its production of rosés.


Burgundy and the Grands Crus route

The Grands Crus route crosses the most prestigious part of the Burgundy vineyard. Between Dijon and Santenay, its 60 km run through renowned vineyards such as the Côte de Nuits. The latter has around thirty appellations and produces very fine wines such as Romanée-Conti. The Côte de Beaune, further south, is particularly renowned for its quality whites made from its Chardonnay grape. Burgundy is undoubtedly one of the key regions for wine tourism in France.


The Alsace wine route, the history

It is the oldest wine route in France, created in 1953. From north to south Alsace, from Wissembourg to Thann, its 170 km run alongside picturesque villages and renowned estates. Among the most charming wine-growing towns, do not miss a stop in Eguisheim or Kaysersberg, elected "favorite village of the French" in 2017. Many activities to discover the Alsatian vineyard are organized: visits to estates where the best wines are produced and crémants from the region or tourist harvest, the choice is yours!




The Côtes du Rhône wine route, along the river



This route, symbol of French wine tourism, links Vienne to Avignon in six distinct routes. Along the Rhône, on the right and left banks, we discover the different appellations of the vineyards of the valley. Of course, the most famous appellation is that of Côtes-du-Rhône, but we also find Côte-Rotie, Château-Grillet, Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise or the very famous Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

The Savoy wine route, between lakes and mountains

Often overlooked, the Savoyard vineyard nevertheless produces four AOCs and several Grands Crus! Needless to say, the landscapes that we discover along these three roads that cross Savoie, Isère, Haute-Savoie and Ain are of rare beauty! From Lac du Bourget to Lac Léman to the Arve valley, the size of the Savoyard vineyards is rather small but there is a wide variety of grape varieties, from whites such as Chardonnay or Chasselas to reds from Gamay.


The Cognac wine route, discovering a brandy

Between Charente and Charente-Maritime, discover the production of one of the most prestigious eaux-de-vie in France, the famous cognac. From Saintes to Angoulême, the vines and cellars bear witness to a unique wine-making tradition. To promote wine tourism in the region, discovery trails in several stages invite you to meet the winegrowers. The ideal is to cycle this route to make the most of the landscape.


 

 The Jura wine route, through the wine-growing villages

From Salins-les-Bains to Saint-Amour, the Jura wine route stretches for 80 km. It winds along picturesque wine-growing villages, passes through the region of Arbois and Poligny, the slopes of Haute-Seille, the region of Étoile, the Lédonian slopes and South-Revermont. In total, 7 AOCs (Crémant, Macvin, Côtes-du-Jura, Château-Chalon, Étoile, Arbois and Marc du Jura) are produced in the 200 farms in the Jura.



The Chianti valley, a treasure of Tuscany

It is not only in France that you can find good wine! Head to Italy for a glass of Chianti! If you have visited Tuscany, you have surely succumbed to the typical red wine of the region. Located between Florence and Siena, the Chianti Valley bears witness to a centuries-old winemaking history where wine production has been a tradition since the 13th century. Between the vineyards, we discover typical Tuscan villages like Greve in Chianti and its triangular square or Radda in Chianti, a charming medieval town.


The Douro Valley, cradle of Porto

Produced since the 18th century, port is one of Portugal's most famous wines. As its name suggests by onomastism, it is produced near the city of Porto. Moreover, if you visit the latter, do not miss to discover the wine region of Haut-Douro, classified as World Heritage by Unesco. A stop at Vila Nova de Gaia is essential, it is here that the wine ages in the cellars. A visit to one of these will allow you to learn more about port production before tasting!


La Rioja, at the foot of the Pyrenees

In northern Spain, the autonomous community of La Rioja produces one of the country's most famous wines, La Rioja. We come to taste it in one of the 1,200 bodegas in the region. The power of the red wines produced in Rioja is acclaimed by connoisseurs and there are also white grape varieties. A stopover in Haro, the wine capital of Rioja, is a must to visit its many cellars and take a tour of its bodegas.


The country of Vaud, vineyards and lake

North of Lake Geneva, the canton of Vaud, Switzerland, is renowned for its wine production valued by eight AOCs. Among the most famous wines, the Fendant, an aromatic white. The wine tourism offer is rich in the canton of Vaud, we visit in particular the terraced vineyard of Lavaux whose vines are planted in tiers facing the lake and the Alps. This unique landscape is listed as a Unesco World Heritage Site.


Crete, from cellar to cellar

If Crete is a first-rate seaside destination, it also holds a prominent place in wine tourism. The Heraklion region is certainly one of the most active in the field. To the east, we will discover the Archanés vineyard which produces red PDO wines and that of Péza, also benefiting from an appellation. As for the road further west, it leads to Dafnés, where the vines intended for grands crus and those producing raisins rub shoulders. A unique decor.


Deutsche Weinstrasse, discovering German wines

From Bad Bergzabern to Bockenheim an der Weinstraße, the 85 km Deutsche Weinstrasse or “German Wine Route” crosses the Rhineland-Palatinate wine region. Among the famous towns, Bad Dürkheim, known for its giant wine barrel, the largest in the world. Thanks to its very mild, almost Mediterranean climate, this region of Germany is the ideal place for the cultivation of vines, but also figs and almond trees.



The Wachau valley, on the Austrian wine route

In Lower Austria, about a hundred kilometers from Vienna, the Wachau valley stretches along the banks of the Danube. Among the most famous grape varieties in the region, we find in particular Riesling and Grüner Veltliner, particularly robust. The landscape of the Wachau is classified as World Heritage by Unesco in particular for its conservation of numerous traces testifying to an ancestral wine production on the hillsides.