Beaujolais wine tour from Lyon: Crus tastings & châteaux

Semi-carbonic maceration is how Beaujolais winemakers ferment their grapes differently from the rest of France.

A small-group morning tour from Lyon into the Northern Beaujolais wine region, visiting the Moulin-à-Vent windmill, climbing to La Madone Chapel for views across the vineyards, and tasting crus wines at both a château estate cellar and a family winery. The guide speaks English and French, and the minibus seats eight.

Step-by-step itinerary

Beaujolais Wine Tour and Tastings

• Meet guide at Lyon Bellecour Square
• Board minivan and transfer to Beaujolais region
• Drive along Beaujolais Route des Vins
• Stop at Moulin-à-Vent Crus windmill
• Visit chateau cellar and taste crus wines
• Climb La Madone Chapel for panoramic views
• Visit family winery and learn wine-making
• Taste wines in winery caveau
• Return to Lyon Bellecour Square

The experience

You meet your guide at 8:50 am on Bellecour Square in front of the Lyon Office de Tourisme, then board an eight-seater minibus for the 40-minute drive into Beaujolais. Along the Route des Vins, your guide explains the terroir (the French philosophy of how soil, climate and geography shape wine), and walks you through the different crus appellations that make this region distinct. The granite soils around Moulin-à-Vent, marked by its 15th-century windmill, produce wines with more tannins and depth because of manganese veins running through the earth.

Your first tasting happens inside a château's magnificent cellar lined with oak barrels, where you taste several crus (Morgon, Fleurie, Chenas and others), and learn to identify their characteristics, balance and complexity. Then you climb to La Madone Chapel in Fleurie, where on clear days the view stretches all the way to Mont Blanc and the Alps. From there, the route takes you to a small family winery run across several generations. The winemaker walks you through the semi-carbonic maceration process unique to Beaujolais, where whole grapes ferment inside sealed tanks before being crushed, creating wines that are lighter and fruitier than traditional methods produce. You finish with a second tasting in the winery's caveau, the tasting room, sampling more crus wines in a relaxed, friendly setting. At 1:30 pm, the minibus drops you back at Bellecour Square.

What’s included

• Wine tasting of nine to ten crus wines.
• expert guide fluent in English and French.
• high-comfort eight-seater minibus with air conditioning.
• all stops at Moulin-à-Vent, La Madone Chapel, the château cellar and the family winery.

Before you book

Days and timesNext departure: 15 Mar 2027

Book up to12h before

GroupUp to 8

Live guideEnglish and French

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated 8 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effortPublic transport nearbyNot recommended during pregnancyNot recommended with heart problemsNot recommended with back problems

Operated by KANPAI TOURISME

Is this one for you?Pick this if you're based in Lyon and prefer a guided minibus through the vineyard villages rather than driving yourself, with tastings at both a family winery and a château cellar.

Traveler reviews

5.00★★★★★★★★★★

4 verified traveler reviews

Read all the reviews ›

Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English and French.

What are the Beaujolais crus and why does the soil matter?

The crus are ten elite Beaujolais appellations where Gamay grapes grow in specific terroirs. Moulin-à-Vent's granite soils with manganese veins produce wines with more tannins and deeper flavor than other areas, and your guide explains how these soil differences shape each wine's character.

Do I need wine knowledge to join this tour?

No. The guide is a wine expert who teaches you how to taste and what to look for in each wine's balance and complexity, so you learn as you go through both tastings.

What is semi-carbonic maceration and why does Beaujolais use it?

Semi-carbonic maceration is Beaujolais's signature winemaking method, where whole grapes ferment inside sealed tanks before being crushed. This process creates lighter, fruitier wines than traditional crushing does, and the family winemaker walks you through each step.

Can I see Mont Blanc from La Madone Chapel?

On clear days, yes: the view from La Madone Chapel in Fleurie stretches across the entire Beaujolais wine region and can reach all the way to Mont Blanc and the Alps, though visibility depends on the weather.

How many wines do I taste on this tour?

You taste nine to ten different crus wines across the two tastings: several at the château cellar and more at the family winery, sampling Morgon, Fleurie, Chenas and other appellations.