Beaujolais wine tour Lyon: Golden Stones villages tastings

Medieval villages and hand-picked Beaujolais in one morning

A half-day wine tour from Lyon explores the southern Beaujolais region, known as the Golden Stones Country for its distinctive yellow-ochre architecture. The guide leads a small group through the medieval village of Oingt, listed among France's 157 most beautiful villages, then stops at two wineries to taste sparkling, white, rosé and red Beaujolais wines and learn about the region's semi-carbonic maceration process.

Step-by-step itinerary

Beaujolais wine tour and tastings

• Meet guide at Lyon Office de Tourisme
• Walk to minivan and depart
• Drive through vineyards and medieval towns
• Admire 13th century castle and ramparts
• Stop for panoramic view in Bagnols
• Visit Oingt village and explore streets
• Learn village history and terroir
• Taste sparkling white and rosé wines
• Visit second winery and meet wine-maker
• Learn about grape growing and wine-making
• Taste several red Beaujolais wines

The experience

The tour starts in front of Lyon's Office de Tourisme on Bellecour Square, where an English-speaking guide meets the group before loading into an 8-seater minibus. A 35-minute drive carries you through rolling hills dotted with vineyards and past several quaint medieval towns built in golden ochre stone. You'll stop to see a 13th-century castle with its rampart walls intact, then pause in Bagnols for a panoramic view over the southern Beaujolais region.

Oingt is the centerpiece: a warren of narrow streets hosting artists and craftsmen boutiques, where the guide explains the village's history, terroir and the geology behind those distinctive yellow stones. At the end of the walk through Oingt, you step into the first winery to taste sparkling, white and rosé Beaujolais: wines most visitors never encounter. A short drive brings you to a second winery, where a winemaker walks you through the Beaujolais method called semi-carbonic maceration: grapes picked by hand, never crushed, fermented whole. You finish in the caveau (tasting room) sampling several red Beaujolais in an authentic setting.

What’s included

• Expert English-speaking guide knowledgeable in wine and the Lyon region.
• seven to eight wine tastings across two wineries.
• comfortable 8-seater minibus with air-conditioning.
• visit to the medieval village of Oingt and a 13th-century castle.

Before you book

Lasts 4h 30m, runs Friday at 09:00, from € 109 per person, with a live guide in English, Spanish and French, in groups of up to 8 and with free cancellation up to 24 h before.

Days and timesFridayDeparts at 09:00

Book up to12h before

GroupUp to 8

Live guideEnglish, Spanish 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.It may be canceled if the minimum number of travelers isn't reached. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated today

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?The tour runs 4.5 hours with moderate walking through Oingt's narrow streets and two winery visits, making it manageable for most travelers but not suited for those with spinal injuries, cardiovascular concerns or pregnancy.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English, Spanish and French.

What makes the yellow stone villages of Beaujolais different from other French wine regions?

The Golden Stones Country, the southern Beaujolais, is built almost entirely in a distinctive golden ochre stone quarried locally, giving medieval villages like Oingt their warm, unified appearance. The geology shaped both the architecture and the terroir of the vineyards surrounding them.

What wines do you actually taste on this tour?

The tour includes seven to eight tastings across two wineries: sparkling Beaujolais, white, rosé and red varieties. Most travelers don't know Beaujolais makes sparkling wines, so the first winery focuses on those lesser-known styles before the second winery moves into the reds the region is famous for.

How much walking is involved in visiting Oingt?

Oingt is explored on foot through its narrow streets and alleyways, but the village is compact and the pace is leisurely: the guide stops to discuss history and point out craftsmen's shops. There's no steep climbing or long distances.

Will the guide explain how Beaujolais wine is actually made?

Yes. At the second winery, the winemaker explains semi-carbonic maceration, the signature Beaujolais process where grapes are picked by hand and fermented whole without being crushed, which gives the wine its distinctive character.