Plan a trip
A route through the vines
Pick a country and a style, and we'll sketch a few days through it — real sub-regions in a sensible order, with what to expect at each stop and when to go, drawn from everything already on the site.
Where to
Style preference
Your route
A 5-stop route through France
The character of this trip
A country best read one village at a time
France rewards the traveller who slows down. Its great regions are small enough to cross in an afternoon, yet the wine changes from one hillside, one village, one bank of a river to the next — so the trips that pay back are patient ones: fewer stops, longer lunches, and the habit of asking what makes this appellation taste like itself. Come for the names on the labels; stay for the small differences between neighbours.
Route length
Stops
5
Total driving
~273 km
Behind the wheel
4h 58min
Worth setting aside
5–7 days
What to expect
Notable producers
- Domaine Leflaive — The leading estate, farmed biodynamically.
- Domaine Etienne Sauzet — A benchmark for classic, precise Puligny.
- Domaine Paul Pernot — A family estate with a range of Premiers Crus.
Best time to visit
Come for harvest, in early autumn (September), when the cellars are busiest — or earlier, in spring (April–May), for a quieter, greener look at the vines.
~13 km · 14 min to the next stop
From Puligny-Montrachet, the route crosses toward Côte Chalonnaise: lighter, more affordable reds and whites; home of Bouzeron
What to expect
Notable producers
- Domaine A. et P. de Villaine — Bouzeron; run by Aubert de Villaine of Romanée-Conti, and known for Aligoté.
- Maison Faiveley — A leading name in Mercurey, with a range of Premiers Crus.
- Château de Chamirey — Mercurey; a long-established château estate.
Best time to visit
Come for harvest, in early autumn (September), when the cellars are busiest — or earlier, in spring (April–May), for a quieter, greener look at the vines.
~110 km · 2 hours to the next stop
Côte Chalonnaise is Aligoté country; Beaujolais is Gamay Noir. The drive between them is a change of grape, and the glass changes with it.
What to expect
Notable producers
- Georges Duboeuf — The négociant who made Beaujolais famous, especially Nouveau.
- Marcel Lapierre — Morgon; a pioneer of low-intervention winemaking.
- Jean Foillard — Morgon; a leading natural-leaning grower.
Best time to visit
Come for harvest, in early autumn (September), when the cellars are busiest — or earlier, in spring (April–May), for a quieter, greener look at the vines.
~91 km · 1h 39min to the next stop
From Beaujolais to Côte-Rôtie, Gamay Noir gives way to Syrah — the same road, a different set of wines.
What to expect
Notable producers
- E. Guigal — Makes the famed single-vineyard La Mouline, La Landonne and La Turque.
- Domaine Jamet — A family estate making classic, long-lived wines.
- René Rostaing — Known for elegant, perfumed Côte-Rôtie.
Best time to visit
Come for harvest, in early autumn (September), when the cellars are busiest — or earlier, in spring (April–May), for a quieter, greener look at the vines.
~59 km · 1h 5min to the next stop
The climate barely changes between Côte-Rôtie and Hermitage: continental. The difference is underfoot, in the soils and the slopes.
What to expect
Notable producers
- Jean-Louis Chave — A family estate, known for its blend from many parts of the hill.
- Paul Jaboulet Aîné — Makes Hermitage La Chapelle, a benchmark, from the chapel's slope.
- M. Chapoutier — The largest owner on the hill, with several single-site wines.
Best time to visit
Come for harvest, in early autumn (September), when the cellars are busiest — or earlier, in spring (April–May), for a quieter, greener look at the vines.