Southern Burgundy Food & Wine Tour
Less than an hour from Lyon, the Mâconnais fits into a few kilometres of hillsides. A full day to explore them without watching the clock: four wine stops, the cellar of a former winemaker turned druid, a cheese found only in its priory, and a table where you linger.
- Duration
- Full day — 8 h
- Stops
- 4 wine estates
- Tasting
- 4 wines per stop
- Departure
- Lyon or Mâcon
- Price
- See the calendar
A full-day tour of the Mâconnais vineyard
Southern Burgundy is less than an hour from Lyon, and it is a dense vineyard: in a few kilometres of hillsides you go from a village cellar to a family estate, from a Pouilly to a Mâcon-Villages.
With a whole day ahead, you can finally stop where it is worth stopping, and stay when the conversation gets interesting.
Four tasting stops, including a private cellar
At least four stops around wine (a winemaker, a cooperative, sometimes right in the middle of the vines) with a minimum of four wines explained at each one.
The highlight of the day: Philippe, a former winemaker turned druid, and his private cellar. This kind of encounter appears on no programme.
A chapel, a priory, a cheese: the local food
The route passes an isolated chapel, then a goat farm set in a former Cluniac priory, itself built on a Celtic site. The cheese is sold nowhere else.
Lunch at a restaurant or a picnic in the vines: you choose when booking.
What your Insider can also arrange
The stops below are examples, not a set programme. They are here to give you ideas: the day's agenda is then decided together with your Insider.
A cellar founded by eighty winemakers
Eighty Mâconnais winemakers joined forces to open a single tasting and discovery venue. You can taste up to eight wines there, which gives you in one stop an overview of the vineyard that no single estate could offer.
The Rock of Solutré, and the story behind it
The outcrop towers over the whole vineyard and is climbed on foot. French President François Mitterrand walked up once a year to pay tribute to the Resistance fighters of the Second World War: it is now as much a place of memory as a viewpoint.
An estate handed down from mother to daughter
This one passes down through the women of the family, and most of its team is female — still a rarity in the vineyard. The visit follows the whole winemaking process, explained by the person who actually makes the wine.
None of this is automatic, and this list is far from complete. Every outing is put together for the people living it: yours will be one of a kind, and it will never have been run in exactly this way before. Your Insider will contact you before departure to pick, among these experiences and many others, the ones that best match what you are after.
A private tour, the Insiders way
A local Insider who knows the region and its best addresses by heart, a private vehicle, and nobody at the wheel but him.
Book this tour
Full day — 8 h. Pick your date: the calendar shows availability and the price for your group size.
A question before booking? Email us at thomas@insidersexperience.com or call +33 6 98 78 29 28.
Practical information
Included
- Private full day with a local Insider, in a private vehicle
- Return train tickets Lyon ⇄ Mâcon
- Tastings at 4 places, minimum 4 wines each
- Lunch at a restaurant with wines (or a picnic in the vines, your choice)
- Tasting of wines, cheeses and charcuterie in the vines (weather permitting)
- Wi-Fi on board
Not included
- Driving: your Insider takes the wheel, you can enjoy the wines
- Travel from any city other than Lyon
- Your wine and cheese purchases on site
Meeting point
Private transfer or train from Lyon, train tickets sent in advance if you choose that option. Direct departure from Mâcon possible (Mâcon-Loché station, 1 h 40 from Paris by TGV, ticket not included).
Cancellation
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure. After that, the booking is charged in full.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference with the half-day tour?
The half-day covers two estates in four hours, without a meal. The full day goes up to four stops and adds lunch, the isolated chapel and the priory cheese farm.
Can we have a picnic instead of going to a restaurant?
Yes, it is an option to choose when booking: a picnic set up in the vines, with regional products.
Can we start from Mâcon rather than Lyon?
Yes. Mâcon-Loché is 1 h 40 from Paris by TGV. Only the Lyon ⇄ Mâcon tickets are included; tickets from any other city are at your expense.