Inspiring French Wine Tours: 6 Regions with a Private Guide | Paris Wine Girl

Updated December 2025. French wine tours are best experienced with someone who knows the producers, speaks the language, and can open doors that aren’t available to the public. That’s what I do. I guide private wine tours across six French wine regions, from the historic vineyards of Burgundy to the alpine slopes of Savoie.

I’m Emily, also known as Paris Wine Girl. I’ve lived in France since 2017, spent four years in Beaune, and now base myself in Lyon with my husband Nicolas. Together we lead French wine tours in regions where we’ve built real relationships with producers over years, not months. These are the six regions where we work.

Why book French wine tours with a private guide?

You can visit French wine regions on your own. But here’s what you’ll miss: the producers who don’t take public visitors, the context that turns a tasting into an education, and someone to handle the logistics so you can focus on the wine.

We’re not tour operators running the same route every week. We’re certified wine educators who design courses, teach certifications, and judge competitions. When we take you somewhere, it’s because we know the winemaker personally. We translate not just language but culture, connecting the land to what ends up in your glass.

A typical day on our French wine tours includes two longer producer visits, vineyard walks with geological context, a shared meal, and time in the cellar seeing barrels and tasting from tank. This isn’t a scripted tour. It’s a day spent learning from people who actually work in wine.

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The 6 regions for French wine tours

1. Burgundy

Burgundy is where I fell in love with French wine. For four years I lived in Beaune, walking the vineyards, learning the climats, building relationships with producers who’ve worked these slopes for generations. It’s the region I know best and the one I’m most passionate about sharing.

What makes Burgundy extraordinary is the precision. One vineyard, one grape variety, endless variation based on slope, soil, and the hand of the winemaker. We focus on the Côte d’Or, both Côte de Nuits and Côte de Beaune, visiting domaines that don’t take public visitors and tasting wines you won’t find exported.

2. Northern Rhône

The Northern Rhône produces some of the world’s most compelling Syrah. Côte-Rôtie, Hermitage, Cornas, Saint-Joseph: these are wines of power and elegance, grown on impossibly steep granite slopes that require hand-harvesting and old-fashioned determination.

This region is just south of Lyon, making it an easy day trip from our base. We visit producers who farm these dramatic terraces by hand, often tasting in cellars carved into the hillside. If you love bold reds with a sense of place, the Northern Rhône delivers.

3. Beaujolais

Beaujolais is one of the most underrated French wine regions, finally getting the recognition it deserves. Forget Beaujolais Nouveau. The cru villages, from Morgon to Moulin-à-Vent to Fleurie, produce serious wines from old-vine Gamay grown on granite and schist soils.

This region is just north of Lyon, making it easy to combine with the Northern Rhône or enjoy on its own. The producers here are warm, the wines are expressive, and the landscape is beautiful. Beaujolais offers an intimacy that larger regions sometimes lack.

4. Savoie

Savoie is one of the most unexpected destinations for French wine tours. Alpine vineyards climb steep slopes with views of Mont Blanc, producing wines from grape varieties you won’t find anywhere else: Jacquère, Altesse, Mondeuse. The wines are fresh, mineral, and utterly distinctive.

This region is perfect for travelers who want something different, wines that surprise even experienced enthusiasts. The combination of mountain air, rare varieties, and small-scale production creates an experience unlike any other French wine region.

5. Jura

The Jura is for wine lovers who want to go deeper. This small French wine region produces some of the most distinctive wines in the world: vin jaune aged under a veil of yeast, oxidative whites, and delicate reds from Poulsard and Trousseau. The producers here are independent-minded, doing things their own way.

If you’re curious about natural wine, traditional winemaking, or simply want to taste something you’ve never experienced before, the Jura delivers. It’s a region that rewards attention and an open mind.

6. Champagne

Champagne is the French wine region everyone knows, but few experience beyond the major houses. For special clients, I occasionally guide tours focused on grower Champagne: small producers who grow their own grapes and make their own wine, offering a perspective the big names can’t provide.

I’ve worked directly with the CIVC (Comité Interprofessionnel du vin de Champagne) and have relationships with growers across the region. If Champagne is your focus, contact me to discuss options.

More reading: How to Visit Champagne from Paris

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What’s included in French wine tours

Every French wine tour with us includes:

• Transport throughout the day
• Two producer visits with tastings at domaines we know personally
• Wine education and cultural context from certified educators
• A shared meal — restaurant or vineyard picnic depending on weather
• Guidance in English, French, or German
• Restaurant reservations for dinner if you’re staying overnight

Not included: restaurant meals (we eat together but you cover your meal), gratuities, wine purchases.

Minimum two guests. Solo travelers, contact me to discuss options.

Frequently asked questions about French wine tours

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