Rhône Wine Tour
Immerse yourself in the tapestry of flavors that define the celebrated wines of the Rhône Valley.
Jun 16-24, 2024
6 days
Led by Matt Walls
$5,190*
Tour Overview
Traverse the sun-drenched landscapes of the Rhône Valley, where ancient vines and modern viticulture unite to produce wines of exceptional character and depth.
Traveling to the Rhône Valley is like touring two regions for the price of one. The narrow, cooler slopes of the Northern Rhône, with its famous Hermitage and Côte Rôtie appellations, produce some of the most sublime Syrah wines in the world. While the expansive, warmer Southern Rhône offers up the great Grenache blends of Châteauneuf-du-Pape wine and a myriad of other appellations.
Viticulture has existed for millennia here. Romans first sculpted its terraced topography and introduced vines to the land. The Rhône has long been the nexus between the colder climates to the north and the warmer regions to the south. Here, a continental climate meets with the Mediterranean influence and this collision makes for many expressions in the local and wine food culture.
The Rhône is also the meeting point of the east and west: the granite and schist of the Massif Central collide with the sedimentary soils of the Alps and its foothills. The wines of this region are as powerful as the scenery and the cultural history that has shaped it. The wines themselves are living legacies. There is no place like the Rhône!

What's Included
Join the Rhône expert, Matt Walls, for an immersive experience featuring winery visits, tutored tastings and gourmet pairings.
Instruction by renowned Decanter columnist and Rhône expert, Matt Walls
Professional-level tours and tastings at top-quality wine producers
Services of a tour manager, providing customer service and logistics support
5 nights at 4-Star Hotels in Lyon, Tain Hermitage and Avignon
5 buffet breakfasts
3 gourmet lunches with fine local wines
2 gourmet dinners, expertly matched with top-quality wines of the region
Masterclass and tasting at InterRhône
Deluxe, air-conditioned motor coach transportation with bottled water on-board
Price per-person, double occupancy. Download the brochure to get detailed pricing.
Itinerary & Pricing
Meet Your Expert Guides

Matt Walls
Your Wine Tour Instructor

Mary Kirk
Your Wine Tour Manager
Assisting the instructor and making sure logistics run smoothly and that your needs are answered will be Mary Kirk.
Mary has been leading wine tours in France for over 15 years and has been tour manager for WSG study trips for over 5 years. She is also a DipWSET, FWS and certified French Sommelier-Conseil. Mary also teaches wine in Paris, specifically Sommellerie at Ferrandi Gastronomic school of Paris, and has also taught FWS in Paris.
Her other activities include leading wine events and consulting in the French wine sector. She may be a familiar face to some of you because until recently she also took care of WSG members as our Community and Membership Manager. She now devotes herself soley to being the Wine Tours Manager at WSG.
We visit estates such as...









What Makes WSG Educational Tours Unique?
Top wine industry professionals and regional experts as instructors
Service of tour manager offering customer service and logistics support during the trip
Professional-level visits with educational objectives
Tastings of dozens of top-quality wines during estate visit and included meals
Opportunity to meet the producers and local specialists
Access to wine estates often closed to the public
Join a community of fellow wine professionals and serious enthusiasts
Frequently Asked Questions
- You’ll learn so much more than you would on your own! Internationally renowned instructors are with you at all times throughout the trip, giving fascinating information, making sure you understand the nuances and subtleties of the region and its wines, and responding to all of your questions.
- You will have amazing tastings and get access to estates you would not be able to visit on your own. We have the highest-level contacts in each region. You’ll get to taste fascinating wines at each estate, and you’ll be welcomed as an honored guest.
- Your instructor has lived or worked in France, Italy, Spain, or other countries we run tours in, for many years. This has allowed them to cultivate extensive experience and contacts within the region. You’ll get expert information about the wine business there, and an insider’s take on local culture.
- You will not have to take chances on hotels or restaurants you don’t know. With more than a decade of experience in these wine regions, we use our first-hand knowledge to choose the best hotels and restaurants.
- Your itinerary makes the most of the limited time you have in the wine region, minimizes driving time, and ensures that you get a thorough overview of the region and its wines.
- You don’t have to worry about getting lost (which is easy to do on the backroads of France or Italy!), or about drinking wine at meals. You can just relax, enjoy and learn.
- You get the camaraderie and pleasure of exploring the wine region with other like-minded people who are as passionate about wine as you are.
- Your instructor and tour manager will translate for the group at all times, so you will have no communication issues, as many winemakers in France, Italy and Spain have limited English.
Preparing for the trip
Please ask the instructor if there is enough time at the end of the visit for you to make your purchase without impeding the progress and timing of the trip. Not all estates sell onsite in Bordeaux, for example, very few of the Classified Growth châteaux sell wine at the château (they sell exclusively through wine merchants). It is rare that estates offer international shipping.
If you would like to purchase wine, we recommend that you ask your government’s customs office for their rules and regulations if you intend to bring wine back into your country, or have wine shipped to you.
You always have the option of bringing wine home with you in your checked luggage. A specialized wine suitcase is perfect for this. Depending on your home country, this amount will vary. You may have to pay some amount of duty on your wine when you go through customs. Therefore, it's best to check with your local authorities for further information.
TRANSPORTATION, FOOD & LODGING
We choose 4-star hotels to ensure a high level of comfort, including en-suite bathrooms, WiFi and air conditioning. It’s very important for the hotels to be well situated in the region, to keep driving time and distance to a minimum. We want to make sure you are as close as possible to the vineyards and other local sites of interest. The hotels we choose also must be large enough to accommodate groups.
We thoroughly check out each hotel before including it in a trip. In wine regions that are large and spread out, you will only change hotels once or twice during a week-long trip (to keep driving times to a minimum each day), and in other regions, there is only one centrally located hotel.
Organizers & Instructors
Our trip instructors are among the most renowned and respected wine professionals in the wine business. They are also professional wine educators who are absolutely passionate about the region and its wines.
You can see a full biography of the instructor for each trip on the corresponding page, so you can know exactly with whom you'll be touring and learning. Most are native English speakers (American or British), and all other instructors speak English fluently. Our instructors have that special combination of high-level wine expertise, personal warmth, friendliness, and excellent leadership skills. They'll accompany you every day, throughout the trip, and will be able to answer all of your questions about the wines of the region you’ll be visiting (and about wine in general).
Booking a trip
Yes, we strongly encourage you to purchase a very comprehensive travel insurance package once you have paid your deposit for a Study Trip. Note that many plans require you to purchase the insurance very soon after your deposit payment (some require it within 14 days).
There are any number of things that can happen that can cause cancellation or interruption of package travel, and travel insurance can help cover the costs you incur as a result. You can find travel insurers easily and there are sites where you can compare policies (for example, Insure My Trip).
Be sure to read policies very carefully before you purchase. Include your airfare, train fare, and any other expenses you will have in addition to the price of the study trip itself. We highly recommend getting a “cancel for any reason” policy, which offers the best coverage. Travel experts say “if you can’t afford travel insurance, you can’t afford to travel,” so don’t skimp on this important coverage!
Have a different question? Feel free to contact us.
See Our Other Destinations
Our industry-recognized educational wine tours offer intensive, professional-level education within wine regions of France, Italy, Spain and beyond. Led by prominent wine professionals and journalists, our itineraries and curricula provide a backstage pass to the most celebrated wine regions.