Rhône Wine Tour

Dive in for a double exploration of both Northern and Southern Rhône where a mosaic of sun-soaked landscapes provides the backdrop for the celebrated wines that define this varied and remarkable region.

Jun 15-20, 2025

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6 days

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Led by Matt Walls

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$5690*

Two Regions for the Price of One

Bask in the unique opportunity to explore both the Northern and Southern Rhône wine regions in a single trip. From the elegant Syrahs of the North to the Grenache-based blends of the South, you'll experience the full spectrum of Rhône Valley wines, offering incredible value for a rich, diverse wine education.

Expert Instruction from Matt Walls

Learn from Rhône Valley specialist and acclaimed wine writer, Matt Walls, whose friendly and approachable style makes even complex wine topics easy to understand. Matt will share his insider knowledge of the Rhône Valley, guiding you through tastings and vineyard visits that deepen your understanding and appreciation of the region.

Luxurious Stay in a 5-Star Avignon Hotel

Indulge in the comfort of a beautiful 5-star hotel located in the historic city of Avignon. With its blend of modern luxury and Provençal charm, it's the perfect home base for your Rhône Valley adventure, offering relaxation and elegance after each day's exploration.

About Rhône

Traveling 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 and awe-inspiring Syrah wines in the world, while the vast warm plains of Southern Rhône offer up the greatest Grenache blends of Châteauneuf-du-Pape and other rich wine appellations.

Rhône viticultural history dates back to the Romans, who sculpted its terraced topography and introduced vine growing. The Rhône Valley has long been a cultural nexus between Burgundy and the colder neighboring climates to the north, and Provence with its warmer regions to the south. Come bask in the warm sensation of sun and wind! Here, Continental and Mediterranean climates collide and this juxtaposition of north and south manifests itself—not only in wine—but also in local food culture. Most notably, the traditionally French cuisine of au beurre (butter) mixes with that of Mediterranean cuisine and à l’huile (olive oil).

It is in the Rhône Valley where east also meets west. The granite and schist of the Massif Central (to the west) collide with the sedimentary soils of the Alps and its foothills (to the east). The wines of this region are as powerful as the geology, topography and cultural heritage that shaped it. The wines themselves are living legacies. There is no place like Rhône.

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About This Tour

This Study Abroad educational wine tour caters to passionate wine enthusiasts and professionals. Guided by Matt Walls, a leading regional expert, it offers guests the chance to thoroughly explore the terroirs, vineyards, wine estates and production processes behind some of the region's most notable domaines, while participating in exclusive tastings of their celebrated wines.

Participants will have the opportunity to meet winemakers and learn from some of the most distinguished names in the wine industry. Guests are kindly asked to arrive prepared having read the educational materials provided by WSG prior to the tour start date. 

What's Included

Join the Rhône expert, Matt Walls, for an immersive experience featuring winery visits, tutored tastings and gourmet pairings.

Expert instruction throughout by Rhône specialist and Decanter columnist Matt Walls.

Seamless travel support from your Tour Manager, Mary Kirk, providing impeccable customer service and logistical guidance throughout your journey.

2 Nights at 4-Star Hôtel Fac & Spera in Tain Hermitage, double occupancy.

2 Gastronomic dinners, including one Michelin-starred restaurant, expertly paired with hand-selected wines of the region.

Buffet breakfast provided daily.

Professional-level tours and wine tastings at some of the most preeminent, hard-to-access Domaine’s in the region.

2 Nights at 5-Star Hôtel Europe in Avignon, double occupancy.

1 Night at 4-Star Hôtel Mercure Lyon Centre – Gare Part Dieu in Lyon, double occupancy.

4 Gourmet lunches with fine local wines, expertly matched with top-quality wines of the region.

Price per-person, double occupancy. Download the brochure to get detailed pricing.

Itinerary & Pricing

Join us for an unforgettable wine tour!

Enter your name and email to receive our detailed itinerary and pricing.

Meet Your Expert Guides

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Matt Walls

Your Wine Tour Instructor

Matt Walls is a freelance wine writer, author and consultant who contributes to various UK and international publications such as Club Oenologique, www.timatkin.com and Decanter magazine, where he is a contributing editor. Walls is Panel Chair for the Rhône Valley at the Decanter World Wine Awards. He has recently returned to the UK after living near Avignon in southern France for two years researching his latest book Wines of the Rhône, which was shortlisted for the André Simon Food and Drink Book Awards 2022.

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Mary Kirk

Your Wine Tour Manager

Mary is Wine Scholar Guild’s Study Abroad Tour Manager. French-American, and raised between Washington State and France, she has been leading fine wine tours in France for over 15 years and has been working with WSG since 2015. Mary’s other activities include teaching Wine Studies at culinary academies in Paris such as Le Cordon Bleu, Ferrandi Gastronomic School of Paris and Butler Academy in Paris. Additionally, Mary hosts educational wine events and consults professionally on French wine throughout the US and European market. She is a DipWSET, FWS and certified French Sommelier-Conseil.

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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

What our customers say

Frequently Asked Questions

  • You’ll learn so much more than you would on your own! During WSG tours, our internationally renowned instructors are always with you; providing fascinating information, answering questions, and clarifying facts and figures to ensure understanding of the nuances and subtleties of each region and its wine styles.
  • Camaraderie! And the experience of exploring new wine regions with other like-minded individuals who are just as passionate and obsessive about great wine as you are!
  • Access to amazing wine tastings and estates you would not be able to visit on your own. With personal and long-standing relationships in each of the regions we operate, WSG has some of the highest-level contacts in the industry. As a WSG study abroad participant, you will have the opportunity to taste incredible wines at each estate and will be welcomed as an honored guest everywhere you go.
  • All our WSG instructors have lived or worked in France, Italy, Spain, or other countries in which we operate, 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, and an insider’s take on local culture.
  • Avoid taking chances on hotels or restaurants you don’t know.  With more than a decade of experience, our guides use first-hand knowledge to select the best hotels and restaurants for your enjoyment.
  • Make the most of your travel time! Our itineraries minimize driving to ensure you receive a thorough overview of the region, taking in the breathtaking landscapes and amazing wine culture of each respective region.
  • Avoid driving, navigating or directions. Feel free to relax and enjoy wine your meals in the comfort of a safe and carefully curated learning environment.
  • Your WSG instructor and Tour Manager will translate for the group at all times, eliminating communication or language barriers, as many winemakers in France, Italy and Spain may have limited English proficiency.

Preparing for the trip

Please ask the instructor if there is enough time before the end of the visit for you to make your purchase without impeding the progress and timing of the trip.

It is very 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 each hotel before including it in a WSG tour or program. In wine regions that are large and spread out, you may change hotels once or twice during a week-long stay (to keep driving times to a minimum each day). In other regions, there may be only one centrally located hotel.

Organizers & Instructors

Our tour 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 non-refundable 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.

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