Many of the best wines in the world require aging, but most of those that come from the Cotes du Rhone region are so delicious on release, that no aging is needed.
Focusing on high-quality grapes and obviously wonderfully-tasting wines, this region is renowned for its artful blending and merging of over 20 grape varieties into reds, whites, and roses. While many try to imitate, no one can replicate the original blend that comes right from here.
The top Avignon wine tours showcase it best, and I’ve gone ahead and detailed the 5 that are well worth your time and money. Let’s jump right in!
Best Wine Tours in Avignon
| Chateauneuf du Pape Wine Tour | Small-Group Full-Day Private Wine Tour from Avignon | Provence Cru Wine Small-Group Half-Day Tour from Avignon | |
|---|---|---|---|
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| Location: | 10 Rue de Mons, 84000 Avignon | Hotel pickup and drop-off included | Hotel pickup and drop-off included |
| Start: | 9:30 AM | 9:00 AM | 2:30 PM |
| Duration: | 7 hours | 9 hours | 5 hours |
| Includes: | Visit to 4 winery castles, air-conditioned vehicle, tour guide | Wine tasting at 3 or 4 wineries, driver/guide wine specialist | Bottled water, Wine tasting, Driver/guide, transport by air-conditioned minivan |
Quick Answer: The 5 Best Rated Avignon Wine Tours For 2024
- Chateauneuf du Pape Wine Tour
- Small-Group Full-Day Private Wine Tour from Avignon
- Provence Cru Wine Small-Group Half-Day Tour from Avignon
- Half-Day Provence Pont du Gard and Wine Tasting Tour from Avignon
- Chateauneuf-du-Pape Prestige Wine Tour from Avignon
Avignon Wine Tour Reviews
1. Chateauneuf du Pape Wine Tour
- Duration: 7 hours
- Departure: 10 Rue de Mons, 84000 Avignon
- Departure Time: 9:30 AM
- Includes: Visit to 4 winery castles, air-conditioned vehicle, tour guide
Starting this off on the right foot, I had to include the Chateauneuf du Pape Wine Tour. Doing a deep dive into these legendary vineyards guided by a local expert with a Sommelier certification takes it far beyond your average wine tour.
This authentic immersion into one of the country’s most famed wine regions is highly curated, with visits to 4 reputable wine domains – each offering a distinct look into the terroir and craftsmanship that define this esteemed appellation.
From exploring old wine cellars and huge estates, you’ll surely work up an appetite, which is where the traditional lunch comes into play!
The lunch was delicious, and you do get the choice between a few different types of food, depending on what you are interested in. Expect to learn a ton about the specialty wines made here, coming right from the source!
From the very beginning, our guide did a great job of making the tour a seamless, intuitive experience with fun stories and lots of opportunities for education along the way.
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Seeing the old cellars and the beautiful vineyards was a lovely experience, but seeing the working parts of the wineries was the most fascinating to me!
Our guide taught us all about the differences between the wines as we tasted them, and the chance to try wines that aren’t sold outside the country was pretty cool!
The lunch at the chateau on the terrace overlooking the expansive, fairytale-like landscapes was magical, enhanced by the attentive staff who were super friendly and helpful.
This tour is one of the most valuable I’ve gone on, and if you have an entire day to dedicate to it, this tour should be at the top of your list. It perfectly combines fun, learning, tasting, and amazing architecture!
Tour Information & Booking
100% refund for cancellations within 24 hours of tour experience
2. Small-Group Full-Day Private Wine Tour from Avignon
- Duration: 9 hours
- Departure: Hotel pickup and drop-off included
- Departure Time: 9:00 AM
- Includes: Wine tasting at 3 or 4 wineries between following choices (inform us at booking time): Châteauneuf du Pape / Gigondas / Vacqueyras / Beaume de Venise / Tavel / Séguret / Rasteau / Cairanne, Sightseeing in the surroundings of 2 wineries, Driver/guide wine specialist
Next up, is quite possibly the most complete tour of its kind: the Small-Group Full-Day Private Wine Tour from Avignon is the longest, too!
This completely customized and private tour offers up an exploration of up to 4 respected wineries, with a local connoisseur who knows the region and wine like the back of their hand.
If that sounds like what you’re looking for, check out this excursion consisting of an itinerary designed according to your preferences!
Our tour started off with a convenient pickup right from our hotel, hopping onto our air-conditioned, comfortable coach and heading right out into the countryside.
Keep in mind that the itinerary is obviously going to vary from tour-to-tour given the customizable nature of this one. From the rustic enchantment of Raseau to the hidden gems of Vacqueyras, the day is yours to curate with the knowledge and recommendations of your guide to enhance the route.
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At each estate, we learned all about the craft of winemaking from the very source, sampling a diverse array of their products, from bold reds to refreshing whites. Each glass was so different from the rest, making it easy to figure out what kind of flavor notes and profiles I enjoy.
If you aren’t a wine connoisseur but would like to be, this is a great “crash course” in learning the basics and beyond. Another highlight of the day was the chance to explore traditional villages, including Cairanne and Seguret, which really did feel like we were stepping into a postcard!
Everyone was so laidback, and it was a great chance to take photos, learn at our leisure, and even get in some shopping! With comfortable and convenient transportation, your guide will return you right back to your hotel afterward!
Tour Information & Booking
100% refund for cancellations within 24 hours of tour experience
3. Provence Cru Wine Small-Group Half-Day Tour from Avignon
- Duration: 5 hours
- Departure: 41 Cr Jean Jaurès, 84000 Avignon, France or hotel pickup and drop-off
- Departure Time: 2:30 PM
- Includes: Bottled water, Wine tasting, Driver/guide, transport by air-conditioned minivan
Exploring Provence’s prestigious wine country is something I think everyone should do at least once, and this 5-hour tour is the perfect way to do so. Learn about winemaking tradition across the centuries, and what makes the appelations within the region so special.
The Provence Cru Wine Small-Group Half-Day Tour from Avignon offers exclusive access to 3 reputable wineries, focusing on education, the proper way to pair and taste wine, and so much more.
You can choose to either meet your guide in central Avignon or elect to partake in the included hotel pickup and drop-off, which I highly recommend.
All you have to do is make sure you’re ready to go and in the hotel lobby by 2:30, so you can be whisked away and spend the afternoon in the beautiful wine country!
With a maximum of just 8 participants allowed, this tour focuses on creating a convivial atmosphere where everyone gets attention.
We first visited the village of Gigondas, which is not only visually stunning, but has a rich wine history – I mean, it’s quite literally a place dedicated to the art of making (and drinking!) wine for the past 2 millennia!
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This was a great opportunity to try a variety of Grand and Premier Cru wines, with experts there to guide our tastings, helping develop our palates.
It was then time to check out Chateauneuf-du-Pape, where our guide gave us quite the history lesson on the region’s background, and how its unique soil and red clay play a huge role in the grapes grown here.
One of the highlights of this tour for me was our walk down the hill from the castle ruins, which made it feel like we’d traveled back hundreds of years in time!
I found it to be the perfect balance of history and cultural knowledge along with learning about and tasting wine – two of my favorite things! If you’re at all a history buff and have a knack for wine, don’t hesitate to try this one out!
Tour Information & Booking
100% refund for cancellations within 24 hours of tour experience
4. Half-Day Provence Pont du Gard and Wine Tasting Tour from Avignon
- Duration: 5 hours
- Departure: 41 Cr Jean Jaurès, 84000 Avignon
- Departure Time: 2:30 PM
- Includes: Wine tasting, driver/guide, transport by air-conditioned minivan, bottled water, admission to Pont du Gard included
If you have the afternoon free and are down for seeing some incredible pieces of history and tasting some of the best wine in the country, you’re in the right place.
The Half-Day Provence Pont du Gard and Wine Tasting Tour from Avignon is all that and more, highlighting the enormous bridge aqueduct, Roman Theater, and more.
Sample the region’s celebrated wines, known for their robust character and intense background, with a personalized experience that caters to everyone.
Start by meeting up with your guide in central Avignon, where you and your small group will board a comfortable, safe, air-conditioned minivan.
Right from the very beginning, our guide did a great job of offering detailed and entertaining background on the region and how it came to be so well-known. The trip to Provence was very smooth, relaxing, and the educational commentary made it that much more interesting.
I’ll admit that I didn’t know much about the history of this area before going on these tours, and this experience really opened my eyes to its rich Roman background!
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In fact, we were able to see two iconic ruins from Roman times: the ancient arches of the Pont du Gard, which is an aqueduct that attests to their engineering skills, and the Roman Theater in Orange.
The only possible “complaint” I could mention is that you do have to pay for entry to the theater, but it wasn’t much at all. Once we were in Chateauneuf du Pape, we got to explore the stunning natural and manmade wonders, along with a fantastic wine tasting at one of their best wineries.
We learned all about what makes their grapes so special, the differences between their wines, and they answered any and all of our questions! This is an amazing option if you’re looking for a top-notch tour while still staying on a tight budget!
Tour Information & Booking
100% refund for cancellations within 24 hours of tour experience
5. Chateauneuf-du-Pape Prestige Wine Tour from Avignon
- Duration: 4 hours
- Departure: Office de Tourisme d’Avignon, 41 Cr Jean Jaurès, 84000 Avignon
- Departure Time: 2:30 PM
- Includes: Transport by air-conditioned 8-seater minivan, Driver/guide, 1 wine tasting experience
How would you like to spend the afternoon journeying through the fairytale-like Rhone Valley, where rolling hills and vineyards are neverending? Perhaps you’re curious about the famous winemaking region, but don’t want to commit to a full-day tour.
Whatever the case may be, the Chateauneuf-du-Pape Prestige Wine Tour from Avignon is right up your alley! Meet up with your guide and the rest of your small group at the Office of Tourism in Avignon, where they’ll lead you onboard a comfy 8-seater minivan.
The minivan came fitted with big windows for prime viewing of the gorgeous countryside, along with climate control and plenty of legroom.
As we cruised along, we learned that this region is actually where the prestigious Appellation d’Origine Controlee (AOC) regulations were developed, so their wine standards are no joke!
We made a stop at very well-respected wine estate in the appellation, where we got an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look into the intricate process behind these AOC-classified wines.
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It really was a perfect combination of honoring tradition while incorporating innovation to create the best wines possible. Our guide and the winemaker took us through the beautiful vineyards filled with history, as they shared what makes the terroir and varietals what they are.
Here, it’s not just about making wine – it’s literally an elite art that is taken very seriously, and the delicious products are evidence of that. Chateauneuf du Pape doesn’t even export their white wines, so being able to taste them was truly something special (and tasty).
This is a tour you simply can’t miss if you want a deep look into the makings of these phenomenal bottles.
Tour Information & Booking
100% refund for cancellations within 24 hours of tour experience
Wines Tasted
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The Chateauneuf du Pape Wine Tour is our Editors Choice for the best Avignon wine tour
