France Food & Drink Wineries & Wine Tasting

The 11 Best Wineries in France (2026)

Updated November 2026 · 11 picks

The best wineries to visit in France in 2026 are the Champagne houses of Reims and Épernay — Ruinart, Taittinger, Veuve Clicquot and Moët & Chandon — for their chalk cellars; Château La Coste near Aix for art among the vines; Château de Beaucastel in Châteauneuf-du-Pape; Trimbach on the Alsace Wine Route; and Château Smith Haut Lafitte near Bordeaux.

France's wine regions are mostly easy to visit, but the rules differ: the big Champagne houses run regular paid cellar tours you book online; Bordeaux châteaux and Burgundy domaines usually need an appointment; and Alsace and Provence have the most relaxed tasting rooms. Champagne is the closest region to Paris (45 minutes to Reims by TGV). Most visits include a tasting; spitting is normal and expected. For Bordeaux in depth, see our best wineries near Bordeaux.

The list at a glance

Ruinart Reims, Champagne
Taittinger Reims, Champagne
Veuve Clicquot Reims, Champagne
Moët & Chandon Épernay, Champagne
Château La Coste Le Puy-Sainte-Réparade, near Aix-en-Provence
Château de Beaucastel Courthézon, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Provence
Château du Clos de Vougeot Vougeot, Burgundy
Maison Joseph Drouhin Beaune, Burgundy
Maison Trimbach Ribeauvillé, Alsace
Château Smith Haut Lafitte Martillac, near Bordeaux
Gérard Bertrand – Château l'Hospitalet Narbonne, Languedoc

1. Ruinart — Reims, Champagne

The oldest Champagne house, with Gallo-Roman chalk pits listed as a UNESCO site.

$$$ Upmarket

Ruinart, founded in 1729, is the oldest established Champagne house, and its cellars are dug into vast Gallo-Roman chalk quarries (crayères) beneath Reims, part of the UNESCO-listed Champagne Hillsides, Houses and Cellars.

The modernized visitor pavilion and art commissions make it one of the most refined visits in Champagne.

Good to know: Book well ahead; Ruinart's tours are small and sell out.

4 Rue des Crayères, 51100 Reims

Google Maps Website

2. Taittinger — Reims, Champagne

Chalk cellars that include the crypts of a medieval abbey.

$$ Mid-range

Taittinger's cellars in Reims run through Gallo-Roman chalk pits and the remains of the 13th-century Saint-Nicaise abbey, giving one of the most atmospheric cellar visits in Champagne.

Tours are regular and well organized, and the house is family-run.

Good to know: Book online in advance, especially for weekends.

9 Place Saint-Niçaise, 51100 Reims

Google Maps Website

3. Veuve Clicquot — Reims, Champagne

The house of the widow who invented riddling, founded in 1772.

$$ Mid-range

Veuve Clicquot was founded in 1772 and made famous by Barbe-Nicole Clicquot, the widow credited with inventing the riddling table that clears Champagne of its sediment. Its cellars are carved into chalk crayères under Reims.

Visits explore the cellars and the house's history and end with a tasting of its yellow-label Champagne.

Good to know: Book in advance, particularly for weekends.

1 Rue Albert Thomas, 51100 Reims

Google Maps Website

4. Moët & Chandon — Épernay, Champagne

The grandest house on the Avenue de Champagne, with miles of cellars.

$$ Mid-range

Moët & Chandon's headquarters stand on Épernay's Avenue de Champagne, above the longest cellar network in the region. Tours walk through the chalk galleries and finish with a tasting.

Épernay itself is worth strolling: the avenue is lined with the mansions of other Champagne houses.

Good to know: The site says tours run from 9:30am to 5pm and the visitor center closes on Tuesdays and Wednesdays; check before booking.

20 Avenue de Champagne, 51200 Épernay

Google Maps Website

5. Château La Coste — Le Puy-Sainte-Réparade, near Aix-en-Provence

An organic wine estate with an art and architecture walk among the vines.

$$ Mid-range

Château La Coste is an organic wine estate north of Aix-en-Provence that has commissioned buildings and sculptures from leading architects and artists, including Tadao Ando, Frank Gehry, Louise Bourgeois and Jean Nouvel, placed along a walk through the vines and woods.

Wine tastings, several restaurants and a luxury hotel make it a full day out.

Good to know: Wear walking shoes; the art walk takes about two hours.

2750 Route de la Cride, 13610 Le Puy-Sainte-Réparade

Google Maps Website

6. Château de Beaucastel — Courthézon, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Provence

A benchmark Châteauneuf-du-Pape estate using all 13 grape varieties.

$$ Mid-range

Château de Beaucastel, run by the Perrin family, is one of the reference estates of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, known for using all 13 permitted grape varieties and for organic farming. Its stony vineyards show the region's famous galets roulés.

Tastings by appointment are a good way to understand the southern Rhône.

Good to know: Combine with lunch in the village of Châteauneuf-du-Pape and its ruined papal castle.

Chemin de Beaucastel, 84350 Courthézon

Google Maps Website

7. Château du Clos de Vougeot — Vougeot, Burgundy

The medieval Cistercian wine château at the heart of the Côte de Nuits.

$ Budget

The Château du Clos de Vougeot was built by Cistercian monks among the Grand Cru vines of the Côte de Nuits, and still has their enormous medieval wine presses. It is the seat of the Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin.

It is a museum and monument rather than a winery tasting room, but the best introduction to Burgundy's 'climats', the UNESCO-listed vineyard plots.

Good to know: Pair with tastings in nearby Nuits-Saint-Georges or Beaune.

Rue de la Montagne, 21640 Vougeot

Google Maps Website

8. Maison Joseph Drouhin — Beaune, Burgundy

Medieval cellars beneath the center of Beaune.

$$ Mid-range

Maison Joseph Drouhin's cellars run under the heart of Beaune, partly dating from the Middle Ages, with parts once belonging to the Dukes of Burgundy and the canons of the collegiate church.

Visits trace the house's history and finish with a tasting of Burgundy wines from Chablis to the Côte de Beaune.

Good to know: Book ahead and combine with the Hospices de Beaune across town.

7 Rue d'Enfer, 21200 Beaune

Google Maps Website

9. Maison Trimbach — Ribeauvillé, Alsace

A family Riesling house on the Alsace Wine Route.

$ Budget

Trimbach is a family-run Alsace house in Ribeauvillé, best known for its dry Rieslings, including the celebrated Clos Sainte Hune. Ribeauvillé is one of the prettiest towns on the Alsace Wine Route.

It suits Riesling lovers combining tastings with the half-timbered villages of Riquewihr and Eguisheim.

Good to know: Check opening hours on the site before you go and combine with a walk through Ribeauvillé.

15 Route de Bergheim, 68150 Ribeauvillé

Google Maps Website

10. Château Smith Haut Lafitte — Martillac, near Bordeaux

A Graves Grand Cru Classé with art, a cooperage and a spa hotel.

$$ Mid-range

Smith Haut Lafitte is the easiest top Bordeaux estate to visit from the city, 25 minutes south in Pessac-Léognan, with its own cooperage, sculptures in the vineyards and the Les Sources de Caudalie hotel next door.

Its reds and whites both rank among the best in the Graves.

Good to know: Book the visit and stay for lunch at the hotel.

4 Chemin de Bourran, 33650 Martillac

Google Maps Website

11. Gérard Bertrand – Château l'Hospitalet — Narbonne, Languedoc

A biodynamic Languedoc estate by the sea, with a hotel and restaurants.

$$ Mid-range

Château l'Hospitalet is the flagship estate of Gérard Bertrand, one of the Languedoc's leading biodynamic producers, set in the hills of La Clape between Narbonne and the Mediterranean. It has a hotel, restaurants and tastings.

It is a good base for exploring the Languedoc's wines and coast.

Good to know: Ask about tastings that cover the producer's different Languedoc terroirs.

Route de Narbonne Plage, 11100 Narbonne

Google Maps Website

Frequently asked questions

Which French wine region is best to visit?

Champagne for the easiest day trip from Paris and the most organized tours; Bordeaux for grand châteaux; Burgundy for small family domaines and Beaune; Alsace for its storybook villages; and Provence for rosé, art and sunshine.

Can I visit Champagne houses from Paris in a day?

Yes. Reims is 45 minutes by TGV from Paris Gare de l'Est, and Ruinart, Taittinger, Veuve Clicquot and Pommery are all in the city. Épernay, home to Moët & Chandon on the Avenue de Champagne, is about 1 hour 15 minutes by train.

Do you need to book winery visits in France?

Almost always for the famous names: Champagne tours sell out, especially at weekends, and Bordeaux and Burgundy estates usually require appointments. Smaller Alsace and Provence wineries often welcome walk-ins to their tasting rooms.

How much does a Champagne cellar tour cost?

Standard tours with one or two glasses typically cost from about €35 to €60 per person, with premium tastings costing more. Each house lists prices on its own booking page.

Is it normal to spit at wine tastings in France?

Yes, especially if you are driving or visiting several estates. Every tasting room provides a spittoon; using it is never rude.

1. Ruinart — Reims, Champagne

2. Taittinger — Reims, Champagne

3. Veuve Clicquot — Reims, Champagne

4. Moët & Chandon — Épernay, Champagne

5. Château La Coste — Le Puy-Sainte-Réparade, near Aix-en-Provence

6. Château de Beaucastel — Courthézon, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Provence

7. Château du Clos de Vougeot — Vougeot, Burgundy

8. Maison Joseph Drouhin — Beaune, Burgundy

9. Maison Trimbach — Ribeauvillé, Alsace

10. Château Smith Haut Lafitte — Martillac, near Bordeaux

11. Gérard Bertrand – Château l'Hospitalet — Narbonne, Languedoc

Frequently asked questions

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