Beaujolais & Lyon's Wine Culture
Beaujolais & Lyon's Wine Culture features on the Gingerguide audio walk through Lyon. Give it roughly ~30 min: enough to look, hear a two to three minute story on the spot, and ask the AI guide whatever the story leaves open.
- Type landmark
- Suggested visit ~30 min
- Lyon Lyon guide
About Beaujolais & Lyon's Wine Culture
Lyon is surrounded by wine regions, Beaujolais to the north, Côtes du Rhône to the south, and its unique drinking culture of the pot lyonnais (quarter-litre carafe) makes it one of the great wine cities of France.
Lyon is one of the great wine cities of France, not because it produces wine itself, though the Côtes du Rhône vineyards begin just south of the city, but because of its geographical position at the intersection of several important French wine regions and its culture of everyday wine drinking that is unique in France. The city sits between Beaujolais to the north (whose light, fruity Gamay wines have been the daily drink of Lyonnais workers for centuries), the Côtes du Rhône appellation to the south (Syrah, Grenache, and the great Hermitage and Côte-Rôtie crus), and the Burgundy appellations to the north (Pinot Noir, Chardonnay). In Lyon's bouchons and restaurants, wine is served in the pot lyonnais, a small 46cl (just under half a litre) carafe of thick glass that was originally designed to be inexpensive to produce, easy to clean, and hard to counterfeit. Beaujolais Nouveau, released on the third Thursday of November, is celebrated in Lyon with great enthusiasm, and the Beaujolais crus (Morgon, Moulin-à-Vent, Fleurie, Chiroubles, and others) are among the finest light red wines in France.
Did you know? Lyon is nicknamed "the city of three rivers", the Saône, the Rhône, and the Beaujolais, a joke that implies Lyonnais drink so much Beaujolais that it effectively flows like a river through the city.
How long is a visit to Beaujolais & Lyon's Wine Culture?
Set aside roughly ~30 min for Beaujolais & Lyon's Wine Culture. That covers a good look and the narrated story, and because you set the pace you can always stay on.
Is Beaujolais & Lyon's Wine Culture worth your time?
Beaujolais & Lyon's Wine Culture is among the 25 narrated highlights the Gingerguide team chose for Lyon, so it is worth a look. Hear the story for the context, then ask the AI guide for anything more.
Nearby stops in Lyon
Hear the story of Beaujolais & Lyon's Wine Culture
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