Bienvenue à Lyon
Organized every year in late March and early April by Atout France, the Rendez-vous en France convenes tourism professionals from around the world for 3 days of business networking, gala events, and a celebration of all that France offers international travelers. The 2025 edition was held in Lyon, a city I have grown to appreciate more with each visit. This marked my sixth time attending the Rendez-vous, which remains one of the standout events on the travel trade calendar. For tour operators and travel advisors, industry summits like these provide valuable opportunities to establish new contacts and reconnect with existing partners.
When I attend a trade show like the Rendez-vous en France, my goal is to identify local food and wine specialists who share the Oenotated Travel philosophy for experiential travel that deepens cultural understanding through the exploration of winemaking tradition, local gastronomy, and artisan creativity. The Rendez-vous is also an opportunity to deepen my knowledge of the French travel sector during educational tours organized by regional and local tourism authorities. These educational tours showcase what each French region has to offer in terms of hotels, restaurants, gastronomy, winemaking, cultural attractions, and natural landscapes. I’ve participated in many such educational tours during my years in the travel industry. They can be useful ways to gain insider knowledge well before travel trends emerge and for building relationships that benefit Oenotated Travel clientele.
Southern Burgundy Wine Tasting
This year, I had the chance to explore 3 wine regions in areas of southern Burgundy I had never visited before—the Côte Chalonnaise, the Côte de Couchois, and the Mâconnais. For fans of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, southern Burgundy is a great value proposition relative to the Côte de Beaune and the Côte de Nuits, which together form the prestigious Côte d’Or. Burgundy’s remarkable variety of appellations and sub-appellations, all in close proximity, exemplifies what makes France such a rich destination for wine tourism. Bordeaux, the Loire, Champagne, the Rhône River Valley, Alsace, and many other French wine regions offer wine lovers countless opportunities to discover new terroirs, traditions, and winemaking excellence.
The small Côte de Couchois comprises only 47 hectares just south of the Hautes Côtes de Beaune, with a similar soil composition. It gained AOC status in 2000 under the label Régionale Bourgogne. In the commune of Couches, the Château de Couches, was a surprising blend of history and viticulture. Producing fewer than 10,000 bottles annually, their Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Aligoté display the freshness and minerality so prized today in modern wines.
In the Côte Chalonnaise, in Mercurey where Pinot Noir represents 80% of production, the village is blessed with 32 climats designated as Premier Cru vineyards. During my visit, I tasted at Château de Chamirey, where I particularly enjoyed Premier Crus from their Pinot Noir vines in Clos du Roi, as well as their monopole from Clos des Ruelles.
But the tasting highlight for me during this trip was in the Mâconnais, in Fuissé, at Domaine Auvique whose Pouilly-Fuissé Premier Crus Le Clos de Solutré, and La Frérie were Chardonnay perfection. Their 2022 Saint-Véran “Chênes” was impressive as well. Pro tip: the 2023 vintage, set for release soon, is exceptional.
La Vallée de la Gastronomie
Following the Saône and Rhône Rivers from Dijon to Marseille, the Vallée de la Gastronomie is a network of restaurants, wineries, artisanal food producers, and accommodations offering high-quality food and wine experiences specific to local traditions. The route follows an old Roman road through Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, and Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, showcasing the agricultural, gastronomic, and winemaking wealth of these three regions ranked in the top four Michelin-starred regions in all of France. Our Food & Wine Tour in Burgundy and the Northern Rhône spends a week focused on the section of the Vallée de la Gastronomie from Beaune to the Côte-Rôtie and Hermitage, just south of Lyon. This private wine tour features private wine tastings in Beaune, the Côte de Nuits, Lyon, Côte-Rôtie, and Hermitage; a Burgundy cooking class in Beaune; market tours and food tastings in Lyon; and a fascinating silk weaving workshop in Lyon’s trendy Croix-Rousse district.
As a private food and wine tour, the itinerary is totally customizable to our clients’ preferences for wine, cuisine, hotels, and duration. On my recent trip for the 2025 Rendez-vous en France, I particularly enjoyed two culinary workshops that exemplify the kinds of behind-the-scenes experiences Oenotated Travel offers. In Vonnas, I met legendary chef Georges Blanc and his son, Frédéric Blanc, who took us into their 2-star Michelin kitchen to demonstrate one of their signature dishes: Poularde de Bresse “Elisa Blanc” with “Crêpes Vonnassiennes.” Frédéric prepared this family recipe with real humor and approachability, giving excellent tips for preparing the AOP Bresse chicken with its cream, onion, and garlic sauce (delicious!).
In Lyon, I also really enjoyed going into the kitchen with chef Joseph Viola at his gourmet bouchon Daniel & Denise to learn the secrets of his 2009 world champion pâté en croute. Pâté en croute has become synonymous with Lyonnais cuisine, in no small part thanks to his efforts to revive this very old French dish, originally devised as method to preserve meat in the Middle Ages, many centuries before refrigeration. Chef Viola’s version made with duck foie gras and veal sweetbreads is an indulgent take on this classic French charcuterie. His collaboration with Rhône Valley winemaking icon Michel Chapoutier completes the food and wine equation, making a meal at his bouchons in Vieux Lyon, Part Dieu, and Croix-Rousse an indulgent immersion into Lyonnais terroir.
These experiences are just a few examples of how Oenotated itineraries like our Food & Wine Tour in Burgundy and the Northern Rhône take travelers deep into the winemaking, gastronomic, and artisan cultures of their chosen destination.
