Finding my favourite chocolate on the weekend got me thinking about Tain-l’Hermitage. And in thinking about Tain, I realised that there were still highlights from the region that I was yet to share with you all. And one of those highlights was our visit to the cellar door of M. Chapoutier.
Chapoutier wines are famous the world over and wines are available in Australia at every price point. Interestingly, Chapoutier also owns vineyards in Oz.
Scott booked us in for a mid morning visit, which included a wine tasting and a walk to the vineyard, which was only 5 minutes away. We were pleasantly surprised to learn that there was no charge for our visit.
We arrived at our appointed time and went straight into the first part of the wine tasting. The very knowledgeable, friendly, English speaking staff started us off with white wines. The tastings were generous and mostly delicious, although I must admit that due to the relatively early start time we didn’t actually drink that much.
We then went for our walk to the vineyard. Again, we had the opportunity to learn as the staff shared their wine knowledge while pointing out local landmarks. Standing on the soil where the grapes for some very famous French wines are grown was a real treat.
Then, it was back to the tasting room to try the red wines. We really enjoy red wines, and I have to say we really enjoyed some of the ones we tried that day – at every price point. The wines were all lovely and that made it really hard to choose a wine to take back to Lyon!
The staff were entertained to have a pair of Aussies at the cellar door, so much so that they decided to open a bottle of their Australian wine at the end of our tasting. It might be a bit unpatriotic but the big Aussie red was a bit of a shock after the elegant French wines. That said, it did remind us of home.
If you are ever in Tain-l’Hermitage, and you happen to enjoy wine, I can definitely recommend a visit to M. Chapoutier.
Until next time – au revoir.
