Beaujolais

Beaujolais covers approximately 55 kilometres of mainly granite hills, South of Burgundy.

Stretching from South of Mâcon to roughly 50km north of the outskirts of Lyon, the area is full of small picturesque towns and quaint villages. The landscape has been carved by rivers flowing down to the Saône, creating valleys, hills and slopes now covered in vines.

The area is divided in two main geological zones with Villefranche-sur-Saône as the boundary, the Haut-Beaujolais in the north and the Bas-Beaujolais in the south.

Villefranche-sur-Saône is the capital of Beaujolais. The town has a lovely historic centre with a charming church – La Collégiale Notre-Dame des Marais.

Beaujeu was the capital of Beaujolais until 1514, when the title was transferred to Villefranche-sur-Saône. The Hospices de Beaujeu date back to the 12^th Century. Until 2017, the traditional wine auction was held every year on the second Sunday in December.

The production area of Moulin-à-Vent is famous for its windmill dating back from the 17^th Century. Used by the peasants to grind their corn it is now classified as an historical monument.

In Fleurie, the Chapel of the Madonna was built in 1875 to thanks the Virgin Mary for protecting the vines from the German invaders. Built at the top of the hill and surrounded by vineyards, the Chapel offers a stunning view of the surroundings.

The Church Saint-Jean-Apôtre in Régnié-Durette was built in 1867 by architect Pierre Bossan who later designed the Basilica Notre-Dame de Fourvière in Lyon.