Wine Tasting in Beaujolais: Domaine De Fond-vieille

Domaine De Fond-vieille is a family-owned vineyard dedicated to sustainable winemaking, located in what has been designated as one of France's most beautiful villages. It's the ideal spot for wine tasting in Beaujolais.

Nestled in the hills of Oingt, about 45 minutes north of Lyon is where you'll find Domaine De Fond-vieille. This is Beaujolais country and the wines here are made predominantly with Gamay grapes. The result is light-bodied, easy-drinking red wines that feature prominent dark fruit notes, like cherry and black currant.

That holds true for the wines you'll find at Domaine De Fond-vieille. But this winery also features sparkling, rosé, and white wines, all made on their vineyards' 10 beautiful hectares.

Marlynn and I visited in the fall of 2024 as part of a Rhone excursion set up by the cruise company we were on, AmaWaterways. It came on the heels of another wine-tasting experience the day before in the riverside village of Tournon.

Both were convenient and fun ways to experience some excellent local wine and meet the winemakers who brought them to life. And in the case of Domaine De Fond-vieille, walk the vineyards where the wines get their start.

Jump to:

• About Domaine De Fond-vieille
• The wines
• Beaujolais Nouveau at Domaine De Fond-vieille
• Wine tasting experience
• Getting to Domaine De Fond-vieille
• More France Travel Experiences

About Domaine De Fond-vieille

The family behind Domaine De Fond-vieille has been producing wine for more than 100 years. Current winemaker Dominique Guillard took the reins in 1998 and quickly got to work revitalizing the vineyard and modernizing the winery.

Now he produces a range of still and sparkling wines, almost all of which are made from Gamay grapes.

And the setting could not be more picturesque. The vineyard sits on rolling hills, and on the day we were there, a gentle fog was easing in below us, giving us the sensation of floating above the valley below.

The wines

During our visit, we sampled four wines:

• Traditional Cuvée
• Old Vines
• Alexandre Cuvée
• Rosé

Traditional Cuvée

In winemaking, cuvée means "blend." This blend is their mainstay red Beaujolais, made with grapes from various plots on the vineyard. Like any good Beaujolais, their Traditional Cuvée ($8 - yes, you read that right) is fruity, light, and inviting. You could easily imagine enjoying this with some barbecue in the backyard.

Old Vines

The Old Vines ($10) is produced with vines that were planted at least 40 years ago. This lends the wine a bit more body and heft, as well as more intense fruit flavors.

Many Beaujolais wines are meant to be consumed soon after you buy them. You could certainly do that in this case and it would be perfectly tasty. But aging this one for just a couple of years could turn a good wine into a great one, with more balance and a smoother finish.

Alexander Cuvée

The Alexander Cuvée ($15) is their top line red wine. Made with old vines from their best vintages, this wine exhibits rich dark fruit flavors and a pleasant medium body. If you're used to lighter, more fresh fruit Beaujolais, this may not be for you. But if you like more mature Beaujolais examples, this is an exceptional value.

Rosé

Also made with Gamay grapes, the estate rosé ($8) is exactly what you want in these typically light and refreshing wines. Crisp and clean with hints of strawberry and raspberry, it's the perfect wine for chilling with friends on a hot summer day.

Sparkling and white wines at Domaine De Fond-vieille

Domaine De Fond-vieille makes a pair of rosé sparkling wines, as well as two white wines. One uses Chardonnay grapes, more commonly grown a bit farther north in Burgundy. The other is a Chenin Blanc, a predominant variety in the Loire Valley regions of Anjou-Saumur and Touraine. None of these wines exceeds $15 a bottle.

Beaujolais Nouveau at Domaine De Fond-vieille

Beaujolais Nouveau fans, you're in luck also. Domaine De Fond-vieille offers a Beaujolais Nouveau in the typical style: fresh, fruity, and very light.

This young style of wine is released on the third Thursday in November after harvest (which usually occurs in September).

The Beaujolais Nouveau tradition began in the early 1950s as way to alleviate cash flow problems for winemakers between harvest and the release of wines in the spring.

Our tour guide told us she — and many others in France — drink a glass in November because as she eloquently put it, "Beaujolais Nouveau is like a postcard of summer."

Wine tasting experience

The vineyards at Domaine De Fond-vieille are breathtaking. Rows of vines as far as the eye can see frame the winery. And the vineyard dog Mascot is more than happy to show you around, as long as you throw him his favorite red ball.

Once inside, the vibe is old school winery. You won't see a modern "tasting room experience" as you would at many wineries in the U.S. Instead, you're greeted by friendly family members, long wooden community-style tables, and local meats and cheeses to go along with your tastings.

However, dropping in unannounced at small wineries like this one can be a bit unusual in many parts France. They're commonly family-run and not staffed for frequent tastings. And they make most of their revenue by selling to middle-men who distribute their wines, rather than through direct-to-consumer sales.

So, if you'd like to visit Domaine De Fond-vieille for a tasting, it's recommended that you contact them beforehand to arrange a visit.

The upside to pre-arranged visits like this is that in most cases, tastings will be much more personal. And they'll often be free.

Getting to Domaine De Fond-vieille

If you're visiting on your own rather than in a tour group, you'll need to travel by car. Here's how to get to Domaine De Fond-vieille by auto.

By car from Lyon

• In Lyon, get on A6 from Quai Jules Courmont and Quai du Dr Gailleton.
• Continue on A6, then take the A89 to Rte de France/D70 in Fleurieux-sur-l'Arbresle. Take exit 37 from A89.
• Take D385, D19, and D607 to Chem. de Fond Vieille in Val d'Oingt.

Address
62 Fond-Vieille Road - 69620 - OINGT, France

Contact Domaine De Fond-vieille to make a wine tasting appointment.

If you visit, please be sure to let them know that you read about it on Urban Bliss Life! And if you snap some pics, tag us @UrbanBlissLife and #UrbanBlissLife on Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and Facebook.

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Disclosure: This was part of an AmaWaterways press trip along the Rhone River. All opinions and photos are, as always, our own.