Published 5 August 2026

Start on the hill at Les Poupets

Begin with a tasting at the château or a walk above Juliénas. You are already inside a Cru; there is no need to drive an hour before the first glass. Note colour, perfume, and finish here — it becomes your reference for the villages you meet later.

A sensible Crus loop

A classic half-day links Juliénas with neighbours: Saint-Amour to the north, then Chénas, Moulin-à-Vent, and Fleurie as time allows. Morgon and Régnié sit a little further south; Brouilly and Côte de Brouilly can wait for a second day. Distances between villages are short — often ten to twenty minutes — but tasting rooms, lunch, and photo stops fill the hours faster than the map suggests.

A day on the Beaujolais wine route — Panneaux Beaujolais Touristique - Saône Loire Crêches Saône 3 · Wikimedia Commons

Practical tips from the estate

Book cellars ahead, especially on weekends and in harvest or Nouveau week. Nominate a driver or use a local taxi between stops. Eat a proper lunch in a village square rather than tasting on an empty stomach. Keep purchases cool in the car; summer heat on a parked bottle is a quiet tragedy. Two or three focused visits beat six hurried ones.

When to stretch the route

If you have a full day, add Beaujeu for history or a Pierres Dorées village for golden stone after the granite north. Lyon is under an hour for dinner. Return to Château des Poupets with a clearer map of the region than any brochure — and a Juliénas waiting in the glass that night.

The wine route is not a checklist. It is a conversation between hills — and Juliénas is an excellent first word.

All articles

A day on the Beaujolais wine route

Start on the hill at Les Poupets

A sensible Crus loop

Practical tips from the estate

When to stretch the route