Château des Poupets

Visiting Juliénas: A Wine Lover’s Retreat

The vineyards

  • Guided tours take visitors from grape cultivation to bottling. Walking rows of Gamay, especially at harvest, can be enchanting.
  • Almost every visit culminates in a tasting, often guided by sommeliers or the winemakers themselves.

Historic landmarks

  • Some cellars date back several centuries — stone rooms held at a constant cool temperature.
  • Chapels and churches stand as silent witnesses to the region’s cultural evolution, including the chapel above our own hill.

Local cuisine

  • Bistros and wine bars pair regional dishes with local bottles.
  • Markets overflow with produce, artisanal cheeses, sausages and other specialties.

Festivals and events

  • The harvest festival marks the culmination of picking, with music, dance, meals and tasting.
  • Beaujolais Nouveau Day, the third Thursday of November, releases the new vintage with fanfare.

Accommodations

  • Some vineyards offer rooms among the vines. Waking to morning mist over the slopes is an experience in itself.
  • Bed and breakfasts — including our eight rooms at Château des Poupets — offer a homely starting point for exploration.

Practical tips

  • Juliénas is beautiful year-round; harvest, usually in September, is particularly enchanting.
  • Public transport exists, but a car is more convenient for visiting several estates.
  • Book tours and rooms in advance in peak season.
  • When tasting many wines, it is acceptable to spit; most rooms provide spittoons.

Visiting Juliénas is about more than wine. It is about embracing a way of life that has inspired poets, artists and winemakers for generations.