Tournon on the vine

Tournon-sur-Rhône is in the Ardèche region of France, with the foothills of the Alps in the distance and traces its history to at least the 9th century. A key medieval stronghold, it prospered producing premium wines and expensive silk fabrics. It is now famous as the only town in France without an airport or a train station!

The imposing vineyards that surround the town are famous in France for the Saint-Joseph appellation produced from the Syrah grape. Summers here are hot, +40 is common and the Rhone Valley acts like a giant wind tunnel with periods of up to 3 weeks of unrelenting high winds reaching as much as 100kph . . . apparently that keeps bugs away and grapevines like that!

A very quaint and quiet little French town. Our journey continues down the Rhone to Viviers. As European rivers go, the Rhone is much less busy than the Rhine, more like a wider version of the Moselle.Read more