Embracing the Beauty of Beaujolais

Related: Read the Review of Our Wine Cruise on AmaKristina

By GERRY BARKER
Photos/Video by Gerry Barker

It's the last full day on our eight-day wine cruise on the AmaKristina, and our tour bus is heading for the Beaujolais wine region north of Lyon and the historic town of Oingt. Once a Roman settlement, located high on a hill, it flourished in the 13th century, and still retains much of its Medieval charm as one of the most beautiful villages in France.

We are headed for the Domaine de Fond-Vieille winery, where we'll have a wine tasting and learn about the region and its grapes from the winery owner, Dominique. It's been family-owned since 1758, and he's been making wine here since 1988 from 100-year-old vines.

We are greeted by his dog, who gives us a warm welcome. We start our visit by following Doninique out to his vines, which populate the hillside with Oingt visible in the distance. Then it's time to enjoy cheese, bread and a tasting of three of his wines -- a red, a white and a rosé. One thing we've observed about the French on this trip -- they treat everyone like family.

​By the way, the Beaujolais scenery is just as good as their wines. Take a look: