Rhône Wine Tasting in Crozes-Hermitage

Cave de Tain is one of France's most respected wine cooperatives, founded in 1933 in Tain-l'Hermitage on the Northern Rhône in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, encompassing over 300 grower-members farming the granite slopes of the Hermitage hill and the surrounding Crozes-Hermitage appellation. The guided tasting and cellar tour runs for two hours and is open to individual visitors and small groups throughout the year.

The session begins with a tour of the cooperative's winery, which spans traditional cement fermentation vats, modern stainless-steel tanks, and a barrel cellar holding several thousand oak barrels. The cellar master or tasting guide explains the differences between the prestigious Hermitage appellation — one of the Northern Rhône's most age-worthy appellations for both red and white wine — and the larger Crozes-Hermitage, which surrounds it on more varied alluvial soils.

The tasting covers four to six wines structured to show the range of both red and white styles from the Northern Rhône's principal grape varieties: Syrah for reds, and Marsanne and Roussanne for whites. A younger, more accessible Crozes-Hermitage rouge is typically compared against a selection-level bottling or an older Hermitage rouge, illustrating the transformation the granite terroir produces over time. Crozes-Hermitage blanc and occasionally a Saint-Joseph or Cornas may also feature.

Participants choose their tasting tier at the time of booking: a standard tasting at €20 (four wines) or a premium tasting at €40 (six wines including a Hermitage AOC). Wine purchases carry a cooperative member discount, and the Cave de Tain boutique stocks the full range of its appellations, including older vintages.

The cooperative is accessible by public transport: Tain-l'Hermitage station is a 10-minute walk from the winery, served by regional TER services from Valence and Lyon. The tasting facility is open Tuesday to Sunday and is wheelchair accessible.