Why visit
Mâcon is the town of the Mâconnais, the southern wine area of Burgundy. The vines run in a strip 35 km long between the Grosne valley to the west and the Saône valley to the east. Chardonnay makes up 80% of them, and for reds, gamay has largely replaced pinot noir.
The Village appellations here are Pouilly-Fuissé, Pouilly-Loché, Pouilly-Vinzelles, Saint-Véran and Viré-Clessé. The Mâcon appellation adds 27 geographical denominations.
Pouilly-Fuissé makes white wine only, from chardonnay, on 756.71 hectares in Fuissé, Solutré-Pouilly, Vergisson and Chaintré. Since November 21, 2020, it has had 22 Premier Cru climats, covering 158.22 hectares.
The rock outcrops of Solutré and Vergisson rise over the south of the Mâconnais. The Roche de Solutré, a limestone escarpment reaching 493 meters, is part of the Grand Site de France Solutré Pouilly Vergisson, about 10 km west of Mâcon. Access is free, and the walk up from the parking area is 4 km with about 100 meters of climb and many steps.
In town, the Cité des Climats et Vins de Bourgogne stands on the banks of the Saône at 520 avenue Maréchal de Lattre de Tassigny. It presents the Mâconnais, the Côte Chalonnaise and the Côtes du Couchois, and its visitor trail includes a tasting of wines or fruit juices. Adults pay €9.50 ($10), ages 6 to 17 pay €4.70 ($5), and children under 6 enter free. A family pass for 2 adults and 2 young people costs €22 ($24).
For other Burgundy wine towns, see Beaune, Meursault, Nuits-Saint-Georges and Dijon.
Visiting the estates
A visit with tasting around Mâcon costs from €9 to €59 ($10–64).
Wine visits around Mâcon: booking and starting fees| Estate | Visits | Tasting from |
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| Joseph Lafarge, Lugny | Tour and tasting | €9 ($10) |
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| Musée de la Vigne et du Vin, La Roche-Vineuse | Book online | €9.60 ($10) |
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| Domaine des Arbillons, Sologny | By appointment | €10 ($11) |
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| Château des Jacques, Romanèche-Thorins | By appointment only | €20 ($22) |
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| Domaine Auvigue, Fuissé | By reservation | €25 ($27) |
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| Château du Moulin-à-Vent, Romanèche-Thorins | Book online | €59 ($64) |
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Domaine Auvigue in Fuissé runs the Initiation en Mâconnais: a guided tour of a winery in a fully renovated 12th-century Romanesque church, a sensory workshop on the aromas of the area's white wines, and a tasting of 4 wines. It lasts about 1 hour 30 minutes, in French or English. Reserve by phone or email.
Domaine des Arbillons in Sologny, halfway between Cluny and Mâcon, takes you through the vines, the barrel cellar and the winery, ending on a terrace above the Mâcon Milly-Lamartine vineyards. The tasting covers Saint-Véran, Pouilly-Fuissé, Beaujolais Leynes, Bourgogne Chardonnay and Mâcon Milly-Lamartine. There is no online booking. Contact the estate by phone or through its website.
Joseph Lafarge has grown vines in Lugny since 1727, and Anthony Lafarge is the tenth generation. Its wines include Mâcon Lugny, Mâcon Rosé and Crémant de Bourgogne.
Château de la Greffière in La Roche-Vineuse has been a wine estate since 1585 and has 60 hectares of vines. Its Musée de la Vigne et du Vin shows over 2,000 tools from traditional trades. The ticket includes a guided tour of the winery and a tasting in a vaulted cellar dating from 1790.
Domaine Vervier in Solutré-Pouilly makes Pouilly-Fuissé, Pouilly-Fuissé Premier Cru Vignerais, Saint-Véran and Mâcon Solutré, and offers cellar visits, vineyard visits and tastings.
In the Beaujolais, Château des Jacques in Romanèche-Thorins shows its winery and 18th-century cellar, then pours five wines, one of them an older vintage. Château du Moulin-à-Vent, an estate since 1732, covers its granite soils, the winds, the winery and the Clos de Londres vineyard, with five wines tasted.
The VitiPass, from €35 ($38) per adult, includes one tasting for 2 people in each of 3 partner wineries in the Mâconnais and Beaujolais.
When to go
Château du Moulin-à-Vent opens Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., from January 2 to December 31, 2026. The VitiPass can be collected every day of 2026.
Domaine Auvigue opens Tuesday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Joseph Lafarge receives visitors Monday to Saturday from March 3, 2026, and the Musée de la Vigne et du Vin opens Monday to Saturday.
From August 1 to December 31, 2026, Domaine des Arbillons opens Monday to Thursday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Friday from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Château des Jacques takes appointments Monday to Friday from October 1 to December 31, 2026.
The Cité des Climats visitor trail opens from March 1 to November 5, Tuesday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Its tasting workshops run all year on registration.
At Solutré, the Prehistory Museum and the Maison du Grand Site open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. from April 4 to November 1, 2026, and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. from February 7 to April 3 and from November 2 to 29. They close on Mondays in low season and from September 7, and they shut from January 5 to February 6 and from November 30 to December 18.
Before you go
- Mâcon has two train stations. The TGV from Paris arrives at Mâcon-Loché TGV, and bus line E links it with Mâcon-Ville.
- At the Roche de Solutré, park only in the two parking lots at the foot of the rock.
- On-demand transport runs Monday to Saturday from Mâcon to La Roche de Solutré. Book it by phone the day before, before 5 p.m., on the toll-free 0 800 35 00 34.
- Spit as you taste, and choose a designated driver if you are driving.
Mâcon-Ville is the TER station on the Dijon–Lyon line, and the Cité des Climats is 8 minutes from it. A parking lot sits in front of the Cité.
