This post is also available in:
Latest update: 5 August 2026
The Drôme is packed with flavor. Not just on your plate, but in your glass too. I taste my way through the region: from a century-old wine cooperative on the Rhône to a family-run truffle farm. These are the best tastings the Drôme has to offer.
Wine tasting at Cave de Tain
Cave de Tain sits at the foot of the Hermitage hill, between Valence and Lyon — right on the edge of the Drôme and the Rhône. After World War I, in the late 1920s and early 1930s, a group of winegrowers rebuilds the vineyards. They join forces in a cooperative and eventually grow to around a hundred vineyards.
After that difficult period, customers need to trust that the quality holds up, so the winemakers are quite proud of their AOC classification. That’s a quality system that tells buyers the wine comes from a specific area and is made according to strict rules.
I do the wine tasting during lunch at Le Fief de Gambert, the winery’s restaurant. This used to be the home of Louis Gambert de Loche, the founding president of Cave de Tain. Now you can eat inside the modern restaurant, or sit outside on the terrace overlooking the vineyards.
I have a delicious meal, while Guillaume tells me more about the wines between courses.
He tells me, for instance, that we’re surrounded by three vineyards: Saint-Joseph, Hermitage, and Croix. I taste white blends of Marsanne and Roussanne, and learn that the terraces here grow upward, wrapped around a post, because the winemakers constantly have to adapt to the steep terrain. Fascinating.
You book wine tastings through Cave de Tain’s website, and you reserve the restaurant through Le Fief de Gambert’s website.
Google Maps location Le Fief de Gambert
Google Maps location Cave de Tain
Hunting for truffles at La Baume Saint Antoine
About 9 miles (15 kilometers) away, tucked among the oak trees, sits the truffle farm La Baume Saint Antoine. It’s a true family business: the entire Boissieux family works here and lives on the property too, including grandma and an aunt. The oak trees here are around sixty years old and get pruned deliberately, so there’s enough shade to keep the temperature under the tree lower. Exactly what a truffle needs.
When I visit, it’s summer truffle season, and son Luca takes us out to hunt for truffles. You search for truffles with the help of a dog. The family trains the dogs themselves, which takes about a year. Eventually, the dog learns to point out exactly where to dig. In theory, any dog can learn it, Luca tells me — what matters most is that the dog is eager to learn and enjoys the work.
Not every truffle that’s found actually makes it to market. About two-thirds go into production, and the rest goes back into the ground, since the spores can germinate again, making a new harvest possible. That’s also how the truffle farmer helps the soil recover. So a soft truffle is definitely not worthless. The interplay between oak and truffle works best on limestone soil. During dry spells, they water the ground to keep the process going.
In the tasting room, we watch a video about truffle production, featuring a young Luca and his sister as the interviewers. The video is in French, but mostly subtitled in English.
And of course, you get to taste some truffle too. Since truffle is incredibly expensive, you only get a small — but delicious — sample. Visiting La Baume Saint Antoine isn’t as simple as just showing up, by the way: you call ahead to make an appointment with Luca’s mother. More info.
Wine tour at Domaine de Grangeneuve
At Domaine de Grangeneuve, it’s all about doing things yourself. The Bour family makes rosé, white, and red wine here and sells directly, without intermediaries. The estate covers about 247 acres (100 hectares), and the wine gets made right there on the property too. In serious quantities, judging by the sight — I spot impressively tall wine towers: wine tanks stacked high.
There’s also a beautiful room where the wine ages in wooden barrels. You can only see all this on a guided visit, and it’s genuinely worth it, because you get a ton of information and plenty of chances to ask questions.
Owner Nathalie explains how the vineyard has stayed in the family since 1964, and also how noticeable climate change has become in their work. Thirty-five years ago, they harvested in October — now it’s already early August.
As it happens, the estate also has a small plot of oaks with truffles, and sometimes they organize a wine-and-truffle pairing. I haven’t tried that particular combination myself, but it shows just how closely wine and truffle are connected in this region.
Of course, you can also taste the wine. I try the V, their Viognier, and it’s an instant favorite. Feeling thirsty? Book your wine tasting through the website, or reach out to the estate directly if you want to make sure the tasting is in English.
Olive oil tasting in Nyons
Nyons belongs on this list too. In the Drôme’s olive town, life has revolved around the olive for more than two thousand years — specifically the tanche, a small black olive variety that only grows here and in the immediate surroundings.
You can taste olive oil at Maison des Huiles & Olives in the center of Nyons, among other places. It’s a small museum where you can sample a little without much effort, but it’s more fun to book a full tasting. You can book that online. If your French is just as bad as mine, you can call ahead to arrange a tasting in English.
More tastings in the Drôme
There’s plenty more to taste in the Drôme. Keep your eyes and mouth open for:
- The Clairette de Die wine route, for sparkling wine
- The Crozes-Hermitage wine route
- Picodon and Bleu du Vercors-Sassenage cheeses
- Nougat from Montélimar
- Peaches and nectarines from Clos Fougères
More travel inspiration for France?
Helpful links for your France trip
- Accommodation. Have a look at Booking.com and Campspace. Would you rather stay in a hostel? Check Hostelworld.
- Activities. You book the best tours and activities with GetYourGuide. Tiqets, and Viator. Check out Freetour and GuruWalk for ‘free’ walking tours, and for bike tours, try Baja Bikes. If you’re into wine: check out all the wine-related activities at Rue des Vignerons.
- Car rental. Compare your options at Discover Cars.
- Guidebooks. I love the practical travel guides from Lonely Planet; buy them on Amazon.
- SIM card. Beware of unexpectedly high phone and internet costs. Buy a local SIM card when you arrive, or arrange one online via Airalo.
- Train and Bus Travel by train or bus to or in France. Book tickets here: Busbud, 12Go or Omio.
- Flights. Compare your options. Try Trip and Kiwi for example.
- Yoga retreat. And what about a yoga retreat in France?
Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. If you buy something through these links, I might receive a small commission.
I visited for a tasting at the invitation of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Tourisme. They granted me full editorial freedom.
