18 Days in France - Beaujolais

Église Saint-Vincent de Villié-Morgon - Villie'-Morgon, France
Copyright Andy Richards 2026 - All Rights Reserved

FOR OUR second day in port at Lyon, we had a wine tasting excursion in Southern France's vaunted Beaujolais region. The drive was over an hour, with a short stop in a little village for a break, a walk around, and a cafe'. I am not really sure why this stop was scheduled, but there was a rather substantial parking lot just off the main highway and just at the edge of this tiny little village. The post-Gothic/Romanesque church pictured here was an easy draw for my photographic eye, though the lighting was really difficult (late morning, into the sun, and fairly harsh). I took it anyway. When I was "curating" my images, I couldn't - for the life of me - remember the name of the village (as it turns out, I am not sure I ever knew it). Google Images to the rescue. I am finding that utility to be very useful. I uploaded a small copy of the exterior of the church to the "app," and viola! The village, Villie'-Morgon, is just about 40 minutes northwest of Lyon, up into the Beaujolais Region.

Église Saint-Vincent de Villié-Morgon - Villie'-Morgon, France
Copyright Andy Richards 2026 - All Rights Reserved

THE VILLAGE seemed deserted, but the church was open, so I wandered in. I love the simple, symmetrical design of the sanctuary, with its pastel coloring. Not nearly so ornate as many of its counterparts, its understated atmosphere is fitting with the unpretentious little village and even the region.

Chateau' de Nervers - Odenas, France
Copyright Andy Richards 2026 - All Rights Reserved

A NICE little stop before the "main event." After about 30 minutes, we once again boarded our coach and headed toward the vineyard we would visit that morning: Chateau' de Nervers. Once a hunting lodge owned by French nobility, the 120 grounds today grow grapes and make wine. The wine was nice. But I have to admit, though I like a nice red every once in a while, we are not huge wine connisseurs (though ironically, we have done some of our best travel with a wine group we are members of). It was the usual flight of 4 different wines, starting with a white and progressing to their "signature" blend. Photographically, I made the image above of the chateau, but not really much else of particular note. It seemed like a short day and before we knew it, we were back on the ship having - you guessed it - lunch. 😋

Wine Tasting in Beaujolais, France
Copyright Andy Richards 2026 - All Rights Reserved