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Each July the French get very excited about 180 or more professional cyclists who cover 3,500km over three weeks racing around France, including staggering climbs in the Alps and Pyrenees.

Tour de France 2009

With lots of razzamataz, commercial sponsorship, scandal and sporting achievement, it is a spectacle well worth seeing - especially as it is free. However, the downside is that the Tour can cause major disruption with roads closed for hours, hordes of people and traffic - and all hotel rooms along the route booked.
In 2009 the tour starts in Monaco on 4 July 2009, travels down the Mediterranean coast into Spain to Barcelona - then up through Andorra to the Pyrenees. With a skip to Central France the route heads east through northern Burgundy to Alsace, south the the Alpes and then heads for Paris and the final stage which finishes on the Champs Elysees on 26 July 2009.
Sat 4 July Monaco
Sun 5 July Monaco > Brignoles
Mon 6 July Marseille > La Grande-Motte
Tue 7 July Montpellier
Wed 8 July Le Cap d’Agde > Perpignan
Thu 9 July Gérona > Barcelona (Spain)
Fri 10 July Barcelona > Andorra
Sat 11 July Andorra> Saint-Girons
Sun 12 July Saint-Gaudens > Tarbes
Mon 13 July rest day - Limoges
Tue 14 July Limoges > Issoudun
Wed 15 July Vatan > Saint-Fargeau
Thu 16 July Tonnerre > Vittel
Fri 17 July Vittel > Colmar
Sat 18 July Colmar > Besançon
Sun 19 July Pontarlier > Verbier
Mon 20 July rest day - Verbier
Tue 21 July Martigny > Bourg-Saint-Maurice
Wed 22 July Bourg-Saint-Maurice > Le Grand-Bornand
Thu 23 July Annecy > Annecy
Fri 24 July Bourgoin-Jallieu > Aubenas
Sat 25 July Montélimar > Mont Ventoux
Sun 26 July Montereau-Fault-Yonne > Paris Champs-Élysées

For more info on the Tour de France see www.letour.fr

The Telegraph (19 Aug 08) includes a boat trip up the Rhone Valley as one of its top 10 river cruises:

Navigating France’s mightiest river is a favourite for wine aficionados and foodies. A cruise through Burgundy and Provence gives you the chance to visit vineyards (think Côtes du Rhône and Châteauneuf-du-Pape), explore Lyon – the gourmet capital of France – and enjoy historic towns such as the fortified city of Avignon and the Roman ruins in Arles. The countryside is equally superb: its fields of lavender and sunflowers were an inspiration for artists such as Vincent Van Gogh, and as the river drains into the Mediterranean you’ll see the famous white horses of the Camargue.

The route includes many worthwhile stops for visits to suit all tastes, but it is also remarkably rich in potential wine visits as you’ll pass through appellations such as Costieres de Nimes, Cotes du Rhone (north and south), Lirac, Tavel, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, St Joseph and Hermitage - and if you branch onto the River Saone north of Lyon you can explore Beuajolais and southern Burgundy!

It should come as little surprise that rivers and canals tend to offer good access to good vineyards - vines often grow best on the steep valley sides with their good drainage and aspect to the sun.

A more modest trip than the Rhone, could be a canal trip from Auxerre (89 Yonne, Burgundy) close to Chablis and down the Canal de Bourgogne to Dijon and the Burgundy vineyards; or a trip down the Canal Lateral de la Loire for Sancerre AC, Pouilly-Fumé and Coteaux Giennois. By using the Canal du Nivernais and the Canal de Briare you could even manage a circular route via Auxerre.

Of course, Rick Stein’s French Odyssey was based on a canal trip along the Canal du Midi and the Canal Lateral de la Garonne and included the vineyards of Bordeaux, Cotes du Marmandais, Buzet, Fronton, Minervois, Corbieres and the Coteaux du Languedoc.

For another set of options try Hilary Wright’s book Water into Wine: A Wine Lover’s Journey Through The Waterways of France which also includes itineraries in the lower Loire. Cognac, Alsace, Lorraiine and the Lot.

For more info on the canals of France see the website for VNF (Voies Navigable de la France) now much improved and in English!

And now for something a little different - the wines of St Peray (07 Ardeche, Rhône-Alpes) are not often seen, but your chance comes in early September when they hold their wine festival.
Saint-Péray is the southernmost part of the northern Rhône wine region just west of Valence.See map.
The Rhône is predominantly associated with spicy red wines, but Saint-Péray is unusual for the region in producing sparkling white wines - although a little still dry white is also made. This arises because the climate is just a bit cooler and the soils a little richer than its neighbours at Cornas for example. This produces wines which are more acidic and lighter in alcohol - ideal for making fizz! The principal grape varieties are Rousanne and Marsanne. The wines are highly rated - the Guide Hachette des Vins de France describes Saint-Péray as one of the best sparkling wines in France!

The Wine Festival spreads over 3 days of festivities, including music, a festival queen, cycling, rambling, a market and wine fair. As they combine it with a Twinning festival with towns in Germany, Italy and Portugal the weekend has an international feel and offers something to attract all. For more details see www.st-peray.com
St Peray (07 Ardeche, Rhone-Alpes) 1-3 September 2006

In the UK the excellent Yapp Brothers stock the Saint-Péray of Jean-Louis Thiers “Flavoursome dry, sparkling wine with a creamy mousse, and a bracing palate of mineral and nutty tastes with a lively citric zest and pleasant toasty aromas.” £11.95