About this place
The Moulin à Vent windmill stands on the Poncié hill straddling the border between Romanèche-Thorins and Chénas, and it is the small stone tower that lent its name to an entire Beaujolais wine appellation. Anyone tasting a bottle of Moulin-à-Vent is, in effect, naming this exact building.
How old is the windmill?
The mill dates back to the late 15th century, when it was raised to grind grain for the farming communities scattered across the surrounding hillsides. It kept working until 1819, after which it fell silent and was altered over time. Since then it has stood as a landmark rather than a working machine, watching over the vineyards that now cover the slope beneath it.
Why is it protected as a historic monument?
France listed the windmill as a monument historique by decree on 29 August 1930, making it one of the very first mills in the country to receive that protection. The classification recognized both its age and the survival of features that most French windmills had already lost by the early 20th century.
What makes its design unusual?
It follows the pattern of a small Burgundian mill: a ground-floor chamber known as the "cavette," reached by a stone double staircase, with an old grain-sifting mechanism occupying the floor above. Its rarest feature sits on the roof - a large wooden tail vane that let the miller turn the sails to face the wind. This windmill is the only one in the Beaujolais and Mâconnais region to have kept that original wooden vane intact.
How did a windmill become the name of a wine?
Vines have grown around the Poncié hill for centuries, and the mill's silhouette, visible for miles across the vineyards, gave its name to the wine produced there. The area was once simply known as Romanèche-Thorins, but in 1924 "Moulin-à-Vent" was formally set apart with its own boundaries - the first cru in Beaujolais to be delimited in this way. The name became a full Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée in 1936 under the INAO. Vineyards entitled to the name span two communes: Romanèche-Thorins in Saône-et-Loire and Chénas in the Rhône département.
Who looks after the windmill today?
The Sauzet family has owned the mill privately since 1856, over 150 years of continuous stewardship by the same household. It is currently managed by Denis Chastel-Sauzet, who also runs Château Portier, one of the appellation's established wine estates. A major restoration in 1999 renewed the roof, the drive shaft, and the lattice sails along with their mechanism.
Can visitors go inside?
Yes. The site opens during the tourist season, with free visits offered from June to September; outside that window, a visit needs to be arranged by phone in advance. Wine from the surrounding vineyards is sold on site. The address is 1765 route du Moulin à Vent, 71570 Romanèche-Thorins.
Frequently asked questions
When was the Romanèche-Thorins windmill built? In the second half of the 15th century, as a working grain mill for the surrounding countryside.
When did it become a protected monument? On 29 August 1930, by decree, becoming one of the earliest windmills in France to gain monument historique status.
Why does the Moulin-à-Vent wine share the windmill's name? Because the mill stands among the vines on the Poncié hill and gave its name to the local wine when the area was set apart as its own cru in 1924, the first formally delimited cru in Beaujolais.
What is the windmill's most distinctive feature? Its original wooden tail vane on the roof, used to turn the sails into the wind - the only one of its kind still intact in the Beaujolais and Mâconnais region.
Is it free to visit? Visits are free from June to September; at other times of the year, an appointment must be arranged by phone.
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