Burgundy Wine Tours
- About 300 kms southeast of Paris.
- Vineyards date from Roman times.
- Developed by monasteries in the Middle Ages. Monks were the first to note that certain plots gave better wine than adjoining plots, the genesis of the notion of terroir.
- Post-1789 Revolution, new inheritance laws split land equally between all family members, hence the mosaic of small plots typical of Burgundy today.
- No blending (unlike Bordeaux for example). Reds from pinot noir, whites from chardonnay.
- Classification system distinguishes between Grands Crus (2% of total production), Premiers Crus (10%), Village (37%), and Regional (51%).
And if you want to know more…
Most wine fans who think of wine tours to Burgundy have in their mind’s eye, unwittingly or not, the beautiful slopes of the Cote d’Or. And why not, for here lies greatness. From the southerly outskirts of Dijon one travels through quiet villages – unassuming to the casual observer, but whose names resonate for the connoisseur – Gevrey-Chambertin, Vosne-Romanée, Volnay, Pommard, Meursault to name but a few. A hallowed strip, 60 kms from north to south.
Conveniently situated midway between the Cote de Nuits (the northern half of the Cote d’Or) and the Cote de Beaune (the southern half) is the lovely medieval town of Beaune. The kind of place you wander round, get lost, stop for a glass of rosé in a street-side café, then find you weren’t lost at all. The town has many fine, good value restaurants featuring the Burgundy specialities of boeuf bourguignon, coq au vin, escargots, jambon persillé and oeufs meurettes.
French Wine Tours prefers Beaune as its base not only for its friendly, relaxed vibe and amenities, but also for its proximity to the great wine villages. To the north lies red wine country, to the south white wine. (If you are unfamiliar with white Burgundy, you are in for a real treat!) Visit and tastings are scheduled around a convivial country lunch.
Of course, there’s more to wine tours in Burgundy than the Cote d’Or. Further south is the Cote Chalonnaise where winemakers go quietly about their business in the shadow of their more famous neighbour – their business being the production of super wines, both white and red, at incredibly fair prices. On south again, the Maconnais region makes beautiful whites (Pouilly-Fuissé comes from here) at equally beautiful prices. These are areas to take note of if you want Burgundy at sensible prices.
Last but certainly not least wine tours could be continued to the regions of Chablis, way off to the NW, and Beaujolais at the south. Tacked on to Burgundy by wine bureaucrats, they have every right to stand on their own merits. Chablis for its world-renowned crisp whites; Beaujolais for its reds, full of the joie de vivre of the gorgeous countryside that gave them birth.
Conveniently situated midway between the Cote de Nuits (the northern half of the Cote d’Or) and the Cote de Beaune (the southern half) is the lovely medieval town of Beaune. The kind of place you wander round, get lost, stop for a glass of rosé in a street-side café, then find you weren’t lost at all. The town has many fine, good value restaurants featuring the Burgundy specialities of boeuf bourguignon, coq au vin, escargots, jambon persillé and oeufs meurettes.
French Wine Tours prefers Beaune as its base not only for its friendly, relaxed vibe and amenities, but also for its proximity to the great wine villages. To the north lies red wine country, to the south white wine. (If you are unfamiliar with white Burgundy, you are in for a real treat!) Visit and tastings are scheduled around a convivial country lunch.
Of course, there’s more to wine tours in Burgundy than the Cote d’Or. Further south is the Cote Chalonnaise where winemakers go quietly about their business in the shadow of their more famous neighbour – their business being the production of super wines, both white and red, at incredibly fair prices. On south again, the Maconnais region makes beautiful whites (Pouilly-Fuissé comes from here) at equally beautiful prices. These are areas to take note of if you want Burgundy at sensible prices.
Last but certainly not least wine tours could be continued to the regions of Chablis, way off to the NW, and Beaujolais at the south. Tacked on to Burgundy by wine bureaucrats, they have every right to stand on their own merits. Chablis for its world-renowned crisp whites; Beaujolais for its reds, full of the joie de vivre of the gorgeous countryside that gave them birth.
Contact Me
For more information or to arrange your next tour with French Wine Tours, call John Sherwin on +33 (0)7 50 90 02 00
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