Route and advices for travelers around the region of great wines

The Burgundian wines are admitted the most complex and elegant, and as a result – the costliest wines on a planet.This fact, especially supported with reading of the corresponding literature, causes uncontrollable desire to go to Burgundy and to see with ones own eyes how the Burgundian wines are produced and why they’re so wonderful.

Let’s begin with a small caution: if you’re not such an ardent fan of wines and gastronomy, frankly speaking, you’ll find it boring to visit Burgundy. This statement doesn’t belittle advantages of Burgundy at all . Simply we say that the basic and its most valuable property is wine and vineyards.

Trip route

The simpliest way to get to Burgundy is from Paris. It is possible either to hire the car, or to use services of high-speed trains. In the first case the road to the capital of Burgundy, Dijon, will take you about 3-3,5 hours, in the second case — about 2 hours. Despite the advantage in speed, the car is more preferable as it gives more maneuverability, and the French roads even in rural areas are of fine quality.

It is likely to begin travel across Burgundy with its northern outpost – Shabli’s town. In its vicinities the most known in the world white wine is made, named Chablis. The town is tiny, it is possible to walk around in 15-20 minutes, however here wineries are located and little shops where it is likely to stint local wine.

The most remarkable here is Chablis Grand Cru vineyard – the most elite in the region, the share of its production doesn’t exceed 1% of total amount. Between the city and a vineyard visual parity – both are on the hills, divided by the river Yona. Thus, from the city it is perfectly visible a vineyard and vice versa. There is a path which conducts to picnic parking, from there you can pass only 200 m through the wood, and you will appear at Chablis Grand Cru top with a smart view of the city. To get there, tell the locals that you need to get to the top of Blanchots (Blansho) or Le Clos (Le Clo), and you will be specified a way. If local types caused a desire to have a snack in the city or even to spend the night, the best place here is Hostellerie des Clos.

What to try in Dijon – the gastronomic capital of the region

Having passed from Shabli 140 more km to the southeast, you, eventially, come to be in Dijon. It is the largest city of the area which since olden times was its capital, however it won’t suit us as base of our wine trip – concerning vineyards it isn’t really conveniently located. On the other hand, here is a lot of things to admire: the local architecture, including Notre Dame de Dijon, and also the ducal palace, whis was well preserved.

In addition, there is a set of the restaurants noted in the guide of Michelin and, in principle, Dijon – one of three gastronomic capitals of France, together with Lyon and Colmar. The Burgundian cuisine is diverse, after all it is in continuous development, but from classics you should try here Coq au Vin a rooster in wine), boeuf bourguignon (beef in Burgundian) and, certainly, the Burgundian snails which cost not much, and are prepared in a variety of ways.

Also in Dijon it is suggested to spend time in local gastronomic little shops and to buy «food souvenirs» – the well-known Dijon mustard, and also not less well-known cheese Epuas. However, the last one is advised to be packed thoroughly, up to double vacuum – very sharp odour it has.

It is paradoxical, but there aren’t any wineries or their headquarters in the city – neighboring vineyards were forced out in due time by the growing city.

Cot D’Or – a wine pearl of Burgundy

Further from Dijon all our subsequent route will adhere completely to one Road D974, 60 km of the wine-making paradise, penetrating Cot D’Or – a wine pearl of Burgundy. Exactly there are 32 of 33 (the 33rd is in Shabli) vineyards of category Grand Cru. Cote d’Or (Cote d’Oriental – the slope turned to the east) is the place with is a unique and developed microclimate and the soil structure which is ideally suited for only two sorts, growing here – white Chardonnay and red Pino-Nuar, wines which analogs practically don’t exist in the world.

Cot D’Or is divided into two subregions – Cote de Nuits, with is the center in Nuits-St.- George town, and also Cote de Beaune with the center in Bon. Exactly Bon becomes a place of our dislocation. It is perfectly preserved ancient city with all conveniences, which was almost in the middle of Cot D’Aur, at the intersection of all wine roads we’re interested in. Also there is one of the first full-fledged private hospitals in Europe – Hospices de Beaune working today both as the museum, and as a place of the annual charitable wine auction of the same name. In the city there is a solid quantity of Mishlen and simply good restaurants. The city represents ancient strengthening in the form of the circle surrounded with a wall. Hotels and the quarters located in the first quarters behind this wall, will please with an optimum price/quality ratio.

For red wine to the north, for white – to the south

Further our way from Bon lies either to the north, in Cot de Nuit where mainly red wines are made, or to the south where white wines have much bigger prestige. In Cot de Nuit we’re interested in small villages of Gevrey-Chambertin, Morey-St.- Denis, Chambolle-Musigny, Vougeot and, certainly, Vosnee-Romanee where the costliest wines are made, including legendary Romanee-Conti.

In Gevrey it is worth admiring a medieval castle, in Vuzho to visit Chateau de Vougeot – former main «the wine-making center» of monks of the Cistercian order who once were here the main. Today in the castle there is a museum, and also order Chevalliers du Tastevin headquarters – the most devoted and skilled admirers of the Burgundian wines.

Slightly aside between Vuzho and Vaughan-Romanus a small village the Sieve lies where there is a current monastery – the Sieve Abbey which has given a rise to one of the most powerful orders. The monastery is open to visit, however it is essentialy to study the schedule of its work attentively. For fans of the nature the walking route «following the footsteps of monks», conducting through the woods, fields and not numerous lakes to Vuzho (about 15 km) here is laid. In the town Nuit-Saint-George it is likely to visit one of the best producers of fruit liqueurs – Cartron. It is obligatory to arrange the visit in advance, but you won’t regret about it.

Cot de Bon isn’t so rich for landscapes and architecture, however, it is obligatory to visit such wine towns as Allos-Korton, Merso, Pulinyi-and Shassan-Monrashe, where the best white wines of Chardonnay on a planet is made.

If you have a lot of time, for the sake of curiosity it is possible to pass to the south and to get to Beaujolais – the homeland of the most known young wines. However the essence is that, nowadays the region is being reconstructed and makes not only thoughtless, but also very difficult and interesting red wines from a local sort of Game.

Generally Burgundy is so peculiar small and closed world that it is simply necessary for you to find any thread hook it. And this is your thread – the Burgundian wines in which you have to be interested sincerely in, and then a door in this world will be slightly opened for you, and you will understand why the greatest wines are made exactly here.

Trip budget

France is not the cheapest country, and Burgundy – it is exactly not its cheapest region. Besides flight and car rent, count on 80-100 euros per night in a sound and comfortable hotel of a of 3-4 stars class, and also about 50 euros for a dinner at a restaurant without wine.

Sound wines start from 20-30 euros, and practically have no price edge. So developed that Burgundy is not the region where it is likely to buy local wines much cheaper, than in other countries. On the other hand, there is a lot of good producers, but they often produce so a little that to arrive into place is sometimes the only chance to buy a wine bottle from a particular winery.

Excursions to wineries

Producers of wine are a special subject in Burgundy. The best of them represent marvelous mix of an aristocratic origin and dignity of the peasants conducting closed life attached to the earth. In other words, it is extremely difficult to get to many of them: it is essential to be applied for in advance, and in all available ways (and often in French) to convince them that you not simply tourist, and you are sincerely interested in their wines. And even that doesn’t give you a success guarantee.

Alternative way out is negotiators – large by local standards producers who are buying up raw materials from all corners of Burgundy. Practically all of them have headquarters in Bon. And the most known the largest are Louis Jadot, Bouchard Pere&Fils, Louis Latour, Joseph Drouhin. At the most successful combination of circumstances it is possible to agree with them about small tour on neighboring vineyards where all will be told and shown.

Having a stock of free time, after visit of interesting wineries it is worth agreeing about visit to cooperage (Burgundy makes the best and the most expensive wine casks from the French oak) or to a local farm of snails cultivation. Both that, and another is extremely interesting, but is situated far away from the main route.

What to bring home

Besides mustard, cheeses, and also souvenirs from monasteries, castles, etc., it makes sense to spent some money for some rather sound bottles of the Burgundian wines which should be drunk in a circle of understanding people on special occasion. Further it is far not the exhaustive list of the best producers: Leroy, Comte Lafon, Meo-Kamuzet, Gros Frere&Soeur, Ramonet, Coche-Dury, Bonneau du Martray, Faiveley, Comte George de Vogue, Jean Grivot, Dugat-Py.