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Burgundy Wine Guide












A guide to all the wines of Burgundy, in many parts. This is the introduction to my guide, looking at what makes Burgundy so special.more A guide to all the wines of Burgundy, in many parts. This is the introduction to my guide, looking at what makes Burgundy so special.

About Burgundy wine












Whilst Bordeaux is dominated by large estates each producing a classic red wine, Burgundy is composed of thousands of small-scale growers, often with only ...more Tom Cannavan's wine-pages.com home forum tasted news features resources guests food subscribe advertise about wine searcher wine course wine quizzes region guides vintage charts 20 questions wine glossary book reviews links Burgundy by Tom Cannavan The fine wines of Burgundy and Bordeaux could not be further apart in terms of what "makes them tick". Whilst Bordeaux is dominated by large estates each producing a classic red wine, Burgundy is composed of thousands of small-scale growers, often with only tiny parcels of land, who may make a range of a dozen or more different wines, both red and white. In Bordeaux, almost all wine is labelled Mis en Bouteille au Ch?au which means the whole process, from growing the grapes to bottling the wine, is carried out by the Ch?au. Whilst there are many similar producers in Burgundy (usually referred to as "domaines" rather than "ch?aux"), a very significant part of the production comes from n?ciants: merchants who may own no vineyards, but who buy grapes and finished wines for blending and bottling under their own label. Geography and climate The Burgundy region lies a couple of hundred miles east and north of Bordeaux. It covers a large area, the vineyards running in a long, thin line from Auxerre in the north to Lyon in the south. The climate is continental, with cold winters, hot summers but plenty of rain. It is easiest to think of Burgundy in terms of its distinct regions. Running from north to south, these are: Chablis by far the most northerly of Burgundy's regions, known exclusively for dry white wines. The C?de Nuits home of the great red Burgundies. Some white is produced too, but the reds are the region's glory. The C?de Beaune known for both red and white wines, but the greatest white Burgundies (other than Chablis) are from here. The C?Chalonnaise generally regarded as a lesser district. It still produces some extremely fine wines, both red and white. The M?nnais the southern limit of Burgundy. Wines tend to be cheaper and made for drinking young but can be excellent value. Beaujolais (not shown) is quite a bit further south. Though not part of Burgundy, it is usually included when we talk about the region. Grapes The great Burgundies, both red and white, are un-blended wines made from a single grape variety. This again is a major difference from Bordeaux. The grapes used are: Pinot Noir (red wines) Chardonnay (white wines) Various other grape varieties are permitted within Burgundy, though these are never used in the great wines and can be considered as the "second rank" of grapes. They will appear in budget level bottlings and are increasingly common the further south you travel into the C?Chalonnaise, M?nnais and Beaujolais. Varieties include: Gamay (red wines) Aligot?Pinot Blanc (white wines) Appellation Contr? areas Burgundy is divided into many, many different appellations. Often these are tiny, sometimes covering only a single vineyard. This, along with a rather complicated system for naming wines, can make the region seem quite difficult to understand for the Burgundy beginner. Like Bordeaux, there is a quality hierarchy. Partly, this is governed by Appellations that cover tighter and tighter geographical areas. The main geographical unit of Burgundy is the village. The original wine villages gave their names to many of the wines as we will see. But let's look at the Appellations in ascending order of quality: AC Bourgogne covers all of Burgundy. Just like AC Bordeaux, it is a generic AC that covers those wines that don't qualify for a higher level of classification. Regional Appellations cover groups of villages, such as AC C?de Nuits-Villages. These are usually good quality wines that don't qualify for the next rung up the ladder, individual village AC's. Village ACs such as AC Pommard or AC Gevrey-Chambertin are commonly known as "village wines". Bottles labeled as coming from a particular village should be of quite high quality though they will usually be blends from many different vineyards. The Village Premiers Crus are from particularly good vineyards surrounding a village. A wine labelled AC Chassagne-Montrachet Premier Cru should be significantly better than AC Chassagne-Montrachet. These wines are usually blended from various smaller individual Premier Cru vineyards. Individual Vineyard Premiers Crus come from superior vineyards, the name of which is shown on the label: Chassagne-Montrachet Premier Cru Champgains for example. These wines should be extremely fine and worth the considerable money they cost. Grands Crus are the ?te of Burgundy. These wines come from the very best slopes and the label will bear only the name of the vineyard, not the name of any village. Examples include: Musigny, Montrachet, Ech?aux. These wines - both red or white - cost a small fortune but should be the epitome of fine wine. Often the 1er or Grand Cru sites are shared by many growers, the land divided into small parcels owned by each. A dozen different producers might each make an Ech?aux Grand Cru, for example. Other sites are Monopoles, that is the whole Cru is owned by one domaine, like La T?e Grand Cru, owned solely by Domaine de la Roman?Conti. Domaine or N?ciant bottled? The tradition of n?ciants in Burgundy is as old as Burgundy itself. N?ciants play a vital role in taking the grapes and sometimes finished wines from small estates to produce wines which they can market on a commercially viable scale. Their role can range from simple labelling and distribution, to carrying out the entire wine-making process. N?ciants may supply wines at all quality levels, including Grand Cru. Many n?ciants are also vineyard owners, producing domaine bottled wines alongside their n?ciant bottlings. The larger houses are generally very reliable and their wines widely available. Look for Jadot, Drouhin, Bouchard, Louis Latour and Faiveley amongst others. Terroir! - the war-cry of Burgundy The Burgundians are the great believers in terroir. Terroir is a French word without a direct English translation. It is applied to specific vineyard sites. Roughly translated, it means the combination of soil, climate, aspect to the sun and geography which believers maintain is a fundamental, defining influence on a finished wine. It would be easy to dismiss the Burgundian adherence to terroir as little more than self-interest, but there are growing numbers of believers amongst New World wine-makers too. It is certainly true that there can be marked differences between two wines, made from grapes grown in adjoining fields. All over Burgundy you will find Grand Cru vineyards, with 20 yards away, vineyards that are designated to produce simple regional wines. This is all down to terroir. The great red wines The Pinot Noir seems happiest on the cool limestone slopes of Burgundy, finding only limited success when planted elsewhere in the world. The area lies on the edge of the quality wine-making zone. The Pinot Noir is also a fickle grape and is easy to over-crop. These factors, along with the question of terroir and the vast range of wines and domaines, mean that choosing red Burgundy has to be done carefully. The C?de Nuits (which together with the C?de Beaune are known as the C?d'Or, or "Golden Slopes") is the home of the great red Burgundies and the vast majority of Grands and Premiers Crus. Here too are some of Burgundy's most famous villages such as Gevrey-Chambertin and Vosne-Roman? Any wine from this region will be expensive but all should be of good quality. The wines from each village area have their own character: sturdy, tannic and long-lived from around Nuits-St-Georges, aristocratic, rich and complex from Vosne-Roman?for example. Further south the C?de Beaune is most famous for its whites, but there are very good, reliable, sturdy Pinots Noirs. They might lack the finesse of the best C?de Nuits, but they are also a little cheaper. Corton is the only red Grand Cru of the C?de Beaune, whilst Pommard is probably the most widely known red of the region, made just south of the city of Beaune. The great white wines Chardonnay has, of course, been grown very successfully all over the world. As a variety it is relatively easy to grow and tolerant of a wide variety of soil and climatic conditions. Chablis By far the most northerly area of Burgundy, Chablis lies almost half-way between the C?d'Or and Paris. It is home to one of the world's best known Chardonnay wines which should be steely and dry with flavours of lemon and minerals. Traditionally Chablis is un-oaked, setting it apart from most other top Chardonnays from Burgundy and elsewhere. There are 4 quality levels for Chablis, each with its own AC: AC Petit Chablis Arguably not true Chablis at all, from grapes grown on the outskirts of the area. Usually fresh and pleasant, but rarely showing the true character of Chablis. Chablis proper consists of: AC Chablis AC Chablis Premier Cru esp. Fourchaume, Montmains, Mont?de Tonnerre AC Chablis Grands Cru It is a consistent area, so most Chablis is good - look out for wines made by a huge co-operative of growers called La Chablisienne - unlike some other co-operative wines, these offer good value for money. The C?de Beaune Chardonnay from here is quite different from Chablis. It is generally aged in oak barrels and the fruit is usually more ripe giving much fuller, rounder wines. The best known villages of the area include Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet and Chassagne-Montrachet. As elsewhere in Burgundy, quality and prices vary dramatically. The wines at Premier Cru level and above should be nutty, buttery and toasty, but with racy acidity and often hints of unusual mineral and stony flavours. Unusually, these are white wines that can reward cellaring for between 5 and 15 years. The Minor regions Again. As with Bordeaux there are many excellent wines available from outwith these great regions. The C?Chalonnaise has many fine mid-range reds which have good, strawberry fruit and will keep for 5 years or so. Top villages include Mercurey, Givry and Rully. Look for the wines from the Co-operative at Buxy - very reliable. The M?nnais is better known for its Chardonnay whites which are fresh and sappy with honeysuckle aromas. The top wines come from Pouilly-Fuiss?nd St-V?n, though wines labelled M?n-Villages or M?n-Lugny should come from the better vineyards, are reliable and should be quite cheap. Beaujolais can range from the light, hopefully fresh and fruity wines of Beaujolais Nouveau to the more serious wines of the Beaujolais-Villages. The best 10 Villages have their own ACs and often the name "Beaujolais" doesn't appear on the label. These wines are known as the "Crus": Brouilly, Ch?s, Chiroubles, Fleurie, Morgon, St-Amour, C?de Brouilly, Moulin-?ent, R?ni?Juli?s. Go to index of regional profiles home ? rss feed ? subscribe ? advertise

Burgundy Bourgogne wine guide












Burgundy wine with the French Wine Guide. Burgundy is a region with various soils, divided in numerous districts: Chablis, Ccte de Nuits, Cote de Beaune, ...more Burgundy Bourgogne wine guide French Wine Guide French wine guide > regions > burgundy / bourgogne Other wine pages : • Wines of Burgundy • French wine regions • French wine guide • Buy Burgundy wines Buy this poster ! Buy this poster ! Top Burgundy Wine Books Burgundy: The 90 Greatest Wines by James Turnbull Easy to read guide of the finest Burgundy wine makers. Learn more Price: $24.50 (save 30%) Click here! Links Wine Coolers French wine FAQ Wine Glossary Cheese-France French Cheese Guide Cuisine-France French Recipes Burgundy wines : 17 wines in the French Wine Guide A few of the most exciting wines in the world come from Burgundy. The region produces two of the most popular wines in France: Beaujolais and Chablis. Bourgogne wine information Find all the information on Burgundy wine region in one page Bourgogne geography and wine region / Map of Burgundy Geography, weather, main cities, population, local interests, etc Wine making in Burgundy / History of Bourgogne Vineyards, soil, wine production, grapes in Burgundy Bourgogne wine classification Bourgogne Grands Crus Wines of Bourgogne Specific information about 21 appellations in Burgundy : Chablis Côte de Nuits Gevrey Chambertin Clos Vougeot Vosne Romanée Nuits Saint Georges Côte de Beaune Corton Pommard Volnay Meursault Chassagne Montrachet Macon Mercurey Givry Pouilly Fuissé Rully Bourgogne aoc Bourgogne Aligoté All Burgundy wines Macon Mercurey Givry Pouilly Fuissé Rully Bourgogne aoc Bourgogne Aligoté All Burgundy wines More-in-depth information on : La Romanée-Conti - Wines of Beaujolais Interview : Pierre Henry Gagey, Louis Jadot Bourgogne wine and food Buy Bourgogne / Burgundy wines Read more about Burgundy Wines with Amazon.com : - Burgundy : The 90 Greatest Wines Other French wine regions : Alsace - Bordeaux - Champagne - Corsica - Côtes du Rhône - Languedoc-Roussillon - Loire Valley - Provence - South West french wine regions \| grape varieties \| winemaking \| classification in France \| wine tasting \| wine and food \| wine faq \| legendary wines \| wine shop \| french wine guide Recommend this page (to yourself or to a friend!) Terroir-France French Wine Guide (english) Guide des vins de France (french) Französische Weine (deutsch) De Gids voor Franse wijnen (nederlands) Contact: mail@ terroir-france + ".com" This material may not be published, rewritten, or redistributed © Terroir-France, French Wine Guide 2010

BURGHOUND.com: The ultimate Burgundy reference












Burghound.com is the result of a lifelong passion for the wine of Burgundy. For more than 30 years, I have been collecting the wines and visiting the region ...more BURGHOUND.com: The ultimate Burgundy reference Burghound.com is the result of a lifelong passion for the wine of Burgundy. For more than 30 years, I have been collecting the wines and visiting the region. Each year I spend more than four months visiting, researching, tasting, exploring and evaluating. Burgundy is my obsession really. Expanding on my coverage of the coveted pinot noir grape, each issue includes reviews of both Oregon and California pinots providing continuous coverage. (See what the media has to say about us.) What I'm offering is what we've always wanted: Quality advice on what to buy. Answers to: Who's got the goods? And what makes them so good? In other words, this is a site for burgundy and pinot enthusiasts - whether newly enthusiastic or grizzled old guzzlers. Because Burgundy is so fiendishly complex, so frustratingly inconsistent and maddeningly difficult to separate the real deal from the look alike pretenders, I've created several features to make understanding burgundy easier and help consumers with their burgundy and pinot purchases as well as suggested drinking windows. A comprehensive and detailed Quarterly Journal that offers real breadth and depth of coverage (the average Issue is 175 pages). I decided to write this journal the way I had always wanted to see one but could never find. Sure, it offers plenty of guidance on what to buy, and what to avoid. But it is also packed with the important details that put the wines of a given domaine/producer in the right context. There are also lots of retrospectives that offer excellent guidance on when to drink your collected treasures. Click here to see a sample review! California and Oregon pinot reviews are incorporated with a comprehensive quarterly review such as the 350 pinots reviewed in Issue 28, and hundreds since reviewed in each issue. Click here to see a sample! Progress and/or Special Reports are included in each issue. Just to name a few, "Current Release Champagnes and Sparklers (covering over 60 producers with nearly 150 reviews)," "19 Vintages Spanning 40 years of Henri Jayer Richebourg, 1987-1957," "20 Vintages of Grands-Echézeaux from the Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, 2002-1937," "Domaine Mugneret-Gibourg Echézeaux Vertical, 11 wines from 2000-1953," "A Series of 6 Special Tastings from Maison Bouchard Père & Fils, 86 Wines from 2003-1846," "10 Decades of Roman?e St. Vivant, 37 Vintages and 135 Wines from 2001-1911," "Domaine Georges Roumier Verticals ? Bonnes Mares, 33 Wines from 32 Vintages Dating 2004-1923 and Musigny, 14 Wines from 14 Vintages Dating from 2003-1934," and more. A fully Searchable Database of tasting notes (included with a subscription) that contains over 50,000 burgundies, pinot noirs and Champagnes from nearly 2,000 producers dating back to 1845. This is a powerful tool that makes finding what you want to know fast and easy. You can search on a variety of parameters, such as vintage, score, producer, appellation, color and issue number. Each year subscribers conduct over 3 million searches, proving this to be an invaluable tool! Click here for more information and a sample! The Insider's Guide to Visiting the Côte d'Or and Chablis, updated January, 2011, is filled with information about the best hotels and restaurants plus other important tips to make your visit the best ever. Click here for the details! The Selection of the Week. Each week we feature a different burgundy or pinot that I rated as a top value. While there will be a mix of vintages, most wines featured will be those that can normally be found at a variety of fine wine retailers. Each wine will be described and rated with a suggested window of peak drinkability indicated after the numerical score. Click to view this week's selection! Mobile Edition. Subscribers may access the database from their smartphones to get guidance at a restaurant or retail shop with its handy ?drink now? search field.? Click here to learn more! Back Issues of the Quarterly Journal are available for separate purchase, either individually or by volume in either printed or electronic format (PDF). However, subscribers have access to EVERY wine ever reviewed in ALL Burghound issues through the database - going back to Issue 1! View summaries of the contents of all back issues! Here's the deal: The Journal and Database are combined as one product. The Travel Guide, available in PDF electronic format only, is a separate product that is available for purchase or can be obtained at no charge with a 2 or 3-year subscription. If you have any questions, please do let me know. All rights reserved and unauthorized reproduction, including by office copy machines or postings through the Internet, is strictly prohibited. Subscribers who are in the news media or wine industry may use limited portions of this material, specifically limited reviews and scores, provided that Burghound.com is properly credited. Commercial exploitation of Burghound.com content is strictly prohibited. It's not news that anything connected with Burgundy ain't cheap. Anyone suggesting - as I am - that they can give you the skinny on what you really ought to buy (and know) about Burgundy-and says that they can do it for free - is, well, being less than honest. Something's got to give. Either the information is way too old (as in some magazines), inexpertly judged (no names, no names!) or just plain shallow. All of which is to say that this site costs money. Each product has a price and while that price is reasonable compared to the value delivered, it's still not free. For example, a year's worth of the quarterly Journal will run you the equivalent of about four bottles of Bourgogne rouge, or a couple of quality bottles of Sonoma pinot, or not even one bottle of grand cru, if you like to think that way. Any way you look at it, it's not much money compared to the painful cost of landing on bad burgundies or pinots; consider that it's only one bad bottle of grand cru avoided and you've paid for an entire year. The best edge you can get as a burgundy/pinot buyer is timely, well-judged knowledge. That's what I strive to provide. The annual cost for four quarterly electronic issues (and unlimited access to the database for the term of receipt of the four issues) is $125. Two years is $225. Three years is $325. Two and three year subscriptions include the complimentary electronic Travel Guide. Click on the subscribe/renew link at the top of the page to get all of the relevant details, including the option to receive professionally printed versions of the journal if you prefer. And feel free to poke around the site and be sure to voice your opinions to let me know how you think. © 2011 Burghound.com. All Rights Reserved Click here for video and audio interviews with Allen. The Pearl of the C?te - The Great Wines ofVosne-Romanée Click here for more information. Click here for a list of Allen's upcoming speaking engagements. In addition to unmatched breadth and depth of coverage, what follows is of special importance to me, and to you, too:

Culinary Travel: Burgundy Food, Restaurants, and Wineries at ...












Burgundy Culinary Travel: The Ultimate Wine Lover's Trip ... But even without wine, Burgundy would be wonderful, thanks to its one-of-a-kind scenery and ...more Culinary Travel: Burgundy Food, Restaurants, and Wineries at Epicurious.com Culinary Travel › An insider's tour of France's most picturesque wine region, with the best food and wineries in Burgundy By David Downie S ay "French wine," and like Pavlov's dog, just about everyone will bark Bordeaux or Burgundy — the "Big B" regions. If you're into muscular Merlot and Cabernet, then Southwest France's flat, sandy Bordelais — the region surrounding the city of Bordeaux — is your ticket. Pinot Noir and Chardonnay lovers should head instead to Burgundy's suite of rolling, pocket-sized vineyards, which start about 100 miles south of Paris near Chablis and extend 150 miles or so farther south via Dijon to Mâcon in central-eastern France. Vast and varied, the region — "Bourgogne," in French — covers most of eastern-central France. From a winegrower's perspective, it's the bridge linking Champagne to the Beaujolais. The most expensive wines being produced in the world today come from Burgundy's spectacular Domaine de la Romanée-Conti on the Côte de Nuits. Unsung, some of the most underrated, underpriced whites in France are quietly grown and bottled in the Côte Chalonnaise and southern Mâconnais. There's more to the difference between the two Big Bs than a varietal divide. Sure, Bordeaux is an attractive city surrounded by fabulous châteaux. But even without wine, Burgundy would be wonderful, thanks to its one-of-a-kind scenery and cultural history. This is pretty much the land of dreamy visions. Rivers run through it — big ones like the Saône, Yonne, and Loire — keeping Burgundy's uncluttered, rolling hills emerald-green year-round. More Romanesque churches, abbeys, and monasteries raise their bell towers here than in the rest of the country combined. Scores of picture-perfect stone-built villages, like Rully or Solutré, perch on vine-groomed limestone escarpments — les côtes — their glazed-tile roofs glistening and foundations set deep. Each of Burgundy's half dozen subregions has a distinctive character arising from feudal times or as far back as the Iron Age. This was the heart of ancient Gaul, a place where locals still bemoan Julius Caesar's conquest in 52 B.C. During the French Revolution, the area was divided into four administrative départements. Taken north to south, they are Yonne, Nièvre, Côte-d'Or, and Saône-et-Loire. Burgundians cling to their heritage, and it shows in everything from the singsong accent full of rolling Rs to the one-lane farm roads and almost obsessive way food and wine are revered. At worst, this reverence brings with it kitschy folklore, sound-and-light shows, winemakers and peasants in silly costumes, and restaurants, museums, and wineries that feel like theme parks of gastronomy. At best, it reflects Burgundy's role in defining classic French cuisine. Last century's legendary chefs built gastronomic pilgrimage sites along the Paris–Lyon highway. Today, four luxurious Michelin three-star restaurants and a constellation of prestigious but less formal hotel-restaurants and irresistible country auberges that serve food in a casual, often family setting dot the region. Bugundians claim the trend is strictly no trends; tradition reigns. That's why Burgundy's ethereal gougère — the original cheese-puff, not cheesy junk food — is still everywhere. Favorite dishes include jambon persillé, which merges chunky cured ham and parsley in aspic. Plump escargots — raised on snail farms these days — are baked in the shell with garlicky parsley-butter. Frog's legs get the same treatment but are pan-fried. Oeufs en meurette are ultraclassic French poached eggs in a red-wine reduction sauce. Crayfish tails swim in creamy Nantua butter sauce. Pike, eel, and other river fish end up as Matelote stew or sautéed, often with Pinot Noir. There's free-range, premium-quality chicken from Bresse simply roasted or sautéed with cream. Roasted veal or sautéed rabbit come with Dijon mustard sauce. Long-cooked lièvre royale is hare simmered in rich blood-and-wine sauce. Thick-sliced bone-in baked ham is right up there in popularity and deliciousness with Charolais beef or lamb that is slow-stewed, grilled, or pan-fried with butter. And Burgundy truffles and wild mushrooms appear in dozens of recipes. The region also boasts France's biggest herds of goats, and the phenomenal chèvre — cheese made from their milk — comes in every imaginable form. Possibly the world's most lusciously pungent cow's-milk cheese is northern Burgundy's Époises, while milder Citeaux is still made by monks at Citeaux Abbey. For dessert, mille-feuilles, fruit tarts, and chocolate confections, yes, but also sugar-sprinkled pets-de-nonne fritters, gingerbread from Dijon, aniseed bonbons from the abbey of Flavigny and marzipan "rocks" called Rochers du Morvan. Tradition may reign, but the average calorie count has been reduced over the last 20 years, since the late, great Bernard Loiseau of La Côte d'Or restaurant in Saulieu invented what critics initially derided as "cuisine à l'eau"—water-based, low-fat cooking that's a lot more flavorful than it sounds. Traditional ingredients reappear now in novel ways, and because of huge demand, most snails and frog's legs and even some fresh-water fish come from outside the region. These days, young Burgundian chefs also serve seafood trucked in from the Mediterranean and Atlantic. Even olive oil appears on some tables. Haute cuisine of the kind found in Paris, Sydney, or San Francisco stars on marquee menus — sometimes it's great, sometimes it's just fussy and rootless. Like Bordeaux, Burgundy's appellations (geographic areas where grapes are grown) and rankings (by the French government) are maddeningly complex. Unlike Bordeaux, which has centuries-old ties to the merchant class, they reflect a thousand years of winegrowing begun by the monks at Cluny Abbey in the Mâconnais region. When the French Revolution came along in 1789, church properties were divvied up, resulting in today's 4,600 wineries, most with tiny vineyards five to ten acres. Burgundy's 101 appellations fall into five main wine districts called "vignobles," including Chablis, Côte de Nuits, Côte de Beaune, Côte Chalonnaise, and Mâconnais. Rankings break down into four "crus" — growths determined by the cultural intangibles that constitute the vague French notion of "terroir." Terroir is applied liberally to food and wine and means more than "land" or "territory." It can refer to soil, climate, altitude, and a variety of geological factors. Topping the growth pyramid are Grands Crus, with Premiers Crus, Crus Communales (village appellations), and generic Crus Régionales falling one below the next. Grand Crus are subdivided into "climates" — mere parcels. Bottles thus designated are big-ticket items accounting for just one percent of white wines and two and a half percent of reds. But don't shun lesser appellations — some Communales and Régionales are as good as Premiers Crus. And a few of the region's 18 cooperative wineries make remarkable wines. It's best to read Burgundy labels carefully because Grands Crus, Premiers Crus, and Communales can all bear the same name — if they come from the same village. Pinot Noir is the red grape of the great and good wines of Burgundy, while Gamay crops up primarily in the Mâconnais, producing quaffable bottlings — with a few exceptions. César is an ancient indigenous variety that brings body to some thin northern Burgundian wines. The region makes twice as much white as red, nearly all with the Chardonnay grape, also used in sparkling Crémant de Bourgogne, originally from the village of Rully. When too tart to drink straight, the second most common Burgundy white, Aligoté, is stirred with "cassis" black-currant syrup and served as Kir (add Champagne, and it's a Kir Royal). The battle over oaky, high-tech wines has deeply affected Burgundy's winemaking. The big oak barrels and vats that were traditionally used are still around, but many more winemakers employ toasted new-oak casks to impart vanilla and other so-called "New World" flavors to wines. Luckily, the soil and climate mean Burgundy wines will never develop the fat of their American or Australian counterparts. The global market–chasing mania of fruit-forward bottlings hasn't really taken hold here. Burgundian Pinot Noirs are still subtle, complex, and lightly tannic, with an intense violet nose. Chardonnays range from nervy or mineral to rich and honeyed. Those with heavy vanilla overlays are usually made for export — or to please certain American critics who favor huge, flowery, fat wines. The biggest Burgundy whites and reds take time to develop, aging gracefully for 20 or 30 years. There are more than 100 major négociants — wine wholesalers that now do everything from bottling, aging, and selling others' wines to growing and making their own, and their numbers are rising as they snap up family-run properties. Making great wine in Burgundy is challenging — centuries of winegrowing have impoverished the soil, and the climate is tricky, with harsh winters and short summers. Small, steep vineyards are labor-intensive, which partly explains the low yields and premium prices we all pay. Reputation, quality, and increasing worldwide demand explain the rest. So while most European wine regions are battling bear markets, Burgundy is bullish. Each subregion has its wine route — "Route des Vins" — with hundreds of wineries open to the public. They range from the ridiculous to the sublime. This isn't the Napa Valley: Many top wineries are accessible only to professionals. It's always best to make an appointment, especially at prestige properties. David Downie is a Paris-based food and travel writer. His work has appeared in Bon Appétit, Gourmet, Saveur, Departures, the Los Angeles Times Magazine, and many other publications. His latest book is Paris, Paris: Journey into the City of Light. He's currently at work on a travelogue-memoir about crossing France on foot, Hit the Road, Jacques). Alison Harris, who took most of the pictures for this story, is a Paris-based food, travel, and portrait photographer, and has illustrated books by Sophia Loren, Marcella Hazan, and other international best-selling authors. View a Burgundy travel guide from our sister site Concierge.com Note: All information about restaurants, wineries, and other culinary destinations listed in this article is subject to change without notice. Please contact the establishment for the most current information. View a Burgundy travel guide from our sister site Concierge.com Burgers, veggies, steaks, fish: Whatever you want to grill tonight, we've got your new favorite cookout recipes, plus lip-smacking barbecue dishes more grilling & barbecue ideas and advice › Your ultimate cookout handbook is right here: 'Cue tips from the masters, how to build a better burger, grilling videos, and essential equipment browse thousands of delicious recipes for the grill › I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its User Agreement, and Privacy Policy. Get our award-winning foodapp in the kitchen or on the go. learn more › A personalized Epi cookbook! Transform your favorite recipes from Epicurious.com into a beautiful, hardcover 'TasteBook'. learn how › 1. Toasted Anise-Seed Cake Slices Gourmet, April 2007 2. Porcini Fondue with Ham and Ciabatta Bon Appétit, December 2004 3. Mustard Chicken Stew Chocolate and Zucchini, March 2009 4. 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The Ultimate San Francisco Dining Guide Bay Area critics pick the best high-end, budget, and day-trip spots in San Francisco and beyond 12. Top Picks in Washington, DC Tom Sietsema identifies the city's must-try high-end, budget, and local-favorite restaurants Bon Appétit, June 2011 Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement (revised 08/21/08) and Privacy Policy (revised 08/21/08). Epicurious © 2011 Condé Nast Digital. All rights reserved. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached, or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Condé Nast Digital.

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