“One of the challenges in the region is creating international awareness that wine from Burgundy can be enjoyed every day, not just for special occasions,” explains a representative from the region. And it’s true - though Burgundy is known for its Grand Cru wines that sell for tens of thousands of dollars a case and can age for decades, you can find very good quality wine from the region you can open and enjoy with friends or family.
Beaune
I am here in Burgundy visiting producers and attending various events surrounding the Hospices de Beaune wine auction, an annual event for nearly five hundred years. Though its primary purpose is to raise money for the hospice, for the last sixty years the prices fetched at the auction set the tone for what producers can charge for their wine. Burgundy is about two hours north of Paris by train -- if you time your flight right, you can catch the train from the Paris airport, or take a taxi/bus to the Paris train station. It’s always a thrill to drive through the narrow, ancient streets and see the names of famous villages on the street signs -- most people only see these names in wine books, or on very expensive bottles at upscale wine shops. From north to south in the Cote de Nuits you will see Marsannay (famous for rose), Fixin, Gevrey-Chambertin, Morey-St. Denis, Chambolle-Musigny, Vourgeot, Flagey-Echezeaux.
By one I am enjoying lunch at Chez Guy, a famous restaurant in the area known for its quality and buzz - it is the place to see and be seen in Burgundy. Very busy during the 2008 Grands Jours de Bourgogne and even busier today.
Vougeot
Afterward, I visit Chateau du Clos Vougeot, where wine has been made by monks for hundreds of years. Amazingly, the ancient equipment is still intact, and even used for ceremonial purposes. The Confrerie des Chevaliers du Tastevin has settled here since 1945 and have spectacular wine pairing meals for their members. As you can imagine, workers are busy setting up the dining room for a celebratory dinner in connection with the auction. Next is a visit to Veuve Ambal a Beaune, the top producer of sparkling wines in Burgundy using what is known as the “traditional” method. It is exactly the method used in the Champagne region to make wine (with fermentation occuring in the same bottle, yet for trademark purposes, the word ‘Champagne’ can not be used in connection with this wine’s production. The factory is exceptionally clean and modern. Touring the facility is a thrill and quite worth a visit - you will see giant machines working with the precision of human beings as they rotate bottles (replacing the hand riddling of Madame Ambal’s day), stack bottles, and move bottles into cases, sometimes side by side with their human companions. The facility sells more than ten million cases of cremant a year.
Veuve Ambal
After the tour you can enjoy a complimentary tasting of the wines, and purchase wine related gifts in the clean, colorful little shop. During the tasting, the tour guide says “Champagne stole our grapes (meaning Burgundy’s famous native grapes of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir) so it’s only fair that we took their production method.”
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