Wine tourism in Burgundy
Within the enormous diversity and prestige of French wines, the Burgundy wines are one of the most renowned; the quality and variety of its wines as well as a privileged territory and the enormous range of possibilities to enjoy wine tourism in Burgundy justify this reputation.
The area of Burgundy
With the capital in Dijon, the area of Burgundy is located in the center-northeast of the French territory; the soul and quality of its wines are, for the most part, influenced by the geology of the terrain that varies enormously from one place to another, which creates a great diversity of wines within the region.
On the other hand, the climate, with mild summers, very cold winters and an enormous potential for frosts that compromise the correct ripening of the grape, has forced the wine growers to develop cutting-edge techniques to prevent, so far as possible, the influence of bad weather conditions in the vineyards.
The wines and grapes of Burgundy
In the Burgundy territory we can distinguish the following important wines:
Chablis
Produced near the city of Auxerre, Chablis is a variety in the Geographical Indication of the “Yonne Wines” belonging to the Burgundy region. They produce exclusively white wines with the grape varieties of Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.
The wines of the region are characterized by increased acidity and an abundance of mineral notes due to the limestone and a rich in marine fossil soil, singularly tiny shells. These characteristics produce strong, yet elegant wines.
Côte d´Or
This is an area where we can find the most famous and expensive wines in the Burgundy territory, which is justified because of the small size of the territory, spanning forty kilometers in length and two in width, and low production.
The most famous wines of the region (Grand Cru) are usually cultivated in the elevated foothills of the terrain, where the vineyards are exposed to more hours of sunlight.
Normally the winemaking process and the type of soil, limestone, produce firm, structured and strong reds that have remained in the collective imagination as a synonym for quality and luxury.
Some wine tourism activities in Burgundy
With a strong industry focused toward wine tourism, the area of Burgundy offers a great variety of activities to satisfy all tastes.
The people most interested in discovering the insides of the Burgundy wines could take official courses on wines in the Burgundy School of Wines and the wine tourist most interested in the history of wine could opt for visits to the abbeys in which the production of wine in the region was restructured more than eight hundred years ago, or visit to the Hospices de Beaune, formerly a hospital from the 15th century which tile roofs and Gothic architecture are a symbol in Burgundy as well as the annual wine auction celebrated on the third Sunday in November.
Another experience that can´t be missed when planning your wine tourism route in Burgundy is a visit to the wine cellars, in this sense, the highway D-974 (Gran Crus Route) leading to Beaune serves as the backbone for a trip in which the visitor could be surprised by the landscape scattered with vineyards, hillsides, and wine cellars that seem to be from another century.
