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Burgundy Wines
Burgundy is a region with various soils. The wines are notoriously unpredictable and vary so much that it is difficult to use the name to describe a single “type” of wine. Reds may be austere and aristocratic, as are the Corton and Chambertin, or light and delicate, such as the Chambolle. The whites are always dry, but there is enormous variation among Chablis, Montrachet and Meursault
At the time of the French Revolution, most of the best Burgundy wines were produced by monasteries. One of the consequences of the Revolution was the confiscation of the vineyards from the church and their fragmentation into small plots. Nowadays, the system of small vineyard still prevails. Hardly any of the vineyards belong to a single owner. In a wine-producing region of 111,000 acres, the average estate is merely 10 acres
Burgundy is divided into numerous districts: Chablis, Côte d'Or (divided into Côte de Nuits and Côte de Beaune), Côte Chalonnaise, Mâconnais, and Beaujolais
Chablis produces the white wine of the same name, one of the most famous in France. The district grows no red grapes. Northernmost in the region of Burgundy, Chablis vineyards must be protected from frost by windmills, sprinkler systems and oil burners
Côte d'Or, often called "hills of gold" or "golden slope", is actually the abbreviation of Côte d'Orient or "eastern slope". The best vineyards face southeast to maximize the sunlight. Côte d'Or has over 60 AOC's and thousands of growers. Villages of Côte d'Or have tended to append the name of their most famous vineyard, e.g., the town of Nuits with the vineyard of St. Georges became Nuits-St. Georges. Puligny and Chassagne both claim Montrachet
Côtes de Nuits, just south of Dijon, is the northern part of Côte d'Or. Almost pure red, only four villages make white wine. A red Côte de Nuits is robust and elegant. Its bouquet is intense and fragrant. The villages producing Côte de Nuits are Chambertin, Morey-St.-Denis, Chambolle-Musigny, Vougeot, Vosne-Romanée and Nuits-St. Georges. Côte de Nuits wines take ten years to mature
The Côte de Beaune is the southern part of Côte d'Or. Red Côte de Beaune wines are noticeable for their aroma and their warm bouquet. They have a tendency to a slightly lighter body and a quicker maturation than the Côtes de Nuits. The white wines are straw-yellow, robust, thick and smooth, and very dry. The best known villages are Aloxe-Corton, Savigny, Pommard, Meursault, Chassagne-Montrachet and Santenay. Côte de Beaune takes five years to mature
Côte Chalonnaise is named after Chalon-sur-Saone. Red wines of the Côte Chalonnaise are pleasant, but the district is better known for its white wines. Côte Chalonnaise whites, made from Chardonnay or Pinot Noir grapes, are pale, light, and clean tasting. The best-liked white wines are Mercurey, Mâcon, Mâcon Supérieur and Mâcon Village and, above all, Pouilly-Fuissé
The Mâconnais district, south of Chalon between Chalon and Mâcon, makes three times as much white wine as the rest of Burgundy put together. A huge quantity of light, dry Chardonnay wine, sold as Mâcon and Mâcon Villages, is made every year
Beaujolais is in the southern part of the district of Burgundy, where the soil is limestone. Beaujolais is made up of over 60 parishes that produce one of the most famous red wines in the world. Made exclusively from Gamay grapes, Beaujolais is, generally, light-bodied and fruity. Before the 1950's and 1960's when Georges Duboeuf began bottling it, Beaujolais was generally sold only in pots or mugs
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Wine Regions of France,Burgundy
Burgundy is a region with various soils. The wines are notoriously unpredictable and vary so much that it is difficult to use the name to describe a single “type” of wine. Reds may be austere and aristocratic, as are the Corton and Chambertin, or light and delicate, such as the Chambolle. The whites are always dry, but there is enormous variation among Chablis, Montrachet and Meursault
At the time of the French Revolution, most of the best Burgundy wines were produced by monasteries. One of the consequences of the Revolution was the confiscation of the vineyards from the church and their fragmentation into small plots. Nowadays, the system of small vineyard still prevails. Hardly any of the vineyards belong to a single owner. In a wine-producing region of 111,000 acres, the average estate is merely 10 acres
Burgundy is divided into numerous districts: Chablis, Côte d'Or (divided into Côte de Nuits and Côte de Beaune), Côte Chalonnaise, Mâconnais, and Beaujolais
Chablis produces the white wine of the same name, one of the most famous in France. The district grows no red grapes. Northernmost in the region of Burgundy, Chablis vineyards must be protected from frost by windmills, sprinkler systems and oil burners
Côte d'Or, often called "hills of gold" or "golden slope", is actually the abbreviation of Côte d'Orient or "eastern slope". The best vineyards face southeast to maximize the sunlight. Côte d'Or has over 60 AOC's and thousands of growers. Villages of Côte d'Or have tended to append the name of their most famous vineyard, e.g., the town of Nuits with the vineyard of St. Georges became Nuits-St. Georges. Puligny and Chassagne both claim Montrachet
Côtes de Nuits, just south of Dijon, is the northern part of Côte d'Or. Almost pure red, only four villages make white wine. A red Côte de Nuits is robust and elegant. Its bouquet is intense and fragrant. The villages producing Côte de Nuits are Chambertin, Morey-St.-Denis, Chambolle-Musigny, Vougeot, Vosne-Romanée and Nuits-St. Georges. Côte de Nuits wines take ten years to mature
The Côte de Beaune is the southern part of Côte d'Or. Red Côte de Beaune wines are noticeable for their aroma and their warm bouquet. They have a tendency to a slightly lighter body and a quicker maturation than the Côtes de Nuits. The white wines are straw-yellow, robust, thick and smooth, and very dry. The best known villages are Aloxe-Corton, Savigny, Pommard, Meursault, Chassagne-Montrachet and Santenay. Côte de Beaune takes five years to mature
Côte Chalonnaise is named after Chalon-sur-Saone. Red wines of the Côte Chalonnaise are pleasant, but the district is better known for its white wines. Côte Chalonnaise whites, made from Chardonnay or Pinot Noir grapes, are pale, light, and clean tasting. The best-liked white wines are Mercurey, Mâcon, Mâcon Supérieur and Mâcon Village and, above all, Pouilly-Fuissé
The Mâconnais district, south of Chalon between Chalon and Mâcon, makes three times as much white wine as the rest of Burgundy put together. A huge quantity of light, dry Chardonnay wine, sold as Mâcon and Mâcon Villages, is made every year
Beaujolais is in the southern part of the district of Burgundy, where the soil is limestone. Beaujolais is made up of over 60 parishes that produce one of the most famous red wines in the world. Made exclusively from Gamay grapes, Beaujolais is, generally, light-bodied and fruity. Before the 1950's and 1960's when Georges Duboeuf began bottling it, Beaujolais was generally sold only in pots or mugs
Wine Regions of France,Alsace,Gewürztraminer,Muscat,Pinot Blanc,Pinot Gris,Riesling,Sylvaner
Wine Regions of France,Alsace,Gewürztraminer,Muscat,Pinot Blanc,Pinot Gris,Riesling,Sylvaner
Aloxe-Corton is the best blended red burgundy of the Côte de Beaune. It is named for the hill of Corton, which rises above the village of Aloxe. The Corton vineyards, covering 445 acres, grow the powerful, tannic Pinot Noir grape, producing rich, meaty, deep-coloured reds that are long lived and slow to develop.
Two thirds of the Auxy Duresses wines are soft, plump, slightly rustic reds. Much of it is sold as Côte de Beaune Villages
Beaune is home to the region’s best wine merchants, including Joseph Drouhin, Bouchard Père et Fils, and Louis Jadot. These wine merchants also own much of the land. There are no grands crus, but ¾ of the wine is designated premier cru. Succulent, approachable, extremely delicate, they have the softness and aromas of wild fruit and flowers
Côte de Beaune designates wine that is made anywhere between Aloxe-Corton and Santenay. Beaune wines are slightly better than Côte de Beaune
Generic Bourgogne wine tends to be difficult to find. The reds are a light to medium wine made from the Pinot Noir grape. The Côte Chalonnaise district produces some of the best wine with the general Bourgogne designation. Good regional wines include Irancy (red) and Epineuil (rosé)
Chablis wine is often imitated, but the imitations rarely resemble the real thing. Grown on limestone, Chablis is a crisp, steely white with flinty mineral flavours. It is brisk, fruity, and very dry and with a refreshing acidity. There are four levels:
· Grand Cru Chablis, the highest rating available, has been given to seven vineyards. These wines are rich and dry with a combination of butter, nuts and minerals. Grands crus may be matured in oak
· Premier Cru designation has been given to 30-odd vineyards in various towns around Chablis. They account for about 1/4 of production
· Chablis, without any other designation on the label, means a wine from any of the parishes in the Chablis district
· Petit Chablis, light, less alcoholic wine from the outlying parts of the district
Beaujolais are soft fruity reds with almost no tannin. It should be enjoyed slightly fresh and young, within a year. The Gamay grape produces the characteristic banana, cherry and bitter chocolate flavours - There are four categories of Beaujolais:
· Generic Beaujolais can come from any of the 60 communes. It is a light wine, with only 9% alcohol
· Beaujolais Supérieur comes from the same part of the district as Beaujolais but with one degree more alcohol. It is very pale and light, and softly fruity
· Beaujolais-Village is from one of 38 listed communes, including Beaujeu, the village that gave the district its name. One-third of all Beaujolais is Beaujolais Villages
· Cru Beaujolais is the best of the Beaujolais with flower and fruit and freshness. Peach, apricot and rosé are often cited as flavours. It comes from one of 10 parishes: Brouilly, Côte de Brouilly, Morgon, Chénas, Chiroubles, Fleurie, Juliénas, Moulin-a-Vent, Régnié and St. Amour
Beaujolais Nouveau is sold beginning on November 15 of the birth year, the first date the law allows it to be sold
Chambolle-Musigny produces blended wines with Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris grapes from several vineyards. Often described as "feminine", the red wines are elegant, delicate, silky, refined and long lived
Chassagne-Montrachet is chiefly known for dry but succulent, golden, flower-scented white wines. The whites, which account for more than half of the production, are some of the finest dry white wines in the world. The area also makes full-bodied fruity reds and spicy full-flavoured white. The reds are similar to the bigger red wines of Côtes de Nuit, but slightly sweeter and slow developing. Clos St. Jean is the best known. The Montrachet vineyard lies in both the villages of Puligny and Chassagne. The change of Montrachet wines from white to red comes mid-village
Clos de Vougeot is the claret of Burgundy. It is produced in an enormous vineyard, actually a whole parish of vineyards, on the southern border of Chambolle-Musigny. Begun as a few vines planted by Cistercian monks in the 12th century, Clos de Vougeot, at 125 acres, is now the largest grand cru in Burgundy. Following the Revolution, the vineyard was bought by six merchants. Each holding has been split over the years, and there are now more than 80 individual owners. The wine produced here is a plump, full-bodied, spicy red with flavours of red summer fruits, chocolate and liquorice
Corton-Charlemagne is one of the great white burgundies. Made exclusively from the Chardonnay grape, it is a big, golden- coloured wine. It is like Meursault but not so soft, and more steely
The conditions around Fixin tend to make for rustic, tannic wines that take years to evolve into rustic, softer ones. Much of the wine produced here is sold as Côte de Nuits-Villages
The village of Gevry appended the vineyard of Chambertin (Bertin's field) to its name. Gevry-Chambertin wine is robust, full-bodied, and oaky. The best reds have flavours of plums and cherries with a hint of spice. There are 9 grands crus and 27 premiers crus here. Legend has it that Napoleon never took anything else on campaign
Mâcon Villages, accounting for 90% of the white wine, is from one of 42 listed villages around Mâcon. Mâcon Blanc is the round and melon-flavoured white wine of Mâcon. It is not as dry as Chablis or as soft as Meursault. Mâcon Blanc is the white burgundy equivalent of Beaujolais, unqualified by village or vineyard. Mâcon Superieur is Mâcon Blanc with one degree more alcohol
The wines of Meursault, made from the Chardonnay grape, are very dry and rich, full of the flavours of butter, hazelnuts and spices. Meursault is soft, mellow, and broad with a very pale gold colour
Montagny is dedicated to the Chardonnay grape, making mainly medium to full-bodied white wines full of hazelnut and gun-flint flavours. Increasingly, they are aged in oak barrels. Premier cru status is given to all the wines produced here
Morey-St. Denis boasts excellent producers who make some of the most reliable red wines in Burgundy. They are big, strong, earthy wines meant to be enjoyed with great feasts. They are late developers, starting out feminine and elegant, and tending to rusticity. Village wines can be outstanding. Clos de la Bussiere is an excellent example of a premier cru from the area
Tough and tannic when first made, Nuits-St. George red wines mature into soft, savory wines, with plenty of meat. The black currant and game flavours of these wines often take as long as 20 years to reach their peak. There are no grands crus; however there are more than 30 premier crus
Pernard Vergelesses reds are pleasant and softly jammy but short on finesse and complexity. The whites, with crisp, well defined appley and herbal fruit and delicate flavours, are better than the reds
Pommard ranks second among Côte de Beaune wine communes. All the wines share the characteristics of firmness, fairly deep colour and bouquet. They are among the richest and most tannic in Burgundy. Full-bodied, with black cherry flavours, they definitely need cellaring
Pouilly-Fuissé, medium to full-bodied, dry, sometimes slightly honeyed, is the most famous white wine of the district, with an annual production of six million bottles. It is made entirely from the Chardonnay grape and sometimes aged in oak barrels
Puligny-Montrachet wines, elegant and steely with the flavour of peaches and apricots, are among the greatest dry white wines of France. Puligny-Montrachet is home to four of the greatest dry white grands crus in the world
Rully produces a variety of wines using Pinot and Chardonnay grapes. The majority of wines are fresh, appley, oak-aged white wines. Reds are medium-bodied with wild raspberry and violet aromas. Sparkling white wines are sold as crémant
St. Véran is a relatively new appellation, created in 1971. It lies in both Beaujolais and the Mâconnais. The white wines produced here are light, dry and rich with a slight mineral edge
Santenay, often called Santenay-Côtes de Beaune, makes red and white wines, though the red is better. Earthy, rustic reds, similar to Chassagne-Montrachet, are strong with a tender softness
Volnay is the last red before the white wine country of the Montrachets and Meursaults. Volnay is the most delicate red burgundy, fresh and lively, elegant and velvet-textured, with a pronounced scent of a blend of violets, raspberries and ripe plums. It is very approachable when young. Volnay is one of the most reliable AOC's in the region
Vosne-Romanée is home to some of the most prestigious vineyards in Burgundy. The elegant, velvety reds are of almost uniformly high quality. Romanée-Conti, one of five grands crus, is a tiny vineyard (less than 4½ acres) on a hill above Vosne. The wine is extraordinarily rich, stuffed with plums, spice, and oriental flavours
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