Burgundy
Most Frenchmen - and women – are pretty convinced that their region is by far the best. They are sure that only the area in which they live can produce the most delicious food and wine, have the most beautiful countryside, the best attractions, and the most spectacular history. Let’s make a voyage of discovery to see how true this might be of Burgundy.
Many of us, in our frenzied rush to reach the sun, drive down the Autoroute du Soleil without ever thinking of the great wine-producing region just off the motorway. With a continental climate, the summer sin Burgundy are hot and dry and, although not at all near the sea, there are lakes, rivers and a canal network to enjoy, and a vast expanse of wonderful countryside just waiting to be explored.
We start our journey in Chablis in the northeast of the region. It is said that wines always tastes better in the area where they are produced, so for lovers of this famous wine we can be there within four hours from Calais, ready for a tasting or two and a supper of perhaps some Bresse chicken, Epoisses cheese and a clafoutis (a sort of fruit pie) for dessert. After a refreshing sleep we can start to explore a region rich in so many ways, perhaps being sidetracked into nearby Auxerre, with its charming old town and magnificent Gothic cathedral rising above the river Yonne.
Travelling southeast we discover Fontenay, the oldest Cistercian abbey in France, founded by St Bernard in 1118. After extensive restoration we can now enjoy the beauty and tranquillity of both buildings and gardens. To the southwest is the imposing Basilique Ste-Madeleine at Vézelay, one of the starting points for pilgrims on their way to Santiago de Compostella. Between the 10th and 12thcenturies two of the most important monastic reform movements began in Burgundy, at Citeaux and Cluny. As powerful leaders, the monks brought wealth that was not only spiritual, but also artistic and intellectual and the result is an abundance of impressive churches and cathedrals.
If history is not our speciality or we just don’t have the time to explore, we can zoom down the A6, or travel on the TGV from Paris in just one hour, straight to Burgundy’s capital: Dijon. A splendid city, filled with the great palaces of old burgundian nobility, though perhaps better known today for its mustard! As a university town it has a rich cultural life to add to its splendid architecture spanning several centuries. Don’t forget to sample the pain d’épices (gingerbread), a throwback to the days when Dijon was on the Spice Route.
For serious wine explorers, leaving Dijon and travelling south on the Route des Grands Crus is a voyage of pure pleasure no matter how far along the road of discovery you are. Travelling south from Dijon to Beaune, this route, known as the Champs Elysées of Burgundy, passes through theCôte de Nuits and the Côte de Beaune, taking in no less than 33 villages and small towns with highly evocative names: Gevrey-Chambertin, Vougeot, Vosne-Romanée, Nuits-St-Georges, Aloxe-Corton, Meursault, Chassagne-Montrachet. I would defy any wine lover to pass this way without their mouth watering at almost every village sign. If you have time to explore you can walk, cycle or even ride through the vineyards along one of the many well-signed routes.
The landscape is magical: many small walled clos - a legacy of the way the land has been split up over the years – sometimes no bigger than the garden of a house; many gentle slopes with grapes maturing in the sunshine; and of course, a never-ending string of bars, bistros and restaurants waiting to tempt you with the produce of this amazingly fruitful area. For not only will you be drinking the local wines, you will also be able to enjoy food cooked in them, such as boeuf bourguignon made with local Charolais beef, oeufs en meurette (poached eggs in red wine) and escargots à la bourguignonne (snails in ared wine sauce). Then try some of
Burgundy’s famous cheeses: Epoisses, Citeaux and Bleu de Bresse, before finishing off with a walnut, pear or cherry tart and a glass of the local marc.
At the southern end of this Route des Grands Crus is Beaune, a truly delightful old town and the wine capital of Burgundy. Here we find the ruby and gold of the wines reflected in the roof tiles of the Hôtel-Dieu, once owned by the Dukes of Burgundy, later a hospice for the poor, today a museum of wine and wine-making, where each November there is an auction of wine from the Hospices de Beaune.
Here in the heart of Burgundy we find white wines made from the Chardonnay grape and red wines from the Pinot Noir. Unlike the great estates of Bordeaux, the finest burgundian vineyards are owned by a proliferation of smallholders. Prior to 1789 the church owned most of the vineyards in Burgundy but these were seized and broken up as a direct result of the Revolution, which was as much anti-church as it was anti-aristocracy.The vineyards were further fragmented by inheritance laws that divided the plots into smaller and smaller parcels. Consequently many crus or growths are now owned by as many as 85 individual growers.
After the treat of the Route des Grands Crus, the extensive Morvan regional park may be our next discovery, as there we will be able to work off a few of the excess calories consumed on our travels so far. This is where we can be at peace with the beautiful countryside: hills no higher than 3000ft,a multitude of lakes and rivers and a variety of sports - walking, cycling, fishing, horse riding, rafting - to energise us for the rest of our journey. Often in the early evening hot air balloons can be seen rising silently over the countryside - an inspiring and serene way to view the landscape.
With more than 50,000 acres of lakes and an impressive network of canals, no-one who loves water should feel out of place here. Several major rivers cross the region: the Loire, flowing north along the western border on its way to the Atlantic; the Yonne joins the young Seine (its source is just northeast of Dijon) to reach the Channel; and the Saône flows south to join the Rhône on its journey to the Mediterranean. There are even spa towns such as Bourbon-Lancy and St-Honoré-les-Bains where you can ‘put some water in your wine’ - a well-known burgundian expression.
If we find the riches, and perhaps prices, of the Route des Grands Crus a bit too much then the Route des Grands Vins may be just right. Here we explore from Santenay (with its casino!) in the north to the medieval village of St-Gengoux-le-National, passing through the three villages of the Maranges, before arriving at the Côte Chalonnaise. Here we find Bouzeron, where another white grape, the Aligoté, has its own AOC and is definitely not to be used for making Kir, the famous burgundian aperitif invented by Canon Kir, a former Mayor of Dijon.
Heading further south, the names of the villages read like a wine list: Rully, Mercurey, Givry and Montagny. But let us pause and visit Chalon-sur-Saône, the busy river port from which this area takes its name. Photography was invented here in1816 by Nicéphore Niepce and the museum that bears his name has an extensive collection of 19th century photographic implements.
Our journey continues past the ancient Roman settlement of Tournus, via Cluny with its ruined Abbey and the stables of the National Stud, and must end just south of Mâcon, where the rocks of Vergisson and Solutré form the gateway to Beaujolais. solutre.JPGHere the dramatic cliff scenery matches the crispness of the renowned white wines made from the Chardonnay grape: Mâcon blanc, St Véran and Pouilly-Fuissé, and the rolling vine-clad hillsides find echoes in the soft, fruity reds made from the Gamay grape.
We hope you have enjoyed this briefest of journeys through a patchwork of countryside filled with superb scenery, amazing colours and sights, and incredible history. Burgundy is a region to be enjoyed in more ways than one: you can swim, canoe, ride, cycle, walk, and picnic in the vines; attend cookery courses; visit museums, churches and vineyards; eat and drink to your heart’s content. There is so much to see and do here that even the longest visit is never enough - but if you’ve never been – what are you waiting for?
Monica Mellor