I love Burgundy. There … I’ve admitted it! It produces some of the finest wines the world has ever seen (and drunk!) but is as rural and unpretentious as any place I have ever visited.
From Auxerre in the north to Macon in the south, between which lie the famous Cote de Nuits and Cote d’Or, Burgundy’s main wine growing region extends to no more than around 40 kilometres in length and is about 2 kilometres wide, running along the eastern side of hills that provide some protection from the elements. It consists of dozens of tiny villages, many of which visually disclose little of their truly rich heritage and the multimillion pound enterprises that still carry on in the often rustic buildings attached to what might be described as relatively modest looking dwellings. Of course, there are grand chateaux too, but on the whole Burgundy is the most unassuming of places.
Whilst it is often impossible to tell where one vineyard ends and another starts, not least because any single vineyard might own only a few rows of vines within any particular plot, some of them are identified by gated entrances which specify either the name of the vineyard (Batard Montrachet, for example) or the name of the winery. These gated entrances often seem to appear out of nowhere, the remainder of the boundary being open and unsecured. However, there are a smaller number of vineyards that are fully walled such as the famous Clos de Vougeot, created by the Cistercians in 1336. And dotted around the vineyards one often finds quaint little buildings where equipment is stored for working in the vineyards.
Whilst unsurprisingly people equate Burgundy with wine, at its heart it is so much more than that. It is a veritable haven of amazing places to eat and fantastic produce. In the north there is Dijon, the birth place of what is, for me, the greatest of mustards! To the south east is Lyon, arguably the culinary capital of France. And all around are artisan producers such as Alain Hess, master fromagier in Beaune. There are also almost more Michelin stars dotted throughout Burgundy than one could conceive of! I said that this would be a brief introduction and so, in terms of words it shall be. However, they do say that pictures speak a thousand words and so a few more photographs follow that capture just a little bit of the essence of this place!
