DO YOU WANT TO TRY SOMEWHERE DIFFERENT IN FRANCE?

Try the east for a change. One area well known to British wine drinkers but less well known to Britons is Burgundy. Only 5 - 6 hours from the Channel Ports or 90 minutes from Geneva or Lyon airports this area abounds with small villages, individual cuisine and lots and lots of really fine wines.

"We're biased. We live in a small village in the extreme east of Burgundy, right on the border with the Jura Department and we love it here" say John & Carolyn Scallon at www.bandb-burgundy.com

who offer excellent accommodation (4 individually decorated bedrooms with en-suite facilities) in the heart of south Burgundy at Sens-sur-Seille (71 Saone-et-Loire, Burgundy) east of Chalon-sur-Saone.

THE BURGUNDY WINE ROUTE below

The regions capital, Dijon is full of culture and commerce. An ideal way to spend a day shopping, even down to a state-of-the-art IKEA at prices much cheaper than the UK, strolling around the old town and selecting your lunch time stop-over. The covered market, open Tuesdays, Fridays & Saturdays and really worth a visit, is surrounded by a host of restaurants and cafes but be quick. 12.00 is lunchtime here. This area still believes that the two hour lunch is, whilst not absolutely compulsory, certainly a very good idea.

First off let's say that if you're looking to go to Chablis you've got a long drive from us. Chablis is about 2 hours each way from here being an outpost of Burgundy wine. It is the last remnant of a huge area of vines that used to provide Paris with all it's wine! The whites are stunning and there are some surprising reds as well, but for something a little different try the Irancy, this blends Pinot Noir with the local grape Cesar. Should you be returning to the UK via the A6 Autoroute Chablis is not far from junctions 21 or 20.

The Route des Grand Crus is a "where's where" of fine Burgundy. Starting near Beaune it travels northwards to just south of Dijon, generally parallel to and occasionally using the N74. The villages are all you ever dream of, with memories of every film featuring rural French living appearing around every corner!

If you start at the southernmost end at Santenay you can even have a go in the Casino (not the supermarket!). Soon you will reach some of the biggest names in white wine. Chassagne-Montrachet and Puligny-Montrachet. These small villages are home to what their growers modestly call "the best white wines in the world". They're certainly not far out! The Grand Crus of these villages will set you back a lot but will keep for about 10 years, maturing all the time so that when the novelty of showing them off to friends begins to pale (as the friends stop coming around for dinner!) you're forced to drink them. If you're of the generous type you may even invite those friends around to help. I wouldn't! Meursault comes next with good, high quality whites just behind the big two and for a lighter alternative try Volnay. As an aside just up the valley from Chassagne-Montrachet is the village of Gamay which gives its name to the grape variety that makes the great Beaujolais. Nearby is Chateau de Pommard which offers tours of the winemaking process and tastings afterwards. They vary in price depending on how many tastings you have!

After a quick drive through Beaune on the ring road (Schumacher ring as we call it) staying on the N74 the first village that you come to is Aloxe-Corton. More Grand Crus but now the wines are mostly red. Wines with the label Corton are the great ones, Aloxe-Corton is merely outstanding. To help add to the confusion there is a Grand Cru white lurking in the background. Near the village of Pernand-Vergelesses are the vines that produce Corton-Charlemagne, a rival to Puligny-Montrachet.

The Cote de Nuits centres around Nuits-Saint-Georges. Nuits-St-Georges has it's own Hospice auction, similar to Beaune, but in March (usually the last weekend). The town is quite large and well worth a small wander around. There are several wine merchants in the centre whose wares you may well wish to try. This is very definitely the beaten track as regards tourists so English will be spoken in the majority of places. Pressing on further north you come to Vosne-Romanee and Clos de Vougeot. It is in the Clos that the true complexity of French Wine laws come home to roost. Inside a 125 acres walled vineyard virtually every major grower and negociant in the region has a small parcel. If your grower is good then the wine will be great, if not, the wine will only be outstanding. For a bargain (relatively speaking) find some Grand Echezeaux.

Up to Gevrey-Chambertin via Chambolle-Musigny, home of yet another Grand Cru which brings forth an almost heavy, Bordeaux like red, rare in Burgundy. You need to keep this for a minimum of 10 - 15 years before letting the friends in for dinner. Through Morey-St-Denis with the intriguingly named Clos de Tart (NOT Old Tart which you could by in off licenses in the early 90's) and you end up at Gevrey-Chambertin. Rich full reds that again need the friends to come around in about 10 years time. Ho hum!

If you like exploring try your hand at the back roads to the north & northwest of Beaune. Both the Haut Cotes de Beaune and the Haut Cotes de Nuits provide a great drive with the likelyhood of finding some really first rate wines at less than Premier Cru prices. Both areas are opening up the vineyards and welcome callers.

Should you fancy more of a structured tasting try Safari Winetours or Vineawine tours from Beaune. These have minibuses that drive you off to a couple of tastings, some with lunch included. They're not cheap, running in at about 35 - 45 Euros a head but can be really good fun. One operator runs tours at 10.30, 14.00 & 18.00. Now that really would be a grand day out!

(For more info contact John & Carolyn Scallon at www.bandb-burgundy.com)