FrenchDuck’s databank
Burgundy wine

In the east of France and to the east of Burgundy adjacent to Switzerland, the Ain is probably a little overlooked by most visitors.

With Bourg-en-Bresse as its principal town it is a region of gentle hills and river valleys - which is one of the hidden parts of France.

The departement includes Bugey and the wines of Bugey. These are VDQS wines (Vins Délimité de Qualité Superieure) - a classification between full Appellation Controllee and VIns de Pays. As such there are restrictions on grape varieties used and planting and harvesting techniques - and the grapes must be grown in the designated region. White wines from Chardonnay, Roussette; Rosé wines from Gamay and Poulsard; Reds from Gamay, Pinot and Mondeuse; and sparkling wines from Chardonnay. Seldom seen in the UK.
For an opportunity to taste some of these wines there is an open tasting in Lyon from 25-26 January 2008 - click here for more details
For more on the wines of Bugey see www.vinsdubugey.net
One of the highlights of the year is the celebration of the famous yellow corn-fed chickens from Bourg-en-Bresse - the Glorieuses de Bresse held every December shortly before Christmas (for 2008 it runs from 16-21 December 2008 - in the form of a market and other festivities held in Bourg-en-Bresse, Louhans, Pont de Vaux and Montrevel-en-Bresse - see www.glorieusesdebresse.com

More info - see the Ain Tourism Office

For an English run B&B in the region with a knowledgeable host and guide see B&B Burgundy

Etaples (62 Pas de Calais, Nord-Pas-de-Calais) celebrates its 15th Herring Fesitval (Fete du Hareng Roi) on the weekend of 10-11 November 2007.
Etaples is an important centre for commercial (and amateur) fishing on the English Channel (or French Manche) at the mouth of the River Canche, close to classy Le Touquet. This version offers grilled, smoked and marinated herrings plus stories of the sea! (see www.etaples-tourisme.com)

Alternatively, the following weekend (17-18 November 2007) Boulogne-sur-Mer holds its Herring Festival with the addition of sea-shanties and the arrival of the Beaujolais Nouveau, which happens to be quite a good food and wine combination! (see www.tourisme-boulognesurmer.com)

Arthur Rackham’s in Guildford, Surrey have a regular BIG tasting and the next will be held on Saturday 27 October 2007 with the theme “wines and spirits of France.”

An impressive selection is offered for tasting including some Champagne, Bordeaux and Burgundy plus Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Cahors, Alsace, Languedoc, Loire, Rhone and Armagnac:-

Lallier Brut Rose Premier Cru NV
Chateau La Rame Bordeaux Blanc 2006
Domaine du Bouchot Pouilly Fume 2005 (Loire)
Aegerter Bourgogne Chardonnay 2006 abd Beaune Premier Cru Les Reversees Blanc 2005
Domaine d. l. Presidente Chateauneuf-du-Pape Blanc 2006
Domaine Belles Pierres Clauzes de Jo Blanc 2005 (Languedoc)
Zusslin Riesling Clos du Liebenberg 2002 (Alsace)
Aegerter Bourgogne Rouge 2005 and Gevrey Chambertin 2005
Chateau La Rame, Bordeaux 2005
Chateau Bujan, Cote du Bourg 2005
Chateau Caroline, Moulis-en-Medoc 2000
Chateau Mongravey, Mongravey 2005 (Margaux)
Domaine Belles Pierre Clauzes de Jo Rouge 2005 (Languedoc)
Chateau Haute-Serres, Cahors 2003 (Southwest France)
Domaine de la Presidente Cairenne Cote du Rhone 2005

Chateau La Rame Traditionnel St-Croix-du-Mont 2004

Comte du Lauvia VSOP Armagnac

There is a charge of £5.00 but that seems well worthwhile for the opportunity to taste your way through some of these wines,
SeeArthur Rackham.

North of Macon at Igé (71 Saone-et-Loire, Burgundy) you could indulge in a wine and gastronomic stay at this aptly named Chambre d’Hote (B&B) In addition to 5 very spacious comfortable bedrooms in this former winemaker’s house, they offer Table d’Hote suppers and tutored food and wine tastings and tours in the heart of Burgundy - with an impressive cellar and wine museum.
The area is high on the hills north of the Beaujolais region, close to Pouilly-Fuissé AC and is particularly good for its Chardonnay-based white wines. We used to import the white Macon-Berzé AC from Chateau de Berzé through our friends at Paul Beaudet - still available from Paul Beaudet in Pontanevaux in France.
Also in the vicinity is the Abbey of Cluny and a medieval town with many houses dating back to the 12th and 14th centuries. The magnificent landscapes of Solutré, Mont Saint Romain and the surrounding Charolais region are all within easy reach.

For more info see http://cote-vigne.suivezlagrappe.com

The third Thursday in November is the release date for the new vintage of Beaujolais Nouveau, nowadays the first date on which it can be sold. In earlier years the wine was not allowed to leave the region before Wednesday midnight which is where the tradition of the Beaujolais Nouveau run was born. But back in the 70s and 80s this was a major wine event in the UK - but no more, as we have so much more choice, and Beaujolais Nouveau seldom represents great value for money - it is a bit of a novelty, and in good years it can be wonderful - really juicy jammy easy-drinking wines. However in not so good years it can be thin and acidic.

Nick Dobson knows the region and its wines well and always selects good Beaujolais and Beaujolais Nouveau:-

2007 has again been a very mixed year climatically; a mild winter allowed very early flowering of the vines in mid May, and the hope and expectation of another hot year in the same style as 2003, with an August harvest. In the end however, the summer was cooler than expected, and the harvest took place just slightly ahead of normal in early September. Warm dry weather round the harvest was beneficial for grape maturity and fruit quality. The general consensus from growers I have spoken with is that this years’s Nouveaux wines will be extremely fruity in style; the verdict on the main crop of 2007 Cru Beaujolais wines will have to wait a while, but the vintage is generally thought as being of good or slightly above-average quality.

However, you do need to pre-order (by 28 October) if you are interested - see Nick Dobson Fine Wines

Recommended reading: I’ll Drink to That: Beaujolais and the French Peasant Who Made It the World’s Most Popular Wine

This year sees the 147th Auction of the wine of the Hospices de Beaune - which, whilst it may look like an opportunity for a host of fat cats and celebrities to indulge in lots of great Burgundy and sumptuous food, does serve a more serious purpose. Firstly, it is a charity event, raising money for good causes, for the local charity hospital and often for childrens charities - and in 2006 they raised over €200,000!
Secondly, it serves as a guide to Burgundy prices for the year, not in absolute terms but more as an inidcator of prices rising or falling.

The 2007 auction will take place at 2.30 pm, on Sunday 18th November, in Beaune’s covered market, as is traditional. The directors of the Hospices de Beaune have asked Christie’s to organise the next four sales, up until 2010. Christie’s will continue its pursuit of the goals set with the Hospices, to renew and expand the international renown of the wine auction, attracting members of the public, and professionals of the wine trade, to bid from around the world. The 2007 auction will also benefit from the new, on-line auction service, CHRISTIE’S LIVE™

The Auction is the centre piece of a three day celebration of Burgundy wines, otherwise known as “Les Trois Glorieuses” (the Three Glories) which starts on Saturday with a serious banquet at Clos Du Vougeot hosted by Les Chevaliers du Tastevin (brotherhood of the tasting bowl) and culminates Monday lunchtime with the “Paulée de Meursault” a combined lunch and tasting to celebrate the end of the harvest in this famous appellation which produces the best white Burgundy.

more info on Hospices de Beaune
more info on Clos du Vougeot
more info on Meursault

Dijon (21 Cote d’Or, Bourgogne) has its Vine Festival at the end of August, which is not just about wine.
The medieval city combines a wine festival as the wine harvst approaches with an annual celebration of world folklore. 2007 see the 59th festival which will include performances throughout the city by folk musicians from around the world. A craft fair and a grand public tasting of the local Burgundy wines should make Dijon an exciting place to be for the week.
For more info see www.fetesdelavigne.fr

Villers-Cotterêts(02 Aisne, Picardie) - Joigny (Burgundy) running to the eastern side of Paris via la Ferté-Gaucher (77, Seine et Marne, Ile de France)

for more info click here

Beaune, Burgogne - see www.frenchduck.com

Pouilly-sur-Loire (58 Nievre, Bourgogne), best known for its crisp Sauvignon Pouilly-Fumé wines, celebrates its wine festival on the banks of the Loire.
For more info see www.ot-pouillysurloire.fr

The appellation system in Burgundy get confusing – whereas elsewhere in France an appellation usually covers quite a wide geographical area, in Burgundy an individual plot of land can be classified as a separate appellation. So for example in Meursault, one of the best white wine areas (Chardonnay) with some pretty good Pinot Noir reds, the following are the individual appellations:-

La Barre et le Clos de la Barre.
Les Casse-Tête.
Les Charrons.
Les Chevalières.
Les Clous.
Les Corbins.
Les Criots.
Le Cromin.
Le Limosin.
Les Luchets.
Les Marcausses.
Le Meix-Chavaux.
Les Millerands.
La Monatine.
Le Murger-de-Monthelie.
Les Narvaux.
Les Pellans.
Les Pelles.
Le Pré-de- Manche.
Les Rougeots.
Les Terres-Blanches.
Les Tessons.
Les Tillets.
La Velle.
Les Vireuils.

For more info see http://www.ot-meursault.fr/meursault/fr/lemeursault.htm

As its name suggest Private Cellar tends to major on en-Primeur and vintage Bordeaux and fine Burgundy, Champagne and Cigars. It is therefore quite something that the only French wines they stock outside the traditional “fine” wine regions are those from Guy Cuisset’s Chateau Grinou in Bergerac, South West France. Well-crafted wines with great intensity of fruit flavour, they were a consistent feature of the Allez Vins! wine list, and one of my regrets at no longer importing wine is that I no longer have easy access to these great value wines, nor the opportunity to talk with Guy about his latest innovations.

Their selection of wines from other parts of the world looks to be equally well selected.

Private Cellar was launched in April 2005 by a team of wine trade professionals determined to provide a unique wine buying experience for wine lovers

Private Cellar
51 High Street, Wicken, Ely, Cambridgeshire, CB7 5XR
T: 01353 721 999 F: 01353 724 074 e: orders@privatecellar.co.uk
Website: www.privatecellar.co.uk

The Yorkshire Dales is one of the most beautiful regions of the UK (I used to live there) - such a large rural area is not over-populated with too many good specialist wine merchants. TheAngel Inn at Hetton is a favourite Bar, Brasserie and Restaurant with rooms in the heart of the Dales, and its offshoot The Wine Cave is an online Burgundy specialist.

“At the Wine Cave we have a simple philosophy that is to make Burgundy accessible to as many people as possible. By virtue of buying good quality wines from small, lesser known producers, we are able to pass on to our customers a level of quality and value for money that is otherwise unheard of in the UK. This is highlighted by our offering no less than six Grand Cru Burgundies for under £36.00!”

The Wine Cave
c/o The Angel Inn, Hetton, Skipton, North Yorkshire, BD23 6LT

Tel: 01756 730415 | Fax: 01756 730363 | email: info@winecave.co.uk

John & Carolyn Scallon offer comfortable Bed & Breakfast (Chambre d’Hote) accommodation in Burgundy either for stop-overs en route south or for short or longer stays. At Sens-sur-Seille (71 Saone-et-Loire, Bourgogne).
This would be an opportunity to explore some of the lesser known parts of Burgundy with the additional bonus of experienced advice from your English hosts who can help you plan your itinerary to get the best from your day - and recommend vineyards and restaurants.

Just 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 (see map)
For more info and for suggestions on visiting the vineyards of Burgundy see www.frenchduck.co.uk

The French House, is a large British-owned 4-bedroom house on the banks of the River Yonne, within a few kilometres of Auxerre, Chablis, Irancy, St Bris-le-Vineux and Clamecy.
We’ve visited the area several times in recent years, and it has many attractions - not only the easy access to good vineyards. Nearby the Canal du Nivernais connects the Yonne to Nevers (58 Nievre, Bourgogne) through some wonderful unspoilt and tranquil countryside - and even if your not a boating enthusiast, the towpaths provide access to countryside which is often inaccessibe by road.
The French House is at Vincelottes (89 Yonne, Burgundy - see map) just 12 kilometres south of Auxerre. Away from the bustle (and facilities) of Auxerre, Vincelottes is truly rural, surrounded by farms, orchard and vineyards. Within 15 minutes are vineyards with everything from honest “Grand Ordinaire de Bourgogne” to the finest Premier Cru Chablis. Personally I find the reds in this northern part of Burgundy a bit thin, but the whites including Chardonnays from Chablis and Sauvignons from St Bris.can be magnifique! There are also numerous restaurants (this is Burgundy after all!) and evocative villages replete with history. And it is all within 4 hours of Calais.

The Accommodation - the house has a large multi-purpose living room with a well-fitted kitchen (including dishwasher), a dining area which seats 10 people and a spacious lounge, English TV and radio are available and the room’s three windows overlook the river.
On the first floor are a bathroom and 4 bedrooms, three doubles with river view and a fourth twin-bedded room which faces the internal courtyard. Guests also have the use of a fully-fitted laundry room and garaging for 2 cars.
Terms are £500 pw. - or £250 per 3-day short break. The fee includes all services. bed linen and towels. Changeover day is Friday, but can be adjusted by arrangement.

Recommended vineyards include Jean-Marc Brocard at Chablis and Domaine Felix at St Bris-le-Vineux.

For more info on te French House see
Contact the owners, Jill Tounsend (jtounsend@aol.com) T: 01455 292298