Burgundy

Wines made within this famous region are usually made using main two grape varieties: Pinot Noir (Red Grape) and Chardonnay (White Grape). Other grape varieties such as Aligoté or Sauvignon Blanc feature in some wines. Winemakers in this area believe strongly in 'terroir' and consider this the secret to the significantly high quality of wines from this region. Over 200 million years ago, the region was part of a vast tropical sea which created limestone soils, resulting in that mineral zesty quality associated with Burgundian wines. The proof of this lies in the vineyards where one can even find fossilised sea creatures amongst the chunks of limestone and marl. There are a higher number of AOCs in Burgundy than any other French region. The practice of seperating vineyards by their terroir in Burgundy dates back to Medieval times, when various monasteries played a key role in developing the wine industry here. Napoleonic inheritance laws also lead to the fragmentation of vineyards, where plots were divided up between siblings.This led to a ridiculous situation where some world famous vineyards are owned by literally dozens of different people, sometimes with a single row of vines having different proprietors! There are several distinct sub-regions, each with their own individual characteristics. Four of these are located at the heart of Burgundy, in a thin strip spanning for about 120km between the towns of Dijon and Macon. Then, situated in an isolated pocket of limestone hills is Chablis. This area produces white Chardonnays so distinct in style to central Burgandy that Chablis is thought of as a region in its own right. Similar is Beaujolais is a sub-region of Burgundy even though it is located in the Rhone-Alpes region. This is a whopping 130miles away from Chablis. The climate in Burgundy is mostly continental, with relatively short summers and cool winters making it difficult for grapes to ripen fully. Vintages in Burgundy can vary greatly because of this. Another thing to remember when buying from Burgundy is that quality varies a lot across similar AOCs, and in many ways the producer's name is a better indicator of quality than the actual vineyard site.