An Introduction to France’s Burgundy Region

Burgundy [French: Bourgogne] is a historical territory and former administrative region and province of east-central France. The province was once home to the Dukes of Burgundy from the early 11th century until the late 15th century. The capital, Dijon, was wealthy and powerful, being a major European center of art and science, and of Western Monasticism in early Modern Europe. Burgundy was a focal point of courtly culture that set the fashion for European royal houses and their court. The Duchy of Burgundy was a key in the transformation of the Middle Ages towards early modern Europe.

Burgundy wine (French: Bourgogne or vin de Bourgogne) is from the Burgundy region of eastern France, in the valleys and slopes west of the Saône, a tributary of the Rhône; one of France's main wine-producing areas. It is well known for both its red and white wines, mostly made from Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes, respectively. Gamay, Aligote, Pinot Blanc, and Sauvignon Blanc grapes are also grown. The region is subdivided into the Côte-d'Or, Beaujolais, Chablis, the Côte Chalonnaise and Mâcon.

Burgundy has a higher number of appellations d'origine contrôlée (AOCs) than any other French region and is the most terroir-conscious of the French wine regions. There are one hundred appellations in Burgundy, and these are classified into four quality categories- which are: Bourgogne, Village, Premier Cru and Grand Cru. Burgundy's terrain is continental climate characterized by cold winters and hot summers. The weather is unpredictable, with rain, hail, and frost all possible around harvest time. Such a climate results in vintages from Burgundy varying considerably.

The wine-growing part of this area in the heart of Burgundy is just 40 kilometers (25 mi) long, and in most places less than 2 kilometers (1.2 mi) wide. The area is made up of tiny villages surrounded by a combination of flat and sloped vineyards on the eastern side of a hilly region, providing some rain and weather shelter from the prevailing westerly winds. The best wines are from the Grand Cru vineyards grown from the middle and higher part of the slopes (where the vineyards have the most sunshine and the best drainage); while the Premier Cru comes from a little less favorably exposed slope. The Village wines are from the flat territory nearer the villages.

Burgundy is the most terroir-oriented region in France; where immense attention is on the area of origin, and in which of the region's four hundred types of soil a wine's grapes have been grown. Burgundy classifications are geographically focused, as reflected on the wine's labels, where appellations are most prominent. The producers' names appear at the bottom of the label in smaller text. (As contrasted to Bordeaux, where classifications are producer-driven and awarded to individual chateaux.)