Burgandy, France - Famous For Its Wines
By TDF. Filed in Travel & Living |
The terroir is a group of vineyards or vines from the same area which
have a common soil and climate. And nowhere else, other than Burgundy
in France, is it held so fondly.
Burgundy is a region situated in central east France, which
experiences bitter cold winters matched with beautiful warm summers. It
is the home of 1.6 million inhabitants.
Burgundy (Bourgogne) is famous throughout the world for its wines.
Spanning over 31,500 square kilometers (over 12,000 square miles), with
a 360 km (225 mi) strip stretching 100km (60 mi) south of Paris, down
from south of Dijon to north of Rhoône, houses 99 different wine
appellations.
Ranging from the vibrant red Pommard and Corton to the medium
Beaune — to the sparkling whites, the dry Chablis or Chassagne
Montrachet, over 180 million bottles of some of the fines wines are
made in this region.
As an aftermath of the French revolution the vineyards belonging to
the monasteries were broken down to smaller plots – which exist even
today.
The finest quality wine, designated as “Premier Cru” – is available
from 600 of the vineyards in the region while 33 of them is credit to
produce the even more classy “Grand Cru” wines. Among these the most
renowned are Montrachet, Chambertin and Clos Vougeot.
Made from the pinot noir grapes, the burgundy red wines taste best
with Boeuf Bourguignon or pheasant. On the other hand a Chablis or
their sparkling white wines go best with anything from shrimps to goat
cheese.
The famous white wine called Chablis derives its name from a
village of the same name. These are dry whites with an acidity that
refreshes. The special Chardonnay grapes thrive in limestone that has
been made richer with remains of fossils.
As an accompaniment to lamb or grilled chicken, the best choice is
the fruity-flavored, world famous Beaujolais made from the Gamay grape.
These grapes grow in granite limestone.
The ever-popular and delicious red is grown in Volnay for the last
8 centuries. The grapes are Pinot Noir grown across 600 acres which is
responsible in producing 1.3 million bottles of this amazing wine which
has the flavors of raspberries and violets.
And then there is Meursault, located close by, famous for its
Premier Cru labels of finest white wines. 2.5 million bottles of the
finest wine, Chardonnay, aged anywhere between 3 to 15 years is grown
in just over 1000 acres. Fish in white sauce go extremely well with
this fine wine with its almond and apple flavors.
But what still makes the headlines is the red Pommard with its
tannic and manly flavor, staging a comeback after many years of
decline. From just 780 acres of Pinot Noir grown in limestone and red
clay are produced 1.8 million bottles of this wine with the flavors of
black cherry and black currant. Goes excellent with game venison and
roasted red meat with Livarot cheese, these can age from 5 to 15 years.
Whatever your taste buds need, there is very little chance of returning home disappointed with a Burgundy.
