beaujolais FRANCE

Burgundy is one of the most prestigious vineyards of France. It was the favorite vineyard during the monarchy thanks to the great Dukes of Burgundy, who made the wine of Burgundy an upper-class wine in fashion; and thanks to the Clergy, which was a important landowner. You must know that at this time, 14th and 15th centuries, Burgundy became an independent state, whose main income was the exportation of wine.

Burgundy Wines are very popular all over the world with, for example wines like, Nuits Saint Georges or Romanée Conti. Don't forget neither Chablis, Pouilly, Maconnais wines. Burgundy is divided into five districts, which make very different wines, from North to South:

• 1/ The district of Chablis, where the famous white wine of the same name is produced
• 2/ The district of Cote d'Or, which is the heart of Burgundy and which means litteraly "golden slope". In this district, there are two vineyards: Cote de Nuits and Cote de Beaune
• 3/ The Cote Chalonnaise
• 4/ The Maconnais, where the very famous Pouilly-Fuisse is produced
• We can also quote the vineyard of Beaujolais, situated at the extreme South of Burgundy, near the city of Lyon. Beaujolais is made for being drunk young and is principally done with Gamay grape. It is a fresh, light and red wine. The third Thursday of November is the day of Beaujolais Nouveau, and French people celebrate the new vintage.

One of the major annual event of Burgundy is the wine auction of the Hospices de Beaunes, with a president of honor chosen among the most prestigious persons in the fields of arts and letters, such as Catherine Deneuve, or royal families. The benefits of the sale are entirely given to a charity organization named by the president of honor. Despite the ceremonial aspect of this sale (there are costumes, rituals,…), it is a real feast done in a good atmosphere.

Obviously, wines of Burgundy blend with gastronomy of Burgundy, which is characterized by mustard, snails, poultry of Bresse, beef from the Charolais.

Let's discover the diversity of French vineyards: Champagne, Beaujolais Bourgogne, Alsace, Loire Valley, Rhone Valley, Provence, Bordeaux and Languedoc-Roussillon.