Flavors of Burgundy

French wines > Burgundy wines

For those who know and love wine, a few appellations likely come to mind when thinking about the Burgundy wine region. Chablis, Gevery-Chambertin, Meursault and Mercurey are renowned, established names in the world of French wine. There are many lesser-known appellations, however, that yearn to be explored, and are unexpected in the mid-range price category that challenge the notion that what is rare must be expensive.

In Burgundy, the 100 different appellations fall into four levels; Regional wines produced over the entire Burgundy wine-growing area, Village appellations, which are wines produced on land around wine-growing villages bearing their name, Premier Cru appellations produced on very accurately defined plots of land called ‘climats’ within a village and Grand Cru appellations, produced on the best plots on village land. Some are less famous than others, but all will bring pleasure to the palate.

“There are so many extraordinary wines to experience coming out of the lesser-known appellations of Burgundy,” said Pierre-Henry Gagey, Président of the Burgundy Wine Board (BIVB). “Canadian wine-lovers who have already discovered and experienced the ‘terroir’ of some of Burgundy’s most popular appellations will be pleasantly surprised by what the rest of the region has to offer.”

With 27,000 hectares of vines from North to South, Burgundy is a region of contrasts. Burgundy wines are produced by 4,000 wine-growing domains, 250 merchant houses and 23 co-operative cellars, so there are lots to choose from and something to suit every taste and budget.