Burgundy

Burgundy is large wine region in eastern France, made up of three provinces, Yonne, Côte-d'Or, and Saône-et-Loire. Many award-winning wines come from regional producers including Domaine de la Romanée-Conti and Domaine Leflaive.

The types of wines produced here are diverse and range from chalky, mineral-rich Chablis (a white wine made from mostly Chardonnay grapes) to terroir-driven Burgundies (Pinot Noirs) and Beaujolais (Gamay grapes). Aligoté is a white-wine grape also planted in Burgundy and used to make dry white wines as well as Kir, made from mixing the grape with black-currant liqueur. Sauvignon Blanc grapes grow here as well. All in all, there are around 3,200 wineries in the Burgundy region.

Winemakers from around the world travel to Beaune, a village in Burgundy, to take classes at the Burgundy Wine School. For one weekend each November, Hospices de Beaune runs one of the world’s most famous wine auctions. Year-round, Beaune is well-versed in wine tourism, with many wine shops, wine bars, and wine classes open to visitors.

Quick Facts

• Dijon, a town known for its mustards, is the capital city in the Burgundy region
• Burgundy has the highest number of appellations (100) of any other French wine region
• 90 percent of the grapes grown in the esteemed Côte de Nuits region are red-wine grapes