A journey through magical Burgundy, famous for its architectural masterpieces, castles, wine cellars, and fairy-tale landscapes, will give you a chance to uncover the secrets of France and even all of Europe. After all, Burgundy once included modern Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg.
So, even if you only get a glimpse of the vast European heritage while traveling through the picturesque places of Burgundy, you will be captivated by its charm and culture. Exquisite gastronomy and fascinating stories will be additional attributes of a great vacation. After all, this is a country of great taste, where life itself is a work of art. Nowhere is there such a serious attitude towards simple things like cuisine and drinks.
It is obvious that wine has always been and remains in the foreground in Burgundy. And it is absolutely logical that tourists in Burgundy are offered to get to know the attractions of this region through the “wine road.”
However, can anyone be surprised that while traveling along the “great wines” road, you find yourself in both a wine estate and a cheese workshop, and a gastronomic restaurant, while also visiting architectural monuments and museums? Perhaps this road can be called – “the path for great gourmets and aesthetes.”
And the second place in Burgundy rightfully belongs to cheese; do not deny yourself the pleasure of trying this delicacy, despite the “smell.” The French say that just as a person has their own individual scent, which expresses their essence and character, so do products. So here, tastes converge in character and temperament. France without cheese, as the French themselves assert, is like a “car without a driver,” and wine is its Soul.
In general, the “wine road” is more than 200 km long. You can drive straight, or you can wind as you please; in any case, the road will lead you through the most beautiful and interesting places.
Your choice is always yours: energetically and in one go, relaxed and at a leisurely pace, you are on the path to understanding “the art of living the French way.”
In the very south of Burgundy lies the historical region called Beaujolais. The medieval appearance of the villages can be recognized from afar by the towers of the castle or the bell towers of the churches. In this fairy-tale land, there is no measurement of time; it has dissolved in harmony and tranquility, and the revived childhood dreams of a beautiful distant land have come to life. By the sun, you will determine the time, and by the color of the leaves, the season, but the year can rather be known by the wine label, as local wine is traditionally consumed fresh and young.
Indeed, alongside the famous Beaujolais Nouveau, the true vintage wines of this country are also valued by connoisseurs from all over the world.
On the way, we stop at one of the wine estates. Rather, palaces – Taizé. A provincial Versailles with a French park. One of the largest wine estates in Beaujolais – 97 hectares and many awards for wine production. The castle, like the park, was designed by royal architects and gardeners in the 17th century. The adjacent wine cellar impresses with its vaulted ceiling and the coolness of the stone walls; it is also the largest wine storage in Beaujolais. Here, in huge barrels, wine matures, which is not typical for this region, as it requires long aging and can be stored for more than 20 years.
Everywhere you feel respect for the land, the family’s past, and the traditions of winemakers, all that the aristocratic family has never neglected, but on the contrary, has carefully preserved and multiplied, improving the quality of wine, the creation of which has turned into a high art in Beaujolais.
The next stop is the village of Jarnioux, which sprawls in the valley of three streams that were used for water mills in ancient times. The central figure, as in many other villages in Beaujolais, is the architectural ensemble of the medieval castle, whose towers with shiny tiles create a dominant note in such a romantic image.
Another attraction in Beaujolais is the village of Oignt. Sprawled on top of a hill, it has completely preserved its medieval appearance. The winding streets are woven with houses made of golden stone. The winemakers’ cellars, artisans’ workshops, a restaurant with a panoramic terrace, everything for tranquility and inspiration. Before you unfolds magnificent views of the Alpine mountains, river valleys, hills embraced by vineyards… Ah, why am I not an artist, the question involuntarily arises.
Now we can talk about earthly matters, about cuisine…
The French paradox of nutrition can be experienced everywhere. The fame of chefs is based on excellent preparation from quality products and the result of their high mastery. After eating to your heart’s content and drinking wine to your fill, you will find that you do not get drunk and do not gain weight, and French cuisine cannot be called “lean.”
It is no coincidence that French gastronomy is successful all over the world, driving both ordinary mortals and…
Hearty, aesthetic, French cuisine remains light and exquisite even for novice cooks.
Few know that the celebrated gastronomy of France grew out of the family kitchen of Burgundy. A bold statement, you might say, but judge for yourself:
In Burgundy, in ancient times, one of the oldest cookbooks was created, authored by François Pierre La Varenne (1618-1678). He was the first to decide to abandon the use of exotic spices that overshadowed the taste of any product consumed. They were terribly expensive, so only the elite could afford them. For this reason, tasty food with spices was only on the table of the rich.
The Burgundian La Varenne replaced spices with accessible local seasonings: dill, parsley, bay leaf, tarragon, and chervil. The culinary principle is more than revolutionary: “If I eat cabbage soup, I must feel its taste.” Such vegetables as cauliflower, asparagus, green peas, cucumber, and artichoke were first proposed by him for consumption. And most importantly – aesthetic requirements were introduced for the dishes served. Previously, when cooking, the natural shape and color of the products were hidden; now this deserved attention. Everything for preserving natural beauty.
The natural wealth has been refined by chefs with good taste to perfection, and what is now called great French gastronomy would not be so if the SAUCE had not been invented in Burgundy. Where would modern gastronomy be without sauce?
So what is typically French is actually Burgundian. This is confirmed by the use of wine, which has been produced in Burgundy since time immemorial. In the preparation of dishes and sauces, wine plays a significant role. Take, for example, a family dish in Burgundy – bœuf bourguignon – this is stewed beef in a thick wine sauce, seasoned with garlic, onions, carrots, and mushrooms. In any restaurant today, you will find this dish on the menu alongside “rooster in wine” (coq au vin). And a feature of Dijon cuisine is the ham in jelly with a lot of parsley; externally, it looks like a delicate rose framed by green petals.
Rabbit in mustard sauce (lapin a la moutarde) will remind you of other local finds, such as mustard, of which there are more than 300 varieties. For sweet tooths, honey cakes, treats based on berries and honey, and of course, chocolate. One Burgundian in the 20th century combined his talent as a sculptor, artist, and pastry chef, opened his chocolate workshop, from which chocolate flies all over the world. The wine road passes right by his doorstep. Meet Monsieur XXX.
The cheese calling card of Burgundy is Epoisse cheese, Napoleon’s favorite cheese. In the 16th century, peasants borrowed the recipe for cheese from monks, and it still represents a festive treat in Burgundy at Christmas along with goose liver. It is produced year-round, and in the cheese factory, which you can also visit without leaving the road, they offer to observe its birth. As you approach, you are enveloped by the aroma of “fragrant” cheese. Gourmets go crazy, while newcomers grimace, barely holding back: “Ugh, how here….”. But this is not true; it is just a heady smell. The tender pulp of the cheese is specially hidden under a crust with a sharp smell, to be appreciated by those who are ready to value it.
Another product that has become a brand of Burgundy is black currant. A panacea for many diseases in the 18th century, currants are widely used in the preparation of various dishes: in sauces for meat, in numerous jams, syrups, creamy ice cream, pastries, and liqueurs.
Initially, this was purely a family treat until one day misfortune knocked at the door.
This happened when insects brought from America devoured the vineyards in Burgundy, and winemakers were on the brink of ruin. Decades were spent searching for ways to restore the grapevines. In complete despair, having found no other solution, winemakers uprooted the vineyards.
In those difficult years, a new use for the fertile soil of Burgundy emerged. Where the grapevines were uprooted, black currant bushes were planted. There is no bad without good – a well-known truth. Since then, both crops have formed the gastronomic reputation of the region, like older and younger sisters. As for saving the vineyards, a vaccine was found – the grape was grafted. Today, many believe that this was natural selection; it was a kind of survival test for both winemakers and grapes. It was then that the culture of wine was revived and established in France, the flourishing and legalization of winemaking according to all legal formalities occurred, and AOC (Appellation d’origine contrôlée) appeared – wine from a specific area (appellation), produced from specific grape varieties according to specific technologies – controlled quality by place of origin. Wine becomes the official heritage of France, as we know it today.
There is a suggestion to stop by for a tasting at the Pommard castle, whose wine was supplied to the court of Peter the Great. Not long after, this same drink was loved by Napoleon, who personally came here for tastings and orders.
Or visit the town of Chablis, the most copied white wine in the world, as it is produced from a single grape variety. But a copy is impossible for one simple reason called terroir, or in Russian “soil.” Once there was a sea here, so the type of soil is special; it contains marine deposits, remnants of shells, which, of course, affects the taste of the grapes, giving a mineral note with freshness, honeyedness, and fruity undertones.
Who hasn’t had the question in a wine shop, how to successfully choose wine? Traveling along the wine road, you will make this task easier for yourself.
In the city of Beaune, the capital of wine in Burgundy, after visiting the charming wine museum, you will understand any label of French wines. In a couple of minutes for a lifetime, you will learn to distinguish French wines when buying – after all, all the information is on the label, and even without knowing a foreign language, you will understand each of its signs. Even more, here you can distinguish Burgundy, Alsace, Bordeaux, and other French wines by the shape of the bottles.
For illustration, one example: Unlike Bordeaux, Burgundy bottles have practically no “shoulders,” and the “neck” is more sloped. In red Burgundy wines, the fermentation process on the mash is shorter, and the berry skins give the wine less of their tannin and coloring components. Therefore, the color is not as dense as in the wines of southwestern France. And with aging, there is more sediment in Bordeaux wine. That is why “shouldered” Bordeaux bottles appeared, to retain sediment when filling a glass, which is unnecessary in Burgundy.
To leave in memory and taste notes of local wines, we advise you not to refuse a tasting. In a good wine house, you will be offered a game to guess what flavor notes are in the wine, to try to break down the palette of aromas into components, or more complicated – to try to feel the age of the wine. In France, there are no bad wines. It remains to find only the wine that matches your taste, or character, or mood. In the multifaceted Burgundy, there are drinks for all occasions.
Enjoy your journey!
