Menu
Burgundy Canal
Boats & barges
- Special rates
- Barge cruises
- Self drive Boat rental
- B & B barges
- Boats barges for sale
- Ship yards
- Season jobs & crew employment
Canalside
Accommodation
Exploring
Activities
The Burgundy wine region has a very different appearance with regards to the flamboyant buildings of the Champagnes and large estates of Bordeaux. The Burgundian area is very concentrated and dense, there are many "appellations" and "climats" each with a unique taste and often separated only by a small stone wall.
With the French revolution, the vines were taken out of the hands of the nobel families and church estates. They were then divided between the people. Hence, many "Appellation" are owned and or produced under different names. Today there are three main wine growing areas in Burgundy.
To the north in the Yonne is the small town of Chablis, the Chablis white wine area, using Chardonnay grapes on a flinty soil. The wines are very dry.
To the south of Dijon, beginning at Marsannay: The vines yards lay on a narrow, southeast facing geographical fault, at the most 5 kilometers wide, but span southwards for more than 100 kilometres. This is the Cote d'Or, which in turn is divided into two very distinct regions.
The Cote de Nuits
The Cote de Nuit: Besides Dijon, the Marsannay vine yards mark
the beginnings of the Cote de Nuits wines, produce a dry fruity
rose. Continuing towards Beaune, one finds the reputed full bodied
and heavy red wines using Pinot Noir grapes. The great names such
as Morey Saint Denis, Gevrey Chambertin, Fixin, Vougeot, Vosne Romanée
and Nuit Saint George are here. Pursuing the journey, the Cote de
Nuit suddenly becomes the Cote de Beaune, the frontier is a stone
wall of the domain Clos de Langres.
The Cote de Beaune
The other side of the wall the wines change and become the Cote de Beaune. The wines are amongst some of the greatest names, such as Aloxe Corton, Corton Charlemagne, Savigny les Beaune, Beaune, Pommard, Volnay.
Although the region is still dominantly a Pinot Noir area, there are some very important productions of Chardonnay white wines such as Mersault, Montrachet and Pernand Vergeless.
If you are cruising on the canal, there is very few occasions where you will see vine yards. However Chateau Chassagne has made much effort of the last couple of years, and replanted vines on visible grounds after more than a 100 years absence.
Whilst you are in Burgundy, please make a visit to this unique region. Within the villages, it is always possible to taste and visit family owned wine productions. There are miles of very old wine cellars tunneled beneath the houses, holding oak barrels and bottles of wine, laid down to age. With in the town of Beaune, there cellars are more than 50 kilometres long !
The small city of Beaune holds the title of the Burgundy wine capital, once the Ducal capital of Burgundy, until the Dukes built an impressive palace in Dijon. Beaune is home to the "Hospices de Beaune", which was a poor man's hospital built in 1427 by Nicolas Rolin. Although the Hospice is an interesting historical visit, one should not forget that through the years, the Hospice has inherited many vines. The wine production from the Hospice is very prestigious and of a high , and an annual auction of wines, called "Les trois glorieuses", is held at the indoor market ("Les Halles"). The profits from the auctions going to the Hospice.
1959 was one of the rare years, the wines were some of the best of the century. Hence in 1963, the house of Patriarche and some others, decided to seal and lay down more than 2000 bottles of the best Grand crus. The bottles are in a cellar called "Caveau de lan 2000", the entrance is protected by an iron door, locked with three keys. One of the keys in the Hospice de Beaune, one in the Town hall and the other with André BOISSEAUX. The door was opened the 3rd Sunday of November year 2000, which corresponds to the traditional wine auction at the Hospice de Beaune.
One of the best wine collections available on Internet comes from a small village town near Beaune, the site is called Vinantica.Com, you'll find all the best Burgundy wines and many others from very interesting regions throughout the world.
- Vinantica, near Bligny sur Ouche
- Marche aux vins, beside the Hospices de Beaune in the town centre
- Chateau Pierre Andre, in the village of Aloxe Corton
- Chateau de Meursault, with one of the most impressive wine cellars.
Wine names from Burgundy
Chardonay
Dry white wine
- Batard Montrachet (Grand cru)
- Chassagne Montrachet (Grand cru)
- Corton Charlemagne (Grand cru)
- Chatains (Premier Cru)
- Chaume de Talvat (Premier Cru)
- Côte de Savant (Chablis Premier Cru)
- Côte de Vaubarousse (Chablis Premier Cru)
- Côte des Pres Girots (Chablis Premier Cru)
Aligoté
Dry white wine
- Bourgogne Aligote
Sauvignon
Dry white wine
- Saint Bris
Pinot Noir
Red wine
- Aloxe Corton
- Auxey Duresses
- Auxey Duresses Côte de Beaune
- Forets (Chablis Premier Cru)
- Fourchaume (Chablis Premier Cru)
- Beaune
- Beauroy (Chablis Premier Cru)
- Berdiot (Chablis Premier Cru)
- Beugnons (Chablis Premier Cru)
- Bienvenues Batard Montrachet
- Blagny
- Blagny Côte de Beaune
- Blanchot (Chablis Grand Cru)
- Bonnes Mares
- Bourgogne
- Bourgogne Clairet
- Bourgogne Grand Ordinaire
- Bourgogne Ordinaire
- Bouzeron
- Brouilly
- Butteaux (Chablis Premier Cru)
- Chablis
- Chambertin
- Chambertin Clos de Beze
- Chambolle Musigny
- Chapelle Chambertin
- Chapelot (Chablis Premier Cru)
- Charlemagne
- Charmes Chambertin
- Chassagne Montrachet
- Chassagne Montrachet Côte de Beaune
- Chenas
- Chevalier Montrachet
- Chiroubles
- Chitry
- Chorey Les Beaune
- Chorey Les Beaune Côte de Beaune
- Clos de la Roche
- Clos de Tart
- Clos de Vougeot
- Clos des Lambrays
- Clos Saint-Denis
- Corton
- Côte Chalonnaise
- Côte de Beaune
- Côte de Brechain (Chablis Premier Cru)
- Côte de Brouilly
- Côte de Cuissy (Chablis Premier Cru)
- Côte de Fontenay (Chablis Premier Cru)
- Côte de Jouan (Chablis Premier Cru)
- Côte de Lechet (Chablis Premier Cru)
- Côte de Nuits Villages
- Côte Roannaise
- Côte Saint-Jacques
- Côtes d'Auxerre
- Côtes de Beaune Villages
- Coulanges la Vineuse
- Cremant de Bourgogne
- Criots Batard Montrachet
- Echezeaux
- Epineuil
- Fixin
- Fleurie
- Gevrey Chambertin
- Givry
- Grand Echezeaux
- Grenouilles (Chablis Grand Cru)
- Griotte Chambertin
- Hautes Côtes de Beaune
- Hautes Côtes de Nuits
- La Chapelle Notre Dame
- La Grande Rue
- La Romanee
- La Tache
- Ladoix
- Ladoix Côte de Beaune
- Latricieres Chambertin
- Le Chapitre
- Les Beauregards (Chablis Premier Cru)
- Les Clos (Chablis Grand Cru)
- Les Epinottes (Chablis Premier Cru)
- Les Fourneaux (Chablis Premier Cru)
- Les Lys (Chablis Premier Cru)
- L'Homme Mort (Chablis Premier Cru)
- Melinots (Chablis Premier Cru)
- Mont de Milieu (Chablis Premier Cru)
- Montee de Tonnerre (Chablis Premier Cru)
- Montmains (Chablis Premier Cru)
- Montrecul (ou Montre Cul ou en Montre Cul)
- Morein (Chablis Premier Cru)
- Pied d'Aloup (Chablis Premier Cru)
- Preuses (Chablis Grand Cru)
- Roncieres (Chablis Premier Cru)
- Sechers (Chablis Premier Cru)
- Troesmes (Chablis Premier Cru)
- Vaillons (Chablis Premier Cru)
- Valmur (Chablis Grand Cru)
- Vau de Vey (Chablis Premier Cru)
- Vau Ligneau (Chablis Premier Cru)
- Vaucoupin (Chablis Premier Cru)
- Vaudesir (Chablis Grand Cru)
- Vaugiraut (Chablis Premier Cru)
- Vaulorent (Chablis Premier Cru)
- Vaupulent (Chablis Premier Cru)
- Vaux Ragons (Chablis Premier Cru)
- Vosgros (Chablis Premier Cru)
- Maranges Côte de Beaune
- Maranges ou Maranges Premier Cru
- Clos de la Boutiere
- La Croix Moines
- La Fussiere
- Le Clos des Loyeres
- Le Clos des Rois
- Les Clos Rossots
- Maranges ou Maranges Premier Cru
- Marsannay
- Marsannay Rose
- Mazis Chambertin
- Mazoyeres Chambertin
- Mercurey
- Meursault
- Meursault Côte de Beaune
- Montagny
- Monthelie
- Monthelie Côte de Beaune
- Montrachet
- Morey Saint-Denis
- Morgon
- Moulin a vent
- Musigny
- Nuits
- Nuits Saint-Georges
- Pernand Vergelesses
- Pernand Vergelesses Côte de Beaune
- Pinot Chardonnay Macon (Blanc)
- Pommard
- Pouilly Fuisse
- Pouilly Loche
- Pouilly Vinzelles
- Puligny Montrachet
- Puligny Montrachet Côte de Beaune
- Regnie
- Richebourg
- Romanee Conti
- Romanee Saint-Vivant
- Ruchottes Chambertin
- Rully
- Saint Veran
- Saint-Amour
- Saint-Aubin
- Saint-Aubin Côte de Beaune
- Saint-Romain
- Saint-Romain Côte de Beaune
- Santenay
- Santenay Côte de Beaune
- Savigny les Beaune
- Savigny les Beaune Côte de Beaune
- Vin fin de la Côte de Nuits
- Vire Clesse
- Volnay detailed information about the wines
- Volnay Santenots
- Vosnes Romanée
- Vougeot
Gammay red wine
- Irancy
- Julienas
Other wines
- Bourgogne Passe Tout Grains (2/3 Pinot noir, 1/3 Gammy), red wine
- Bourgogne Rose
- Bourgogne Mousseux