Tour de Burgundy Vineyards

For many the mere mention of the word Burgundy brings visions of wine, from the crisp whites of Chablis and Montrachet to the prestigious reds of the Côte D’Or  — Nuits-St-George, Pommard, Aloxe-Corton and Vosne-Romanée being but a few. Yet Burgundy is just as equally famed for its cuisine. Think of the famous boeuf bourguignon, burgundy snails, Dijon mustard...just a few of the specialities that you will discover on this gastronomical journey through the food and wine heartland of France.

Even without the food and wine, a journey in Burgundy is one of beauty. This blessed region combines the rolling hills of the Mâconais and Chalonais in the south; the wild Morvan plateau to the north-west; and of course the steep-sided côtes of the prestigious wine districts around Beaune. The countryside is crisscrossed with canals, tiny lanes and bike paths, and the scenery is divided between perfectly tended vineyards, fields of wheat, maize and sunflowers, and the forests used for making the prized French oak wine barrels.

Burgundy has more than its fair share of man-made highlights as well. From the 8th century BC when Celts invaded from what is present-day Austria, through to the Roman empire in the 1st century, the Gallo-Roman civilisation expanded and left its mark on the landscape. The first Christian churches were built as early as the 4th century. Magnificent abbeys were founded at Cluny and Vézelay in the 10th century, and in the later middle ages cathedrals sprang up at Auxerre, Autun and Dijon. The burgeoning wine trade resulted in superb architecture for the wealthy merchants who built stunning houses and public buildings in Beaune, Auxerre, Dijon and Autun.