Eastern France: Burgundy

The center for wine making in Burgundy is the medieval jewel of Beaune with its distinctive Flemish polychrome roofs, checkerboard patterns of gold and colors woven into a terra cotta tapestry. The huge duchy of Burgundy once included most of Holland and Belgium, so the Flemish influence is striking in the architecture of the city's Hôtel-Dieu (Hospices). Each November, the Trois Glorieuses wine auction inside sells wines to raise money for charity, and in so doing sets prices for the year's vintage.

Those who want to know the intimate details of Burgundy's wines can soak up the facts in the nearby Wine Museum, or even better - get a taste of them in the villages where they are produced. Vacationers can also visit open-air markets where the bounty of Burgundy's tables is spread out for sale.

Chablis is now practically synonymous with white wine itself, but the town of Chablis is the northwest quadrant of the region that has given the wine its name is only one of many towns where Burgundy whites are the raison d'être, including Pouilly-sur-Loire and the medieval jewel called Auxerre.

Burgundy is not all eating and drinking, and its rich history stretches back to Roman Gaul. When most of Europe was still a collection of petty towns and knights, Burgundy was synonymous with splendor, power and grace. Dijon may be more well-known now for its spicy mustards, but it was once the capital of the Dukes of Burgundy. The Ducal palace that sprawls over the better part of a mile housed Europe's most powerful princes, including Charles the Bold. The Palace has been transformed into a magnificent art museum that houses not only the treasures of the dukes's past but a splendid collection of paintings and statues.

Dijon is just under an hour and a half from Paris on the TGV, and within easy reach are other jewels of burgundy's glorious past, including the Romanesque Basilica of Sainte-Madeleine in Vézelay, Fontenay's Cistercian Abbey, and the remains of Cluny near Mâcon. The Morvan Massif's lakes and hills have also become a mecca for hikers, boaters and mountain bikers.

Places of interest

Autun

12th century St Lazare Cathedral, Rodin Museum

Auxerre

St. Etienne Cathedral, St. Germain Abbey, Carolingian crypts, Leblanc-Devernoy Museum

Beaune

Charming medieval town, its Hospices are a masterpiece of Flemish-Burgundian architecture, Museum of Burgundy Wine

Châlon-sur-Sâone

Nicéphore Niepce Photography Museum, Denon Museum

La Charité-sur-Loire

Notre Dame Church

Clos de Vougeot

Chateau of the Brotherhood of the Knights of Tastevin

Cluny

Europe's largest Benedictine abbey

Dijon

Palace of the Dukes, States-General of Burgundy, Fine Arts Museum, Burgundian Folklore Museum

Fontenay

Fontenay Abbey and cloister

Joigny

Medieval town

Mâcon

Lamartine Museum, Maison des Vins (Wine center)

Nevers

Cathedral, St. Gildard convent, Frédéric Blandin Municipal Museum, ramparts, ducal palace

Paray-le-Monial

Romanesque basilica, pilgrimage center

Sens

Historic buildings: St. Stephen Cathedral, Museum with fine Gallo-Roman collections, Sens Museum

Tonnerre

Hôtel Dieu, the tomb in the chapel is a masterpiece

Tournus

Abbey, Greuse Museum

Vézelay

Fortified medieval hillside, Magdalene Basilica

Technical tourism and sports

Much of Burgundy's success in wine producing comes from the exceptional quality of its three distinct, traditional wines: Pinot Noir, Gamay for the reds and Chardonnay for the whites. The biggest wine-producing district of Burgundy stretches form Dijon to Mâcon and is home to some of the world's most famous wines, named according to their place of origin: the velvety Côtes de Nuits (such as Gevrey-Chambertin, Chambolle-Musigny, Nuits St. Georges), fruity Côtes de Beaune (Pommard, Volnay, Savigny-les-Beaune, Aloxe Corton, Puligny-Montrachet, Meursault), Châlon (Givry: Henri IV's preferred, Mercurey, Santenay), and Mâcon (Mâcon Villages, Pouilly Fuissé, Viré, Saint-Véran).

From South Saône-et-Loire and Rhône comes Beaujolais and Côte de Brouilly, whose short fermentation makes it a tender, fruity wine - one of the few reds which can be drunk at cool temperatures. From the north, the "Golden Gate" of Burgundy between Auxerre and Tonnerre, comes Chablis, a dry white wine. On the banks of the Loire to the west is Pouilly sur Loire, which produces the wines of Côteaux du Giennois and the Loire, among them the fruity and soft Pouilly Fumé and Pouilly Fuissé.

Barging on the many canals of Burgundy, ballooning, horseback riding, hiking, biking, golf.

Cuisine

The food in Burgundy is what one might think of as more traditionally "French", with dishes such as coq au vin (chicken cooked in red wine sauce), beef bourguignon (cooked in wine and mushrooms), escargots, jambon persillé (parsleyed ham) and pears Belle Dijonnaise. Although the name Burgundy brings to mind its fine red wines, exceptional whites rival any produced elsewhere: Pouilly-Fumé, Chablis or Mâcon.