NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Burgundy wine

Burgundy wine (in French, "Bourgogne") is wine made in the Burgundy AOC region of France. Most wine produced here is either red wine made from Pinot Noir grapes or white wine made from Chardonnay grapes, although red and white wines are also made from other grape varieties, such as Gamay and Aligoté respectively. Small amounts of rose and sparkling wine are also produced. Appellation dâ€™origine contrÃ´lÃ©e (AOC), which translates as term of controlled origin is the French certification granted to certain French geographical indications for wines, cheeses, butters, and other agricultural products, all under the auspices of the government bureau Institut National des Appellations dOrigine (INAO). ... Pinot noir (pi no nwar) is a red wine grape variety of the species Vitis vinifera. ... Oak-aged Chardonnay is particularly popular in the United States. ... A California Gamay Gamay is a purple-colored grape variety used to make red wines, most notably grown in Beaujolais. ... AligotÃ© is a white grape used to make white wines in the Burgundy region of France. ...

[edit] Geography and climate

The Burgundy region runs from Auxerre in the north down to Mâcon in the south, or down to Lyon if the Beaujolais area is included as part of Burgundy. Chablis, a white wine made from Chardonnay grapes, is produced in the area around Auxerre. Other smaller appellations near to Chablis include the Irancy AOC, which produces red wines. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 Ã— 548 pixelsFull resolution (1917 Ã— 1312 pixels, file size: 291 KB, MIME type: image/png) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 Ã— 548 pixelsFull resolution (1917 Ã— 1312 pixels, file size: 291 KB, MIME type: image/png) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... Coordinates Administration Country France Region Bourgogne Department Yonne (Prefecture) Arrondissement Auxerre Canton Chief town of 5 cantons Intercommunality CommunautÃ© de Communes de lAuxerrois Mayor Guy Ferez (2001-2008) Statistics Altitude 93 mâ€“217 m (avg. ... MÃ¢con is a commune of France, prÃ©fecture (capital) of the SaÃ´ne-et-Loire dÃ©partement, in the Bourgogne rÃ©gion. ... This article is about the French city. ... A Beaujolais label Beaujolais is a historical province and a wine-producing region in France. ... The Chablis wine region is the northernmost sector of Burgundy, France, and also the name of a town located there. ...

Some way south of Chablis is the Côte d'Or, where Burgundy's most famous and most expensive wines are found. The Côte d'Or itself is split into two parts: the Côte de Nuits which starts just south of Dijon and runs till Corgoloin, a few kilometers south of the town of Nuits-Saint-Georges, and the Côte de Beaune which starts at Ladoix and ends at Dezize-les-Maranges. The wine-growing part of this area in the heart of Burgundy is just 40km long, and in most places less than 2km wide. The area is made up of tiny villages surrounded by a combination of flat and sloped vineyards. The best wines - "Grand Cru" - from this region are usually grown from the middle and higher part of the slopes, where the vineyards have the most exposure to sunshine and the best drainage, while the "Premier Cru" come from a little less favourably exposed slopes. The relatively ordinary "Village" wines are produced from the flat territory nearer the villages. The Côte de Nuits contains 24 out of the 25 red Grand Cru appellations in Burgundy, while all of the region's white Grand Crus are located in the Côte de Beaune. The CÃ´te dOr is a limestone escarpment in Burgundy, France. ... The CÃ´te de Nuits lies at the northern end of the CÃ´te dOr, the main area of Burgundy wine production. ... Corgoloin is a town and commune in the CÃ´te-dOr dÃ©partement, in France. ... Nuits-Saint-Georges is a town and commune of the CÃ´te-dOr dÃ©partement, in France. ... Chardonnay vineyards in the south of the CÃ´te de Beaune surrounding the town of Meursault. ... Ladoix-Serrigny is a town and commune in the CÃ´te-dOr dÃ©partement, in France. ... Grand Cru is the highest level of classification of AOC wines from Burgundy or Alsace, those that come from a single vineyard. ...

Further south is the Côte Chalonnaise, where again a mix of mostly red and white wines are produced, although the appellations found here such as Mercurey, Rully and Givry are less well known than their counterparts in the Côte d'Or. The CÃ´te Chalonnaise area lies to the south of the CÃ´te dOr continuing the same geology southward. ...

Below the Côte Chalonnaise is the Mâconnais region, known for producing large quantities of easy-drinking and more affordable white wine. Further south again is the Beaujolais region, famous for fruity red wines made from Gamay. The MÃ¢connais region is the southern limit of the Burgundy region in France(Bourgogne in French). ... A Beaujolais label Beaujolais is a historical province and a wine-producing region in France. ... A California Gamay Gamay is a purple-colored grape variety used to make red wines, most notably grown in Beaujolais. ...

Burgundy experiences a continental climate characterized by very cold winters and hot summers. The weather is very unpredictable with rains, hail, and frost all possible around harvest time. Because of this climate, there is a lot of variation between vintages from Burgundy.

[edit] History

From about the year 900 up to the French Revolution, the vineyards of Burgundy were owned by the Church. After the revolution, the vineyards were broken up and sold to the workers who had tended them. The Napoleonic inheritance laws resulted in the continued subdivision of the most precious vineyard holdings, so that some growers hold only a row or two of vines. This led to the emergence of négociants who aggregate the produce of many growers to produce a single wine. It has also led to a profusion of increasingly small family-owned wineries, exemplified by the dozen plus "Gros" family domaines. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 Ã— 600 pixelsFull resolution (3072 Ã— 2304 pixels, file size: 4. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 Ã— 600 pixelsFull resolution (3072 Ã— 2304 pixels, file size: 4. ... A common vineyard. ... First page of the 1804 original edition The Napoleonic Code, or Code NapolÃ©on (originally called the Code civil des FranÃ§ais) was the French civil code, established at the behest of NapolÃ©on I. It was drafted rapidly by a commission of four eminent jurists and entered into force... A common vineyard. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... A nÃ©gociant is a wine merchant who assembles the produce of smaller growers and winemakers and sells the result under its own name. ... A winery is a facility where fruit, usually grapes, is processed into wine. ...

Burgundy wine has experienced much change over the past seventy-five years. Economic depression during the 1930s was followed by the devastation caused by World War II. After the War, the vignerons returned home to their unkempt vineyards. The soils and vines had suffered and were sorely in need of nurturing. The growers began to fertilize, bringing their vineyards back to health. Those who could afford it added potassium, a silver-white metallic chemical element that contributes to vigorous growth. By the mid-1950s, the soils were balanced, yields were reasonably low and the vineyards produced some of the most stunning wines this century. General Name, symbol, number potassium, K, 19 Chemical series alkali metals Group, period, block 1, 4, s Appearance silvery white Standard atomic weight 39. ...

Understandably, the farmers had no inclination to fix what wasn't broken. So for the next 30 years, they followed the advice of renowned viticultural experts, who advised them to keep spraying their vineyards with chemical fertilizers, including potassium. While a certain amount of potassium is natural in the soil and good for healthy growth, too much is bad because it leads to low acidity levels, which adversely affect the quality of the wine.

As the concentration of chemicals in the soil increased, so did the yields. In the past 30 years, yields have risen by two-thirds in the appellations contrôlées vineyards of the Côte d'Or, from 29 hectoliters per hectare (yearly average from 1951 to 1960) to almost 48 hectoliters per hectare (1982-91), according to a study by the Institut National des Appellations d'Origine. With higher yields came wines of less flavor and concentration.

The Burgundians pushed their vineyards. They fertilized them, sprayed them and replanted them with high-yield clones to increase crop levels. Like overfishing that can leave a lake practically sterile, overworking the soil sapped it of its natural balance. Soils that had contributed to Burgundy's reputation for a millennium became depleted by overdependence on chemicals and other modern techniques in just 30 years [1].

The period between 1985 and 1995 was a turning point in Burgundy. During this time many Burgundian domaines renewed efforts in the vineyards and gradually set a new course in winemaking. All this led to deeper, more complex wines [2]. Today, the Burgundy wine industry is reaping the rewards of those impressive efforts.

[edit] Wine characteristics and classification

Burgundy is in some ways the most terroir-oriented region in France; immense attention is paid to the area of origin, and in which of the region's 400 types of soil a wine's grapes are grown. As opposed to Bordeaux, where classifications are producer-driven and awarded to individual chateaux, Burgundy classifications are geographically-focused. A specific vineyard or region will bear a given classification, regardless of the wine's producer. This focus is reflected on the wine's labels where appellations are most prominent and producer's names often appear at the bottom in much smaller text. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (537x810, 94 KB) Author: User:Limegreen 2 bottles of Red Burgundy from Gevrey Chambertin, Cote dOr, Burgundy. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (537x810, 94 KB) Author: User:Limegreen 2 bottles of Red Burgundy from Gevrey Chambertin, Cote dOr, Burgundy. ... Gevrey-Chambertin is a French commune, situated in the rÃ©gion of Burgundy, the dÃ©partement of CÃ´te-dOr, the Arrondissement of Dijon and Canton de Gevrey-Chambertin. ... The CÃ´te de Nuits lies at the northern end of the CÃ´te dOr, the main area of Burgundy wine production. ... Terroir was originally a French term in wine and coffee appreciation used to denote the special characteristics of geography that bestowed individuality upon the food product. ...

The main Burgundy classifications, in descending order of quality, are: Grand crus, Premier crus, Commune or Village, and finally generic Bourgogne. Grand Cru is the highest level of classification of AOC wines from Burgundy or Alsace, those that come from a single vineyard. ...

Other Burgundy AOCs that are not as often seen are Bourgogne Passe-Tout-Grains AOC (which can contain up to two thirds Gamay (the grape of Beaujolais) in addition to Pinot noir), Bourgogne Aligoté (which is primarily made with the Aligoté grape), and Bourgogne Grand Ordinaire. The latter is the lowest AOC, and Grand is intended to refer to the size of the area eligible to produce it, not its quality. There are certain regions that are allowed to put other grapes in miscellaneous AOCs, but for the most part these rules hold. These regulations are even confusing to the majority of French adults, according to research (Franson). Sparkling wine is also produced, as Crémant de Bourgogne. Chablis wines are labeled using a similar hierarchy of Grand Cru, Premier Cru and Village wines, whereas wines from Beaujolais are treated differently again. The origins of Burgundys Grand crus can be found in the work of the Cistercians who, among their vast land holdings, were able to delineated and isolate plots of land that produced wine of distinct character. ... A Grand Cru wine from the village of Aloxe in Burgundy. ... Looking down the vines of Chevalier-Montrachet with Le Montrachet below and Batard-Montrachet just beyond. ... Volnay is a commune in the dÃ©partement of CÃ´te-dOr in France. ... Pommard is a commune in Bourgogne (Burgundy), France and a famous appellation in the CÃ´te de Beaune district of Burgundy wine production. ... Puligny-Montrachet is a commune in the dÃ©partement of CÃ´te-dOr in France. ... Aloxe-Corton is a French commune in the dÃ©partement of CÃ´te-dOr in the rÃ©gion of Burgundy. ... Bourgogne Passe-Tout-Grains is a controlled appellation from the region of Burgundy, France. ... A California Gamay Gamay is a purple-colored grape variety used to make red wines, most notably grown in Beaujolais. ... A Beaujolais label Beaujolais is a historical province and a wine-producing region in France. ... AligotÃ© is a white grape used to make white wines in the Burgundy region of France. ... A glass of sparkling wine Sparkling Wine is a wine (not to be confused with Champagne) with significant levels of carbon dioxide in it making it fizzy. ... The Chablis wine region is the northernmost sector of Burgundy, France, and also the name of a town located there. ... A Beaujolais label Beaujolais is a historical province and a wine-producing region in France. ...

[edit] Production

Burgundy vineyards make up some 60,000 acres (240 km²) of production. Generally, the small wine growers sell their grapes to larger producers called negociants who blend and bottle the wine. The roughly 115 negociants who produce the majority of the wine only control around 8% of the area. Individual growers have around 67% of the area, but produce only around 25% of the wine. Some small wineries produce only 100-200 cases/year while many producers make a few thousand cases/year. Grower/producer made wines can be identified by the terms Mis en bouteille au domaine, Mis au domaine, or Mis en bouteille à la propriété. The largest producer is Maison Louis Latour in Beaune with 350,000 cases/year. The negociants may use the term Mis en bouteille dans nos caves (bottled in our cellars), but are not entitled to use the estate bottled designation of the grower/producers.^{[citation needed]} Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 Ã— 600 pixelsFull resolution (1736 Ã— 1302 pixels, file size: 661 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 Ã— 600 pixelsFull resolution (1736 Ã— 1302 pixels, file size: 661 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ...

[edit] Grape Varieties

For the white grapes, Chardonnay is the most common. Another grape found in the region is Aligoté, which mostly produces cheaper wines which are higher in acidity. Aligoté from Burgundy is the wine traditionally used for the Kir drink, where it is mixed with blackcurrant liqueur. Chablis, Macon wines and the Cote d'Or whites are all produced from 100% Chardonnay grapes. Oak-aged Chardonnay is particularly popular in the United States. ... AligotÃ© is a white grape used to make white wines in the Burgundy region of France. ... Kir Kir is a cocktail made with a measure of crÃ¨me de cassis (blackcurrant liquor) topped up with white wine. ...

For the red grapes, all production in the Cote d'Or is focused on the Pinot noir grape while the Gamay grape is grown in Beaujolais. In the Cote de Nuits region, 90% of the production is red grapes. Pinot noir (pi no nwar) is a red wine grape variety of the species Vitis vinifera. ...

[edit] Expensive reputation

Burgundy is home to some of the most expensive wines in the world, including those of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Domaine Leroy, Henri Jayer, Emmanuel Rouget, Domaine Dugat-Py, Domaine Leflaive and Domaine Armand Rousseau. However, some top vintage first growth Bordeaux wines and a few iconic wines from the New World are more expensive than some grand cru class Burgundy. A vineyard worker manually tills the soil of RomanÃ©e-Conti grand cru. ... Henri Jayer Henri Jayer (born 1922 â€” died September 20, 2006) was a French vintner who is credited with introducing important innovations to Burgundian winemaking. ... First Growth (French Premier Cru) status refers to the greatest wines of the Bordeaux region. ... Bordeaux with sub-wine regions A Bordeaux wine is any wine produced in the Bordeaux region of France. ... Frontispiece of Peter Martyr dAnghieras De orbe novo (On the New World). Carte dAmÃ©rique, Guillaume Delisle, 1722. ...

The British wine critic Jancis Robinson emphasizes that "price is an extremely unreliable guide" and that "What a wine sells for often has more to do with advertising hype and marketing decisions than the quality contained in the bottle" (Robinson). While Grand Crus often command steep prices, village level wines from top producers can be found at quite reasonable prices. Jancis Mary Robinson (born in Cumbria on April 22, 1950) is a British wine writer and journalist. ...

[edit] See also

The coat of arms of the ConfrÃ©rie des Chevaliers du Tastevin. ... French gastronomy France is one of the oldest wine-producing regions of Europe. ...

[edit] References

[edit] Further reading

Clive Coates is a Master of Wine, former publisher of The Vine Magazine and author of several highly respected wine related books. ... Michael Broadbent (born 2 May 1927 in Yorkshire, England) is an influential British wine critic and auctioneer. ... Serena Sutcliffe, MW, (1945 - ) is the head of Sothebys international wine department, as well as a prominent writer on wine. ...

[edit] External links

Categories: All articles with unsourced statements | Articles with unsourced statements since February 2007 | French wines | Wine regions of France | Burgundy For other uses, see Wine (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Wine (disambiguation). ... For the song by The Feeling, see RosÃ© (song). ... A glass of sparkling wine A Sparkling wine cork It has been suggested that Spumante, Frizzante, Sekt and Cremant be merged into this article or section. ... Dessert wines (or pudding wines) are sweet wines typically served with dessert, such as Sauternes and Tokaji AszÃº. Despite the name, they are often best appreciated alone, or with fruit or bakery sweets. ... A fortified wine is a wine to which additional alcohol has been added, most commonly in the form of brandy (a spirit distilled from wine). ... Fruit wines are wine-like beverages made from fruits other than grapes. ... Grapes for ice wine, still frozen on the vine. ... AlbariÃ±o (ahl-bar-EEN-yoh â€“ Galician) or Alvarinho (ahl-vah-REE-nyoh â€“ Portuguese) is a variety of white wine grape grown in Galicia (northwest Spain) and northern Portugal, where it is used to make varietal white wines. ... Oak-aged Chardonnay is particularly popular in the United States. ... Chenin Blanc (or often simply Chenin) is a widely grown wine grape variety, also known as Steen in South Africa, Pineau de la Loire in the Loire region of France. ... GewÃ¼rztraminer grapes on the vine GewÃ¼rztraminer (IPA: , sounds like guh-VERTS-truh-MEE-ner; IPA: in German; Croatian: ; Hungarian: ), sometimes referred to as GewÃ¼rz or Traminer, is a white wine grape variety that performs best in cooler climates. ... For other uses, see Muscat (disambiguation). ... Pinot Blanc is a white wine grape. ... Pinot Gris (or Tokay Pinot Gris) is a white wine grape of species Vitis vinifera related to Pinot noir which goes by a lot of other names: Pinot Grigio (Italy) Pinot Beurot (Loire Valley, France) RulÃ¤nder (Austria and Germany, Romania, sweet) Grauburgunder or Grauer burgunder (Austria and Germany, dry... Riesling is a white grape variety and varietal appellation of wines grown historically in Germany (see German wine), Alsace (France), Austria, and northern Italy. ... Sauvignon blanc is a green-skinned grape variety which originates from the Bordeaux region of France. ... SÃ©millon is a golden-skinned grape used to make dry and sweet white wines, most notably in France and Australia. ... Viognier (pronounced vee-own-YAY[1]) is a white wine grape. ... Barbera is a wine grape variety from Monferrato in Piemonte, Italy. ... Cabernet Franc is a red wine grape variety similar to and a parent of Cabernet Sauvignon. ... Old vine Cabernet Sauvignon at Chateau Montelena in Napa Valley. ... For the Spanish wine region, see CariÃ±ena (DO). ... Dolcetto is a well-known wine grape variety widely grown in Piedmont region of Italy. ... A California Gamay Gamay is a purple-colored grape variety used to make red wines, most notably grown in Beaujolais. ... Grenache is a sweet red grape variety grown primarily for the making of wine. ... Malbec is a black, mellow grape variety originally grown in France, in the Loire Valley and Cahors. ... Merlot grapes on the vine. ... MourvÃ¨dre is a variety of wine grape grown around the world, and is Spains second-most important red wine grape after Garnacha, and was once Provences most popular grape. ... Nebbiolo is the most important wine grape variety of Italys Piedmont region. ... Durif (or Duriff) is a minor variety of red wine grape grown in France, California and Australia. ... Petit verdot is a variety of red wine grape, principally in classic Bordeaux blends. ... Pinot noir (pi no nwar) is a red wine grape variety of the species Vitis vinifera. ... Pinotage is a wine grape that is a cross between Pinot Noir and Cinsault (called Hermitage in South Africa and parts of Europe, hence the portmanteau name of this grape variety). ... Sangiovese (synonyms: Sangiovese grosso, Brunello, Uva brunella, Morellino, Prugnolo, Prugnolo gentile, Sangioveto, Tignolo and Uva Canina) is a red wine grape variety originating in Italy where it is now recognised as a superior variety. ... Shiraz grapes have a characteristically deep purple color that is reflected in their wine. ... Tempranillo is a variety of vitis vinifera, the red grape used commonly in winemaking. ... Zinfandel, also known as Zin, is a red-skinned wine grape popular in California for its intense fruitiness and lush texture. ... Amarone della Valpolicella is an often powerful Italian wine made from dried grapes of the Corvina, Rondinella, and Molinara varieties. ... Asti is a DOCG sparkling wine produced in the Asti region in Piedmont, Italy. ... A classic northern Italian wine, Barbaresco is a powerful wine that is made purely from the Nebbiolo grape. ... Barbera dAsti Superiore DOC Tre Vescovi 2003 Vinchio e Vaglio Barbera dAsti is a red wine variety. ... Castle and Village of Barolo. ... It has been suggested that Barossa Shiraz be merged into this article or section. ... A Beaujolais label Beaujolais is a historical province and a wine-producing region in France. ... Bordeaux with sub-wine regions A Bordeaux wine is any wine produced in the Bordeaux region of France. ... The Chablis wine region is the northernmost sector of Burgundy, France, and also the name of a town located there. ... This article is about Champagne, the alcoholic beverage. ... Chianti is Italys most famous red wine. ... Commandaria is an amber-colored dessert wine made from the indigenous Mavro and Xynistery varieties of red grapes in the Commandaria region of Cyprus (centered near the city of Kolossi). ... DÃ£o Wine (or Vinho do DÃ£o) is from the RegiÃ£o Demarcada do DÃ£o, a region demarcated in 1908, but already in 1390 there were taken some measures to protect this wine. ... Egri BikavÃ©r (Bulls Blood) is one of the most reputed and traditional Hungarian wines besides the Tokaji wines. ... Madeira is a fortified wine made in the Madeira Islands of Portugal, which is prized equally for drinking and cooking; the latter use including the dessert plum in Madeira. ... Marsala is the name for a wine produced in the region surrounding the Italian city of Marsala in Sicily. ... Mosel is a German wine-growing region (Anbaugebiet) that takes its name from the river Mosel (or Moselle). ... Muscadet is a type of dry French white wine. ... A glass of tawny port. ... Retsina is a Greek resinated white (or rosÃ©) wine dating back at least 2700 years. ... Rheingau valley with the River Rhein The Rheingau (in English: Rhine District) is the hill country on the north side of the Rhine River between Wiesbaden and RÃ¼desheim near Frankfurt, reaching from the western Taunus to the Rhine. ... Rheinhessen (in English: Rhenish Hesse) refers to the part of the former Grand Duchy of Hesse-Darmstadt located west of the Rhine river and now part of Rhineland-Palatinate. ... The RhÃ´ne wine region is first divided into north and south. ... Rioja Wine Rioja is a wine from a region named after the Rio Oja in Spain, a tributary of the Ebro. ... Sancerre is one of the most famous white wines in France named from the town Sancerre. ... A half bottle of Sauternes from ChÃ¢teau dYquem Sauternes is a type of dessert wine made from SÃ©millon, Sauvignon Blanc, and Muscadelle grapes that have been affected by Botrytis cinerea, also known as noble rot. ... Sherry solera For other uses, see Sherry (disambiguation). ... Tokaj cellar Tokaji, meaning of Tokaj in Hungarian, is used to label wines from the wine region of Tokaj-Hegyalja in Hungary. ... Valpolicella is a zone of the province of Verona, Italy, east of Lake Garda. ... It has been suggested that Punt e mes be merged into this article or section. ... Vinho Verde is Portuguese and literally means Green Wine. There are red, white and, more rarely, rosÃ© varieties of the appellation Vinho Verde, but only the white wines are exported. ... Vouvray, from the region of the same name is made through the vinification of the Chenin Blanc grape. ... The Glossary of wine terms lists the definitions of many terms used within the wine industry. ... This is a list of varieties of cultivated grapes, whether used for wine, or eating as a Table grape, fresh or dried (raisin, currant, sultana). ... This list of wine-producing regions catalogues significant growing regions where vineyards are planted. ... The following is a list of wine-producing countries and their volume of wine production for the year 2005 in metric tonnes. ... Natural wine is wine made with as little chemical and technological intervention as possible, either in the way the grapes are grown or the way they are made into wine. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into wine. ... Polyphenols are a group of chemical substances found in plants, characterized by the presence of more than one phenol group per molecule. ... Varietal describes wines made from a single named grape variety. ... A Wine accessory is generally any equipment that may be used in the storing or serving of wine. ... This is a list of varieties of cultivated grapes, whether used for wine, or eating as a Table grape, fresh or dried (raisin, currant, sultana). ... Winemakers often use carboys like these to ferment smaller quantities of wine Winemaking, or vinification, is the process of wine production, from the selection of grapes to the bottling of finished wine. ...

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