Burgundy wine region French wine region guide: location, history, appellations, grapes & food
Burgundy (Bourgogne) is one of the world's most revered wine regions, the spiritual home of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, famous for its patchwork of single-vineyard "climats" and Grand Cru wines.
More info about the Burgundy wine region
Geographic position
Eastern France, stretching about 230 km from Chablis in the Yonne south through the Côte de Nuits and Côte de Beaune (the Côte d'Or), the Côte Chalonnaise and the Mâconnais, between Dijon and Mâcon.
Origin & history
The Romans planted vines here, but Benedictine monks of Cluny and Cistercians of Cîteaux mapped the vineyards plot by plot from the 10th century. In 1395 Duke Philip the Bold banned Gamay in favour of Pinot Noir. The climats of Burgundy became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2015.
Main appellations & varieties
84 appellations, including Chablis, Gevrey-Chambertin, Nuits-Saint-Georges, Pommard, Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet, Mercurey and Pouilly-Fuissé, with 33 Grands Crus. Pinot Noir makes the reds, Chardonnay the whites, plus Aligoté and Gamay; Crémant de Bourgogne is the sparkling wine.
Food specialties
Bœuf bourguignon, coq au vin, escargots in garlic butter, jambon persillé, cheese gougères, Dijon mustard, Époisses cheese and crème de cassis for the kir aperitif.
Burgundy appellations
- Auxey-Duresses
- Bourgogne
- Bourgogne Hautes Côtes de Nuits
- Chablis
- Corton Bressandes
- Crémant de Bourgogne
- Côte d'Or
- Côteaux Bourguignons
- Gevrey Chambertin
- Givry
- Hautes-Côtes de Beaune
- Ladoix
- Maranges
- Mercurey
- Meursault
- Monthélie
- Mâcon Villages
- Mâcon-Burgy
- Nuits-Saint-Georges
- Pommard
- Pouilly-Fuissé
- Saint-Aubin
- Santenay