Burgundy

Burgundy consists of a series of sub-regions running from north to south. Right in the north lies Chablis, with the Auxerrois around it. Then follow the Côte de Nuits, the Côte de Beaune, the Côte Chalonnaise and finally the Mâconnais.

The Côte de Nuits runs for about 20 kilometres between Dijon and Corgoloin and in some places is only 200 metres wide. Here the emphasis is on red wine. Villages such as Nuits-Saint-Georges give the wine their name there. South of it lies the Côte de Beaune, with villages such as Beaune and Pommard. The Côte Chalonnaise includes Bouzeron, among others. Right in the south lies the Mâconnais, known for regional wines such as Mâcon-Villages.

Chardonnay and pinot noir are the two main grapes. Chardonnay covers 49.2 percent of the vineyards, pinot noir 39.6 percent. Next come aligoté with 6.5 percent and gamay with 3.8 percent. Other grapes, such as sauvignon, césar and melon, together cover less than one percent.

That split is also reflected in what is produced. White wine accounts for 62 percent of production, red wine for 29 percent, Crémant de Bourgogne for 8 percent and rosé for 1 percent.

Burgundy has 84 AOCs, spread over four levels. The base consists of the regional appellations, such as Bourgogne, Bourgogne Aligoté, Mâcon-Villages and Crémant de Bourgogne. Above them are 44 village appellations, named after the village the grapes come from, for example Pommard or Nuits-Saint-Georges.

A premier cru comes from a delimited plot within a village, a climat. The label then shows the village name followed by the name of that plot. At the top are 33 grands crus. There the village name disappears and only the name of the climat is on the bottle, such as Corton, Montrachet or Clos de Tart.

Crémant de Bourgogne is sparkling wine from Burgundy with its own AOC, first recognised by decree of 17 October 1975. The bubbles come solely from a second fermentation in the glass bottle, the traditional method. The wine then rests on the lees in the bottle for at least nine months. It may only be sold twelve months after bottling for the second fermentation.

Crémant de Bourgogne exists in white and rosé. Permitted grapes include pinot noir, chardonnay, pinot blanc, pinot gris, gamay and aligoté. The four pinot and chardonnay grapes together make up at least 30 percent of the cuvée, gamay at most 20 percent.

The shop stocks Burgundies from, among others, Chanson, Bouchard, Domaine de Mauperthuis, Jean Fery & Fils, Laurent Perrachon and Quintaine. These include regional Bourgogne Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, village wines from Beaune, Pommard and Nuits-Saint-Georges, premier cru from Beaune, and white wine from the Mâconnais, such as Mâcon-Villages and Viré-Cléssé.

For bubbles there is Crémant de Bourgogne Brut from Masse. If you are unsure which bottle suits an occasion, call the shop or drop by at Brink 2 in Bathmen.

The shop is at Brink 2 in Bathmen. Open Tuesday to Friday from 09.00 to 18.00 and Saturday from 09.00 to 17.00. For advice, call 0570 541 278 or email info@bockje.nl.