For a 1,000 years two grape varieties have been grown in a region about three hours south of Paris. Two words have been consistently been used in describing the Burgundy wine growing region: terroir and climat.
The term terroir, in simple terms, refers to the natural elements of the region (geography, geological and climatic). While this is true for all wine growing areas, these combined with individual talents for utilizing plot specific (climats), growing grapes and wine making practices create unique bottles of Burgundy Pinot Noir and Chardonnay wines.
Burgundy is divided into five appellations: 1) Chablis and the grand Auxerrois; 2) Macônnais (Macon, largest village); 3) Côte Chalonnaise (Chalon Sur Saone, largest village); 4) Côte de Beaune and hautes côtes de Beaune (Beaune, largest village); 5) Côtes de Nuits and Hautes Côtes de Nuits (Nuits St George, largest village).
This blog will initially concentrate on the most northerly appellations: Côte de Beaune and Côte de Nuits.
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