French Burgundy wine (or Vin de Bourgogne in French) comes from the Burgundy wine region in eastern France. Burgundy is home to some of the most expensive wines in the world. The Burgundy wine region has the highest number of wine appellations (appellations d'origine contrôlée (AOCs)) than any other French wine region. In total, there are around 150 separate AOCs in Burgundy, including those of Chablis and Beaujolais. However, when you consider all the different vineyard classifications as well, you are left with a bewildering number of over 500 separate French Burgundy wine classifications that can be displayed on a bottle of wine !

Burgundy wine region

There is a long practice of separating wines due to the local climatic and coil conditions - dating back to the Monks of the 13th Century. The Burgundy wine region runs from Auxerre in the north down to Lyon. The main levels in the Burgundy wine classifications, in descending order of quality, are: Grand crus, Premier crus, village appellations, and finally regional appellations.

Grand Cru wines are produced from the small number of the best vineyard sites in the Côte d'Or. Grand Cru Burgundy wines are generally produced for long storage and typically need to be aged a minimum of 5–7 years. The best examples can be kept for more than 15 years. Grand Cru Burgundy wines are often the most expensive wines to buy 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. But the price is often not the best indication of quality. The Burgundy climate is very unpredictable with rains, hail, and frost all possible around harvest time. As a result, there is a lot of variation between vintages from Burgundy. While Grand Crus often command steep prices, village level wines from top producers can be found at quite reasonable prices.

Chablis wines and Beaujolais wines although formally part of Burgundy wine region, tend to sell their wines under their own brand (see Chablis wines and Beaujolais wines for more details).

Burgundy grapes

The classic Burgundy red wines are made from Pinot Noir grapes (see Burgundy red wines for more details). White Burgundy wines tend to be made from Chardonnay grapes (see our article on White Burgundy wine for more information). Red and white Burgundy wine is also made from other grape varieties, such as Gamay and Aligoté respectively. Small amounts of Burgundy rose and sparkling Burgundy wine are also produced. For more information on Burgundy rose please see our article Burgundy rose wine.

History of Burgundy wine

There is evidence of vine-growing in Burgundy since the second century AD. Monks and monasteries have had an important influence on the history of Burgundy wine. The Cistercian Monks created many Burgundy vineyards and they were the first to notice that different vineyard plots gave consistently different wines.

During the 20th Century, Burgundy wines experienced many changes. After World War II wine yields from the Burgundy vineyards were reasonably low, but the resulting wine produced once again established the supremacy of Burgundy wines. However early success in the 1950's led to decline in the 1970's and 1980's as the soils became too acidic and the quality of the wine delined.

Re-birth of Burgundy wine

In response to the gradual decline of Burgundy wine sales, many vineyards during the late 1980s and early 1990s replanted many vines and changed their winemaking methods. This led to the production of deeper, more complex Burgundy wines which has inspired an upturn in Burgundy wine sales.

Traditional Wine Link has an excellent stock of high quality French Burgundy wine. If you want to buy Bugundy rose wine, White Burgundy wine or Burgundy red wine online please visit our online wine shop French Burgundy wine online.

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