Sam Adams' Wine Blog: Wine Region

Wine Region- Burgundy

Burgundy is one of the more popular and one of the most well-known wine regions of the world. It is so well-known that most wine drinkers, when asked about wine regions, would rattle of Burgundy right away. Burgundy is located in France west of the Saone River, along the eastern valleys and slopes. It is a long, narrow region that is located southeast of Paris. Burgundy hosts approximately 74,000 acres of grapes which is equivalent to 30,000 hectares. There are several sub-regions to Burgundy because it is a fragmented region, these fragments produce the sub-regions including Cote d’Or, Cote Chalonnaise, Chablis, Beaujolais, and Maconnais. Burgundy produces red and white wine varieties and many wine lovers will announce that Burgundy reds are the greatest reds in the world. The most common grapes that are produced from the burgundy region are pinot noir, gamay, chardonnay, and aligote. Most of the wines that burgundy produces are dry wines.

There are over twenty-two million cases of wine that comes from the Burgundy region every year. There are larger and smaller vineyards in Burgundy. Although most of the vineyards are small, the vineyards that are larger in size produce multiple types of wine because there are many different owners. Wines from Burgundy are usually more expensive because the smaller sizes of the vineyards.

The soil and climate of Burgundy is what allows this wine region to produce both red and white lines so flawlessly. The soils are intensely varied and allow for the growth and production of all types of grapes. The richness, depth, and mineral content of the soils vary from one region to another but also within the region themselves in even a small confined space! For example, from the top of the hill to the bottom of the hill the soils can vary to produce different types of grapes. The combination of limestone and marl is what allows for the production of red or white. Marl is the mixture of clay and limestone. Most of the vineyards are a base content with the soil of limestone and then on top they are covered with more limestone and marl. Sometimes these can be mixed with sand or gravel depending on the soil conditions or the grapes. Whenever the limestone is more dominant, this is where white wines will grow. Whenever there is more marl present, this is where the grapes for red wines will be best to grow. The seasonal and climate changes in Burgundy are primarily ideal for growing. The biggest problems with the Burgundy region is that sometimes there is too much rain or the weather is too cool, but a majority of the time the grapes are in a perfect setting for good growth because the grapes are suited for cool climates.

Since the second century AD, there is evidence of viticulture being established in Burgundy. An important role in influencing burgundy wine was played by the monks and monasteries of the Roman Catholic Church. Burgundy wine was finally allowed to be transported and shared in the 19^th century. Over the past century the vineyards have battled through wars and depression but have been revived and the winemakers joined the AOC in JULY of 1935.

The wine labels of Burgundy show the difference in the classification. For example, Grand Cru wines only represent the name of the vineyard along with the name, leaving out the village name. Premier Cru wines label the village, term ‘Premier Cru”, and vineyard name form which it came.