After our first three nights in France spent in Paris, we
caught the TGV fast train to Dijon. Train a Grande Vitesse – sounds so sexy.
I was expecting airline seats and buckle-in belts, but
no. The ride was incredibly smooth and
quiet, and the speed at over 200Kph was almost imperceptible. Trees, green pastureland and lamp posts
flicked by silently in a blur.
After the wide streets and boulevards of Paris, Dijon made a
charming contrast- with cobbled streets and ancient half-timbered houses
abounding.
Considering that it is the gateway to the famous Burgundy
wine region, Dijon is pretty low key and small.
It is also a student town, with many students living on the outskirts.
The University of Burgundy enrols 27,000 students, among
whom are 3,000 international students, every year.
Arguably more famous for its whole grain mustards, Dijon is
at the start of the French wine region which gave us Chardonnay and Pinot Noir
– my two favourite wines.
I have always found French wines particularly confusing because of the labelling – invariably it states the Chateau and the region, and beyond that, you’re pretty well in the dark as to what grape variety was used and who made it. The nice thing about Burgundy is that they really only do four grape varieties: Chardonnay, Aligoté (both white), Gamay and Pinot Noir (both red). They don’t blend a whole swag of grapes together like they do in Bordeaux and then call it ‘Chateau Je Ne Sais Feckin Quois’ – leaving it up to your neophyte imbiber to try to figure out what the hell it is.
I have always found French wines particularly confusing because of the labelling – invariably it states the Chateau and the region, and beyond that, you’re pretty well in the dark as to what grape variety was used and who made it. The nice thing about Burgundy is that they really only do four grape varieties: Chardonnay, Aligoté (both white), Gamay and Pinot Noir (both red). They don’t blend a whole swag of grapes together like they do in Bordeaux and then call it ‘Chateau Je Ne Sais Feckin Quois’ – leaving it up to your neophyte imbiber to try to figure out what the hell it is.
We took a tour with local Burgundy wine tour company and
headed out of Dijon – through famous
villages that give their name to most of the wines: Couchey, Fixin, Gevrey Chambertin, Cotes de
Nuits, Chambolle Musigny, Vougeot, Romanée Conti, Nuits St.Georges, Vosne-Romanée,
Côtes
de Beaune, Alex Corton, Pernand-Vergelesses and Pommard.
We tasted wines in four wineries – honestly a blur of
stunning scenery and memorable wines.
Aligoté Is a fairly simple white wine with crisp apple/raising
flavours. The Chardonnays were very
mineral and dry compared to our fruit bomb creamy delights from Gisborne. The Pinot Noirs were a tad too earthy and dry
for my palate.
I guess it’s all about context. If you are brought up Burgundy and drink local
wines with local foods, it all makes
sense. I wish I had more time there to
fully explore, sample and absorb. A one-day
wine tour is just a snapshot. Hopefully,
one day I’ll be back.
Phil runs wine tours in Auckland. Who'd have thought?
