A gastronomic journey of discovery in Burgundy

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A gastronomic journey of discovery in Burgundy

I grew up on a small, remote farm in rural Australia. For me, the region of Burgundy has always symbolised everything about old-France that fascinated me.

The history of this region stretches back through the ages but Burgundy began to take shape in the form that we know it today during the dissolution of the Frankish Empire in the 880s.

The Dukes of Burgundy emerged as a powerful political force across the centuries, steadily expanding their territories and influence before being largely absorbed by France during the 15th and 16th centuries.

One of the factors that made Burgundy such a strategic part of the world was its agriculture – throughout its history this area has been recognised as producing quality food and outstanding wine.

While I’ve travelled extensively over the years, one of the things that has always intimidated me the most is being confronted with an extensive wine list and seeing the wines of Burgundy (generally accompanied by some extreme prices) and feeling completely out of my depth.

My first expedition to this region in the heart of France seemed the perfect opportunity to try and educate myself a little and become a little more confident in the wine department.

If you are travelling from London, then the best way to get to Burgundy is to take the Eurostar train to central Paris, changing onto the TGV fast train to Dijon. If you’re arriving straight into Paris, then the fast-train to Dijon is still the best access point to this region.

Dijon is a spectacular city. A fascinating mix of architecture and building styles throughout the ages. City tours can be booked through the tourism office, but a more relaxed way to explore the city on your own is to collect the self-guided tour booklet. The route of the tour is marked by small owls set into the pavement, with major points of interest clearly marked and detailed in the free booklet.

The owl has become the symbol of the city after the builder of the stunning Notre Dame church included a small owl in the exterior as a subtle tribute to the Dukes of Burgundy (in French there is a similarity in the words used to describe the owl with the description of the Dukes). Visitors are encouraged to rub the small stone owl with their left hand – it brings luck, or perhaps it is an aphrodisiac, either way it is worth a rub.

Our meandering along the owl path was cut short by a tremendous downpour of rain, a storm that had trees crashing and the streets flooding. We took shelter in a small restaurant called Le Fine Heure. The owner, Jonathan (pronounced Jonaton in a French accent) was just opening up for the evening but very graciously offered to give us a tasting of some of the wines of the region. Jonathan was a ridiculously attractive man who effortlessly educated us on the complexities of Burgundy wine, plying us with snacks of saucisson as he explained the categorisation of the wines in a pyramid of quality – regional wines, wines from a specific village, premier cru, and the elite grand cru. Among our favorites were a Saint-Aubin; and a a Chorey-les-Beaune.

Beyond Dijon, the other major centre of this region is the city of Beaune. There is some beautiful architecture in Beaune, and you can easily spend a day wandering around and soaking up the atmosphere.

One of the main attractions to visit is the Hospices de Beaune.

The history of this place is incredible. It was established in 1443 as a hospital, and continued to be used as Beaune’s main hospital until the 1970s when a new modern hospital was built on the outskirts of town.

Today, the Hospices de Beaune is open to the public as a museum. It’s medical history is fascinating, but it is a stunning example of the building styles of the 15th century – particularly the decorative tiles used to construct the roof. The museum also houses the stunning Rogier van der Weyden polyptych altarpiece – this originally adorned the hospital’s main chapel but due to the care of the nuns (who even managed to hide it from the Nazi’s during World War II) it has survived remarkably intact.

Definitely worth visiting.

While Burgundy is synonymous with wine, one of the other products that this region is famous for is its mustard. While in Beaune you can also visit the Fallot mustard factory.

Fallot is the fourth most popular mustard producer in France but, unlike the top three, Fallot is family-owned and is creating mustard using the local produce of the Burgundy region.

While a mustard factory may not sound particularly exciting on the face of it, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the brief tour of Fallot and the opportunity to taste some of the excellent mustards that they are producing.

When you come to Burgundy, you really want to get out into the countryside and see the vines being grown and to explore the small villages that are scattered across the landscape.

One of the best ways to do this is by cycling or walking – an incredibly relaxed way to meander between villages while working up an appetite towards your next meal.

We spent a few days with Headwater – a travel operator that specialises in walking and cycling tours across Europe. While you can certainly organize your own walking our cycling expedition in this part of the world, one of the advantages of using a locally-based operator such as Headwater is that they can take care of the logistics of getting your luggage from one accommodation to the next, leaving you to relax and enjoy the scenery as you cycle or walk along the well-marked trails.

I really appreciated having a sensible route for each day mapped out, as well as helpful suggestions on where to stop for lunch and snacks. Also, being able to use the Headwater bikes was much easier than trying to transport my own bike all the way from London. These are self-guided tours so you get all the benefits of a group trip without having to be part of a group.

Each little village that we stopped at was post-card worthy and a joy to explore. Perhaps the stand-out though was the village of Pommard, possibly because we fell in love with the chocolate shop – a total winner.

One of the surprise discoveries of this visit to Burgundy was my new-found appreciation of cassis. As well its wine and its mustard, Burgundy is also renowned as a centre for the production of the blackcurrant vines used to make cassis.

Le Cassisium near Nuits-Saints-Georges is effectively a museum dedicated to the celebration of the iconic liqueur of Crème de Cassis. This is the production factory of the Védrenne company – makers of the Super Cassis brand of liqueur.

As well as learning about the history of cassis and the production process, you also get to walk through the factory and see the production in full swing. In addition to cassis, the Védrenne company also produces a whole range of different fruit-based liqueurs – perhaps the best part is that you get to sample some of the products at the end of the tour. If you’ve never been a huge fan of Cassis, or the iconic aperitif of Kir or Kir Royale, then a visit to Le Cassissium will perhaps convert you.

I’ve emerged from my first expedition into Burgundy feeling a little more educated. The prices of these wines still intimidate me, but I now have a deep appreciation of not only the quality of the wines that this region produces but also the gastronomic heritage that makes Burgundy one of the unmissable destinations within France.

To help with your planning if you are considering a trip to Burgundy:

Hotel reviews of where we stayed
Restaurant reviews of where we ate
Dijon has been announced as city of gastronomy in 2018 – there will be events scheduled throughout the year
Headwater offer self-guided walking and cycling tours in Burgundy and other European destinations