Burgundy Wine Making
Burgundy wines are of a velvety and subtle red or of a sensual and characteristic white. The region produces two of the most popular wines in France: Beaujolais and Chablis.
Burgundy is a region with various soils, divided in numerous districts: Chablis, Côte d'Or (divided in Côte de Nuits and Côte de Beaune), Côte Chalonnaise, Mâconnais and Beaujolais.
The main grapes in Burgundy are Pinot Noir for red wine and Chardonnay for white wine.
Burgundy wine making information:
Size of the vineyards:
25,000 hectares (60,000 acres)
99 wine appellations !
Vineyards:
5,200 wine growers
85% of the vineyards are smaller than 10 hectares (25 acres)
Soil:
Limestone Clayey-limestone and marl
Weather: Continental with cold winter and warm summer
Red Grapes in Burgundy: Pinot Noir
White Grapes in Burgundy:
Chardonnay
Production:
180 million bottles
65% dry white wine - 35% red wine
3% of French wine production - 6% of quality French wine production
Type of Wine:
Full-body red wine
Medium-body red wine
Dry white wine
History of Burgundy:
The production of wine begun in Burgundy when the Roman invaded the region. Later, during the sixth century one of the nearby kings gave his vineyards to the church. At the time of the French Revolution most of the best Burgundy wines where produced by monasteries.
One of the consequence of the revolution in Burgundy was the confiscation of the vineyards from the church to the republic and their fragmentation in small plots. Nowadays, the system of small vineyard still prevails in Burgundy.
