From Whining to Wining

I was itching to get out of the city this weekend, so I hopped on the TGV ("Tres Grande Vitesse" -- Very High Speed) train to the town of Beaune, in Burgundy wine country. Two hours later, I was worlds away from the hustle and bustle of Paris, sampling local food with a modern twist at the bustling Le Caveau des Arches.

Beaune is a small-ish town in the northern part of Burgundy, just south of Dijon. It has everything you could need in a town, and you can cross it by foot in half an hour. On Saturdays, the market takes over virtually the entire town, and everyone from the region pours in to fill up on fresh fruits and vegetables, meats, cheeses, flowers, and even clothing. I wandered through the market in a contented daze yesterday, happily picking up a few choice items to bring home to the U.S., like tarragon mustard from Dijon, and other goodies to devour on the spot, like fresh olives and dried apricots.

In the afternoon, I rented a bicycle and took the windy "Route Verte" bike trail through wine country to the town of Meursault, home and namesake to one of my very favorite French wines. (Apology to California: you know I love your rich reds, but I prefer the oakiness of your whites in my floorboards, not in my mouth. Except Chateau Montelena, which will always have a special place in my heart.) I had to enjoy some local Boeuf Bourgignon for lunch, and then I was off to the Chateau de Meursault, where they have been making this wonderful Chardonnay for hundreds of years. The caves were spectacular, and shockingly large-- like a subterranean football field divided into little alcoves. Just the cellars warranted the trip out, and were much nicer smelling than the tunnels in last week's underground adventure. This is where they age the wine in oak casks and then in bottles. From the generous "degustation," or tasting, I selected a lovely bottle of the Chateau's Premier Cru, or First Growth, to bring home with me. Happily, it survived the bumpy ride to Beaune.

My trusty steed. Not as sexy as my Orbea, but it got me where I wanted to go

Chardonnay vineyards, trimmed and ready for spring

Then I was off on the bike again, cruising through the vineyards and passing through the wine-producing towns of Pommard and Volnay on my way back to Beaune. The evening was capped off by dinner at Le Benaton, a Michelin 1-star restaurant with great service and a good grasp of food pairings-- like seared foie gras with pistachio paste. Mmm.

After what I hope will be a nice long run through the vineyards today, I'll be going back to the city again to jump back into my classes, refreshed and satisfied, and planning my next trip out.

The Route Verte

I didn't have the gears to get up this very steep hill... so I walked it. The shame.

Random wine estate. Ed: "I want that one."

The Chateau de Pommard

The caves at the Chateau Meursault

Nerd Notes: Burgundy produces both red and white wines, and almost uniquely Pinot Noir for the former and Chardonnay for the latter. There are a lot of different Burgundy regions to learn, and I'm constantly adding to what I learned for my Certified Sommelier exam, but just knowing those two varietals helps a whole lot. If you know that Chablis is in Burgundy, for example, and that Chablis is always a white wine, you know it'll be a Chardonnay even though the varietal is rarely on the label.