Food Encyclopedia

Burgundy

1. One of the world's most famous wine growing areas, located in eastern France, southeast of Paris. The Burgundy region has established a reputation over centuries for fine wines, which vary considerably from region to region. Burgundy, known in France as Bourgogne, consists of five basic regions—Chablis, the Côte d'Or (divided into Côte de Beaune and Côte de Nuits), the Côte Chalonnaise, the Maconnais and Beaujolais. The focus in Burgundy is on three grape varieties—Pinot Noir and Gamay for red wines, Chardonnay for whites. Although wines made with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay get most of the attention, there are more Gamay-based wines produced (in Beaujolais) than in all of the remaining Burgundy region. Among the notable wines from this region are Chablis, Fleurie, Gevrey-Chambertin, Meursault, Montagny and Pouilly-Fuissé. 2. Burgundy is also a generic name used for ordinary, inexpensive red wine made outside of France in countries like Australia, South Africa and the United States. Although many of the bulk producers in these countries are starting to call these wines "red table wine," the word "Burgundy" still appears on some wine bottle labels.