A TASTE OF WINE AND THE DUKES OF BURGUNDY
The Route des Grand Crus - Dijon to Beaune, France
The
Route des Grand Crus is France's thirty kilometer long wine tasting trail
through the heart of the Burgundy wine region, the Cote d’Or, and
south from just outside Dijon to a few kilometers beyond Beune. Private
vineyards caress either side of the road through a succession of small
villages each with a handful of small family vintners offering tasting
salons offering sales of their private stock appellations. After a visit
to the Tourism Office in Marsannay La Cote for a very detailed map, the
first vineyard you come to along the Route Grand Crus is the Chateau
de Marsannay, whose wines are offered in restaurants and stores around
the world. Marsannay was the site of one of the last great tournaments
of the House of Burgundy whose Dukes ruled this region
(see Dijon
- Burgundy Wine, Mustard N' Gargoyles) through France’s historical
glory days. The exhibition hall of the winery displays an oak tree replica of
an ancient tree that once stood where the "Tournament in Honor of Charlemagne" took
place in 1443.
The
Chateau de Marsannay Winery building was built on the foundation of a
castle destroyed by the invading Swiss Army during the reign of Louis
XII. The vineyards of the appellation are on the sloping hills surrounding
the village of Marsannay La Cote. The 
winery offers a detailed one hour
long tour of the Cistercian wine caves underneath the Chateau where the
constant temperature is perfect for wine, with explanation of the wine
making process and the region’s very particular appellation system.
After tasting the vineyard’s varieties the visitor gets to keep
the souvenir glass and a good knowledge of the region before traveling
on to other tastings. The northern end of the Grand Crus road is devoted
more toward red wines – Burgundy and Pinot Noir while the south
shifts to Chardonnay. Price for the tour is 10 Euros but only 6 Euro
with a leaflet which can be collected at the tourism office in the village. © Bargain
Travel Europe
Find the best hotel deals in Burgundy at TripAdvisor
Budget Hotel Formule
1 Dijon Sud
Web Info
Chateau
de Marsannay
Cote
d'Or Region
These articles are copyrighted and the sole property of Bargain Travel Europe and WLPV, LLC. and may not be copied or reprinted without permission.
SEE ALSO:
CHÂTEAU
DE CHÂTEAUNEUF-EN-AUXOIS
Romance Castles of Burgundy Wine Region
WHITE
WINES OF KINGS
Route des Vins Alsace
FROM LITTLE DRIPS MIGHTY RIVERS FLOW
Following the Seine from Burgundy to Champagne
A
SAINT, A CHANTEUSE AND AN EMPEROR
Chatillon-Sur-Seine, Burgundy
WINE
AND WURST
Bad Durkheim and the German Wine Road
