One day I stayed in Burgundy in France and it was a great day.
My friend I met here is a wine connoisseur and he came to Burgundy to visit some vineyards and wine growers. This day he particularly wanted to see how they grow the grapes and the landscape to understand what kind of wine he can expect. And of course some wine tasting as well.
Again I was really surprised how clean and accurate restored the villages are.
We started our tour going south of Beaune where we were located. The landscape presents itself very flat, a little hilly on the western side. The grapes are growing very low, not more than hip high. For me extremely different as I know the viticulture man high in Italy. I learnt as well that they often cut of most of the clusters in order to let go all the power of the plant in only a couple of them. Clever!
We had some wine tasting in a small village. They were very friendly and opened a few good wines for my friend who tasted one after the other and chatting with the owners. I didn’t taste, early in the morning wine is not my favorite drink and I had not to.
The wine cellar was very cool because of all the wines stored here in. I left after a while to sit outside in the sun and get my temperature back 😛
On the way to the next village we saw a grape picking machine. It can pass between the lines of the plants and the pickers can through the grapes there in.
I saw mainly young people as pickers. I think a lot of them are also foreigners who come during harvest time in order to have a different experience and to earn a little money to finance their travels. It’s a kind of worldwide travelling possibility.
In one of the villages we stopped for another wine tasting but it was already lunch time and so the shop was closed until early afternoon. We decided to have lunch somewhere and of course could find only a very great looking place.
Because I always fear a little to be ‘glutened’ when eating outside I ordered just a salad which was not even on the menu. But they prepared one very nice for me. Sitting in the sun, my friend trying a little bit this and that of the menu with of course a great wine… yes, this is life!
Later we tried again in the wine shop but my friend didn’t think it was the right place to find some prestige wine, only local one to drink every day. That is not the wine he is looking for.
We left the village and had another closer look into the landscape, just driving around and figuring out which wine is growing where. My friend knows, I just enjoyed the amazing country side of Burgundy in a wonderful fall day.
Burgundy/France
For further information:
Burgundy Tourism website
Thank you for the very nice Travel Report, I myself have traveled France often and it is always nice there.