Wine region | |
Official name | Bourgogne |
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Type | wine region |
Year established | AOC by Statutory order on 30 July 1935 |
Country | France |
Sub-regions |
|
Climate region | Zone C I |
Soil conditions | Argilo-limestone |
Size of planted vineyards | 29,500 hectares 25,000 Classified as AOC vineyards |
No. of vineyards | 100 AOCs |
Grapes produced | 59.5% of White Varieties, 33.8% of Red varieties and 6.7% of crémant |
Varietals produced |
Pinot noir, Gamay, Chardonnay, Aligoté |
Official designation(s) | Regional, Village, 1er cru and Grand cru |
Climats, terroirs of Burgundy | |
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Name as inscribed on the World Heritage List | |
Location | France |
Type | Cultural |
Criteria | iii, v |
Reference | 1425 |
UNESCO region | Europe and North America |
Inscription history | |
Inscription | 2015 (39th Session) |
Burgundy wine (French: Bourgogne or vin de Bourgogne) is wine made in the Burgundy region in eastern France, in the valleys and slopes west of the Saône, a tributary of the Rhône. The most famous wines produced here—those commonly referred to as "Burgundies"—are dry red wines made from Pinot noir grapes and white wines made from Chardonnay grapes.
Red and white wines are also made from other grape varieties, such as Gamay and Aligoté, respectively. Small amounts of rosé and sparkling wines are also produced in the region. Chardonnay-dominated Chablis and Gamay-dominated Beaujolais are formally part of the Burgundy wine region, but wines from those subregions are usually referred to by their own names rather than as "Burgundy wines".
Burgundy has a higher number of appellations d'origine contrôlée (AOCs) than any other French region, and is often seen as the most terroir-conscious of the French wine regions. The various Burgundy AOCs are classified from carefully delineated Grand Cru vineyards down to more non-specific regional appellations. The practice of delineating vineyards by their terroir in Burgundy goes back to medieval times, when various monasteries played a key role in developing the Burgundy wine industry.
The Burgundy region runs from Auxerre in the north to Mâcon in the south, or to Lyon if the Beaujolais area is included as part of Burgundy. Chablis, a white wine made from Chardonnay grapes, is produced in the area around Auxerre. Other smaller appellations near to Chablis include Irancy, which produces red wines and Saint-Bris, which produces white wines from Sauvignon blanc.