Burgundy Wines

Burgundy, a region in the eastern France, is known for the most famous wines produced in the world - Burgundies or Burgundy wines. It's made up of thousands of small-scale growers, mostly with tiny parcels of land who may produce an assortment of dozen different red and white wines.

The finest Burgundies, white and red, are made from a single grape variety. The white wines are made from Chardonnay and the red ones are made from Pinot Noir. Although different other varieties of grape are allowed within Burgundy, these grapes are only given "second rank" grades and never permitted in great wines. Most of these appear as budget wines.

Burgundy wines are classified based on where they are produced.

Grand Cru wines are the noble, first class Burgundy. These came from the most excellent slopes and the label only carries the name of the vineyard. These wines are considered the essence of fine wines.

Premier Cru wines are exceedingly fine and cost a hefty amount of money. They come from better vineyards encompassing a village. The label carries the name of the vineyard.

Village wines are usually produced from secondary vineyard sites within the limits of the villages. Wines from these villages have their own distinct characteristics and qualities. These village wines can be enjoyed 2-4 years after their release dates. The village name will appear on the wine label.

Regional wines are those permitted to be made over the entire region or an area noticeably bigger than that of individual village. Some of these wines are the sparkling wines and rose.

Some of the most expensive wines in the world are from Burgundy - Henri Jayer, Domaine Dugat-Py, Domaine Leroy, Dommane Armand Rousseau, Domaine de la Romanee-Conti and Domaine Leflaive.