In Burgundy's most beautiful landscape lies the small town of Beaune. The ancient and gnarled vines around the city center partially reveal the history and soul of the city, but it is not until you allow yourself to be embraced by the city's atmosphere that you truly understand Beaune. A warm wind brings with it the notes of ripening grapes and in the courtyards the wine glasses clink in competition with the murmur of curious visitors. Because in Beaune, wine is not just a drink, but a part of life.
In Beaune, some of the world's best wines are produced and Grands Crus and Premier Crus from the world-renowned wine producers are exported all over the world. Beaune is a hub in the wine world and Burgundy's uncrowned wine capital. A place that should not be passed by on a day trip, but that requires a couple of nights so that you can be fully swept up in the pleasant pulse of the city.
Climate and terroir
We arrive at Beaune on our way north on La route des Grands Crus, the famous wine route in northeastern France with even more famous wine houses. Here in the heart of Burgundy, between Beaujolais and Chablis, are perhaps the world's most sought after "terroir". In French, terre means "land" and a terroir is a specific place with specific soil, climate and geology. But in Burgundy, they have taken the concept a step further and instead talk about climates – cultivation lots.
The slopes here at Coast of Nights and Beaune Coast consists of a mixture of clay and limestone and the variations of soil and climate are great between the vineyards. It's not a single one "terroir", without many small ones climates - small growing plots with their own name, own microclimate, unique geology and with unique knowledge of winemaking which in most cases goes back almost 2000 years.
Today there are 1247 different ones climates defined and protected in the area, all carefully delineated and described for their characteristics. Does that sound advanced? That's it. Here, it is never the individual wine that is classified as Grand Cru or Premier Cru, but the wine's origin and growing plot.
This area of Burgundy is actually so unique that The Climates des Bourgogne has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2015. Nowhere else in the world has the wine been linked in such detail to the place where the wine was grown, which creates completely unique wines. A cultural area to protect and preserve for future generations.
Speed dating with a bottle of Burgundy
We pass the gates of several wine houses in the center of Beaune before we finally decide to settle down at the outdoor terrace at the wine house Loubet-Dewailly. A wine house unknown to us, which perhaps therefore attracted a little extra. A standard tasting consists of four wines, from a slightly simpler wine to a Premier Cru.
The complexity increases after each wine. We try to keep up with the lingo, but the sommelier speaks quickly and in a French-English that is sometimes difficult to interpret. However, we agree with the last wine. The wine comes from the village Pommard and is one Premier Cru, which means that the grapes come from a growing plot that is Premier Cru-classified. The wine comes from "Les Rugiens Bas”, which is the name of the wine climate - the unique small area on which the grapes are grown. Suddenly we know everything about the wine we drink. A bit like a speed-dating that directly answers the question "Hey, what's your name and where are you from?"
It is rarely stated on the label of a good Burgundy wine which grape the wine is made from, as this is regulated. Here in the northern Côte d'Or, a red wine is synonymous with pinot noir. White wine around Beaune almost always means chardonnay, but aligoté is also an approved grape. Clean wines. No mixes. You don't deal with that here.
We do not buy any bottles from the wine tasting. In hindsight maybe we should have, but the wines we like are all over €30 a bottle. Perhaps a bit stingy, but we still have many wineries to visit and the car and the budget have limited space.
Hospital and wine house
Beaune is a walking city, with a small town center with short distances. The wineries' headquarters and showrooms are close together and everywhere we see (and hear) Americans. When we meekly consider whether to buy one or two bottles, they loudly consider whether to ship one or two 12-bottle cases.
Perhaps it is the wine that draws the vast majority of tourists to Beaune, but this town of 25 inhabitants has more to offer. Everywhere in Beaune we are greeted by the beautiful tiled roofs with geometric patterns in bright colors that have become somewhat of a signature of the area. The most famous building in Beaune is also the building with the most beautiful roof – Hospices of Beauneor Hotel-Dieu de Beaune. The combined hospital and church from the 15th century which today is a fantastic museum. Hospices de Beaune tells the story of Beaune, the Dukes of Burgundy and about medieval healthcare – or perhaps rather the lack of healthcare.
We have missed pre-booking tickets, so we queue at the museum an hour before closing. A good move, as the tourist pressure decreases significantly by the minute. With an audio guide in our ears, we get to hear some of the tragic human fates that have passed behind the hospital's walls. It was not easy to cure even the simplest diseases without knowledge of hygiene or access to penicillin.
Read more about our visit to Hospices des Beaune in the article: Hospices de Beaune - Poverty, disease and wine - France.
The old city center was previously surrounded by high protective ramparts and walls, and even today large parts of the ramparts remain. This is one of the reasons why Beaune is such an untouched city today, the ramparts have kept the city in safe hands since the 12th century. The 900-year-old protective wall and its towers are unexpectedly well preserved and in several places you can even walk on it.
During the 30 Years' War in 1637, the Bastion Saint Martin was built at the former Old Gate Saint-Martin which was the western gate of the city. Now that the day-trippers have left the city, it's really pleasant to stroll around here on the outskirts of the old town. Two lions watch over the bastion as we climb the double staircase, it must have been quite a grand feeling to walk here almost 400 years ago.
As we pass by the church of Notre Dame de Beaune, we see that the door is open. We sneak into the darkness. When our eyes have adjusted, we are greeted by a church from the 12th century where the light falls in through large painted windows. A beautiful church with a Gothic touch, with several beautiful tapestries.
Dinner time
In a city with access to some of the world's best wine houses, there is not entirely unexpectedly also a large selection of good restaurants. In the inner city alone, there are 16 Michelin-recommended restaurants, two of which have stars.
I had done some research in advance and booked us into the BiB gourmand restaurant Table du Square. You might think that a restaurant like this in a town like Beaune would put both one and two hundred bucks on the price of the menu, but that is not the case. On a weekday evening like this, the three-course menu costs €32 per person. The wine is even more affordable and the menu boasts 1200 different wines. I'll probably find something that fits.
A big advantage of being Swedish in France is that no one but us wants to eat dinner before 8 o'clock in the evening. It is possible to find a table at short notice if you can imagine eating at 7 o'clock, a sacrifice that does not feel too unreasonable.
We start with a gazpacho with burrata, continue with a filet mignon with pear sauce and parmesan and finish with strawberries with tarragon mousse and pistachios. Incredibly affordable and well prepared, with farm-to-table thinking on the vast majority of ingredients. Beaune is apparently not only the wine capital of Burgundy, but also a city where most things taste a little better.
How do I get to Beaune?
Beaune is located in Burgundy in eastern France, in the middle of the famous wine route La route des Grands Crus. You can get here in 2 hours by train from Paris, or 1 hour by car north from Lyon.
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