1955 The U K B G Guide to Drinks (2nd edition revised)

BURGUNDY

The area from which the wines of Burgundy come is really a series of small areas which he over to the east of France, of which there are five in number. 1. The Cote D'Or

2. The Cote Chalonnaise 3. The Cote Maconnaise 4. The Beaujolais 5. Chablis.

1. The C6te D'Or. This area is named after the range of hiUs (Golden Hillsides) which run from Dijon (famous for its mustard and blackcurrants) to Chagny,a distance of about 36 miles. The vineyards he on either side of the main road to the south. The best wines are to be found from the slopes of the hillsides. Of the grapes which grow in the Burgundy area there are two varieties, the Pinot and the Gamay. The Pinot giving the better quality wine while the Gamay, a hardier but more prolific grower, gives more quantity than quahty. The Gamay can be said to produce approximately twice as much wine per acre as the Pinot. The Cote D'Or again is divided into two smaher areas, the Cote de Nuits and the C6te de Beaune, named after the two towns of Nuits and Beaune respectively. The vineyards of these areas are quite small and are not to be compared in size with those of the Bordeaux region for example. Many are in the hands of small farmers, whose famihes have tended the vineyards for hundreds of years. Some of the wines take their names from the commune or village in which the vineyard is situated. Some wines take their names from the actual vineyard, e.g., Clos de Vougeot (Clos meaning enclosure) from the commune of Vougeot in the Cote de Nuits. Others take their names from the commune and attach the name of the best known vineyard of the commune to it, e.g., Gevrey-Chambertin (Chambertin being the best known vineyard of the district). This has now become a habit from long usage. 179