The Château de Santenay of Burgundy

Discovering the wine region of Burgundy

Bourgogne is the catch-all regional appellation title of the Burgundy wine region in eastern France ("Bourgogne" is the French name for Burgundy). Burgundy has a Complex and comprehensive appellation system; counting Premier Cru and Grand Cru titles, the region has over 700 appellation titles for its wines. Thus, Burgundy wines often come from one Vineyard (or several separate vineyards) without an appellation title specific to the region, Village or even vineyard. A standard Burgundy wine may be made from grapes grown in one or more of Burgundy's 300 communes.

Unlike Burgundy's village appellations, which specialize in red or white wines or a combination of both, Burgundy covers red, white and rosé wines, and even Sparkling wines as in the case of Crémant de Bourgogne and Bourgogne Mousseux. Each Burgundy appellation may be followed by the Color of the wine (white, red or rosé), as appropriate, and if not already implied by the appellation itself. Red Burgundy is produced almost exclusively from Pinot Noir grapes and is Distinguished from White Burgundy, which is produced from white grapes (mainly Chardonnay). A key difference between Burgundy wines and those produced under the Village, Premier Cru and Grand Cru appellations is that the grape variety used in the wine can be indicated on the label.

This has contributed to the perception and marketing of Burgundy wines in foreign markets, where a Burgundy Pinot Noir or a Burgundy Chardonnay is much easier to sell. To accommodate the different styles of wine produced in Burgundy, there are six key Burgundy appellations: Burgundy itself, Burgundy Aligoté (limited to the named white grape variety with other regulations distinguishing it from the generic regional appellation), "Bourgogne Mousseux", "Bourgogne Grand Ordinaire", Bourgogne Passe-tout and Crémant de Bourgogne. There are even two appellations dedicated to the region's brandies: Eau-de-vie de Vin de Bourgogne and Eau-de-vie de Marc de Bourgogne. Some of the above appellations may be suffixed with the name of the sub-region, village or vineyard where the grapes were grown.