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Wine News
Know your wines
 Decanter Magazine has announced a new wine course under the title of Decanter Education. Each course will be led by Decanter columnists and wine experts and will take place in London at the contemporary Blue Fin Building looking over St Paul’s cathedral. Beverley Blanning MD (right) kicks off with Mastering Burgundy, aimed at keen wine lovers with experience of tasting and the desire to increase  their knowledge of this particular area.
The day long course, taking place on 24th September 2010, will provide an insight into the importance of site, climate and vintage, and the men and women who make these wines today. Throughout the day there will also be a focus on the diversity of the Burgundy Cru system, whilst finding out about evolving trends in Burgundian winemaking and viticulture. A minimum of eight wines will be tasted throughout the day.
Other courses in September and October include ‘Understanding the Wines of Spain’ and ‘Mastering Classical Italy’. A 10% discount is available for anyone booking more than one course.
For more information or to book online visit www.decanter.com/education
The Boisset Empire
Jean-Charles Boisset, son of the founder of the Boisset empire in Burgundy continues to come up with innovative ideas to stir the wine industry out of its traditional slumbers. Wine in a Tetra Pak was his idea, and screwcaps to replace corks caused another storm of protest.
Beverley Blanning, MW talks to Jean-Charles and finds an energised man using all his marketing skills and enthusiasm to lead the company forward. More…
SPEND A WEEKEND IN BEAUNE in december
 On 4 and 5 December 2010, for the very first time, the Burgundy Wine School, is organising an exceptional “oenological weekend”.
The idea is very straightforward: to give wine-lovers the opportunity to get to know Burgundy, its wines, its most famous producers and estates, and its gastronomy… So you can be sure of experiencing something special and unique.
The programme includes two days of tasting great and old Burgundy wines, meetings with key men and women in the wine trade, and the pleasure of discovering original pairings of food and wine (not only at mealtimes but also during cookery workshops).
The various session will take place in the exceptional setting of the Hospices de Beaune, and in the town of Beaune itself, the Burgundy wine capital. The weekend provides an introduction to the whole Burgundy way of life and the region’s architectural
culture and history - a delight for the eyes and the taste buds.
Tel. 0033 (0)3 80 26 35 10 for more information. Full details of training course and gift ideas can be found at:www.ecoledesvins-bourgogne.com
BEAUNE PREPARING FOR 150TH HOSPICES DE BEAUNE WINE SALE
 The most celebrated charity sale in the world will be celebrating its 150th anniversary on 21 November. This major event in the regional calendar should therefore be especially festive this time round. There will be organised activities throughout the week preceding the famous sale.
The various conféries (brotherhoods) will process through the town starting on 14 November, and there are plans for some outstanding concerts, as well as visits by celebrities.
The sale of the 44 cuvées from the estate owned by the Hospices traditionally takes place on the Sunday afternoon, in Beaune’s covered market.
Finally, the Fête des Grands Vins de Bourgogne, a great opportunity to taste the new year’s wines, open to the general public, will take place as usual at the Palais des Congrès in Beaune on the Saturday and Sunday.
Summer Festivals
1 August: 13th Foire de la Saint-Amour at Villeneuve L'Archevêque (89) – Tasting and sale of local produce
7 and 8 August: De Cep en Verre (Vine to Glass) at Nolay (21) – Tastings and activities
8 August: Ramble among the vines at Nolay (21)
20 to 22 August: Discover the 5 terroirs of the Pouilly-Fuissé district between Solutré and Pouilly (71) – Wine-tastings
27 to 29 August: Dijon Wine Festival – in Dijon and some villages of the Côte d'Or (21)
September: Music at the Chambertin in Gevray-Chambertin (21) – 3 weekends featuring music and wine
4 and 5 September: Blackcurrant Festival on the heights of Nuits-St-Georges (21) – demonstrations, tastings, meetings with producers
9 to 19 September: Jazz in Beaune (21) – Concerts and wine-tastings
25 and 26 September: Books among the vines at Vougeot (21) – Literary festival
St Vincent 2011
 The village of Corgoloin will host the next Saint-Vincent Tournante Festival, in January 2011. This small locality, between Nuits-Saint-Georges and Beaune, is one of the five villages boasting the Côte-de-Nuits-Villages appellation. The producers, both growers and wine merchants, will contribute bottles of different vintages to the various wine-tasting venues around the village (no common cuvée). The committee has just published the poster for the event.
Gather to celebrate the patron saint of wine-growers at Corgoloin on 29 and 30 January next.
The Saint-Vincent Tournante Festival was initiated in 1938 by the Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin.
Tastings and Tours
Tasting Table - Michel
Picard's Winery at Château Chassagne-Montrachet offer a tasting
lunch in their stylish dining room from March through to November,
Monday to Saturday. Six or twelve of their wines can be tried, together
with a tour of the cellars for 40 - 50€ per person. Reservation
required in advance. Contact Marie-Florence: contact@michelpicard.com
The Marché aux Vins in the centre of Beaune, next
to the Hotel-Dieu, is an excellent introduction to the best wines of
the region. There you can taste the famous names from Meursault to
Puligny-Montrachet at your leisure. The Marché aux Vins is open
every day and the visit and tasting costs 10 € per person.
The Hôtel du Conseiller du Roy, is the impressive HQ of Bouchard Aîné& Fils on the ring road around Beaune. You can visit the age-old cellars and take a tasting tour for 9 € per person, lasting one hour. In one of the cellars there are pots of different scents from cinnamon to Lapsang Souchong tea to help you identify the personality of the wines you are sampling. Open daily from 9.30 - 12.30 and 14.00 - 19.00.
Wine Tours - Wherever
you are in the world, so much more can come out of a trip when you
have an experienced guide showing you the way. David and Lynne Hammond,
an English couple living in Burgundy, share their knowledge with you
on their wine tours, visiting small independent vineyards and meeting
the vignerons. About 20 wines are tasted throughout the day, and a
three-course lunch is included in the price. Chablis has recently been added to the regions. There are one, two and
three day tours to choose from with transport in their air-conditioned
Land Rover Discovery. Prices for a day’s tour range from 150€
per person, and weekend trips can be planned to include accommodation.
There is also a chance to buy the Hammonds’ recommended wine selection.
Their deep passion and boundless enthusiasm for Burgundy is infectious. lynne@burgundydiscovery.com
One of the tours offered by Burgundy
on a Plate is the Classic Cellar Tour, visiting exclusive wine growers in the Côte de Beaune, Côte de Nuits, Côte Chalonnaise and Chablis. You spend five nights in a 4 star hotel
in Beaune and one night in Chablis with regional lunches
and gastronomic dinners. During the day
you will visit some of the most famous wine villages and be taken to
cellars that rarely open their doors to the public. The wine expert
on the tour has spent eleven years in the Vosne Romanee vineyard and
will provide an insider's perspective. sue@burgundyonaplate.com
Also
see: Gourmet Tours
Websites
The BIVB website, www.burgundy-wines.fr. is packed full of information about Burgundy wine, with a younger approach. A lively group of journalists has come up with www.divine-comedie.com looking at the small independent wine producers in the region, a site worth keeping up with.
Wine appreciation
sites are gaining in strength and none more so than Bill Nanson's
Burgundy Report. He profiles the wine growers of the region, has
an extensive database of tasting notes and highlights the wine villages. Being
completely independent, it provides a good overview.
www.burgundy-report.com
Jancis Robinson is prolific in her wine
writing and Burgundy features strongly. With tantilizing sections such
as 'don't quote me', you may want to subscribe annually for full insider
information, but there is plenty on the site to read in 'free
for all '. www.jancisrobinson.com
wine books
For more information on Burgundy Wine, see Wine
Guidebooks
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