The wines of Burgundy - both reds and whites are among the greatest in the world. Understanding the region is however another matter altogether. It was all very well before the revolution, where the law of primogeniture ensured that holdings were largish parcels of land. But the revolution was all about land. Subsequent parceling and division of properties has resulted in such an amazing fragmentation of holding that it is almost impossible to really get to grips with the types and appellations in Burgundy. We shall stick to the absolute essentials here.

Map of Burgundy

Burgundy is something, which even seasoned wine-lovers baulk at. The trick is to stick to a good negociant - a company which buys wine from different growers and blends and bottles the wine. In such cases the name of the negociant will appear on the label. If the grower has bottled the wine his name would appear of the label as Domaine such and such. Famous Burgundy negociants include Laboure-Roi, Louis Jadot, Antonin Rodet, Bouchard pere et Fils, Drouhin among others.