Burgundy is not the most straight forward of wine regions, there is an enormous variety of classifications. In addition, the ownerships of the vineyards are scattered across the area, there are many proprietors owning less than one hectare of vineyards in a specific area. This phenomenon has led to commercial trading houses being established.  A small vineyard does not yield much both in terms of quantity (number of grapes to make wine) and finance (large investment relative to size). The trading houses buy the grapes from these growers and sell the wine with the appropriate appellation under the name of the trading house.  Jadot , Drouhin , Bouchard , Bichot , Faiveley and Latour are some of the best known trading houses.

Burgundy consists of four regions:

• Chablis
• Côte d'Or, subdivided into Côte de Nuits and Côte de Beaune
• Cote Chalonnaise
• Mâconnais

If you want to know how Burgundy operates as a wine area it's important to know the appellation rules. There are four distinct levels:

1. Regional appellation, basic appellation. On the label can be referred to the grape variety (Burgundy Chardonnay or Burgundy Pinot Noir), the type of wine (for example Bourgogne Rose or Crémant de Bourgogne) and finally to the sub region  (Burgundy Hautes  Côte de Nuits and Burgundy Côte Challonnaise ).

2. Village appellation; the town where the grapes are harvested are stated on the label, for example Vosne - Romanée or Aloxe Corton

3. Premier Cru, the better vineyards. The label always states the following: Appellation Vosne- Romanée (or whatever relevant the Premier Cru town name) Premier Cru Controllée.

4. Grand Cru, the top vineyards. The label always states the following: Appellation Vosne - Romanée (or whatever relevant Grand Cru town name) Grand Cru Controllée.

Grand Cru vineyards of Burgundy

Chablis
Chablis is the northernmost region of Burgundy. This has immediate consequences for the choice of grape variety. The red grape is much more sensitive to cold than the white grape. Hence the obvious choice is for the white Chardonnay grape. Due to the chalky soil, the Chardonnay grape provides a mineral -like smell. The wine has a higher acidity, is tighter in the mouth and is therefore less "buttery " than you normally would expect from a chardonnay . The better Chablis wines keep longer because of the acidity.

Appellations of Chablis
The best vineyards are found north of the quaint village of Chablis. The classification is in line with the appellations of Burgundy and is as follows :
1. Petit Chablis: the basic appellation. The vineyards are located in the surrounding areas of Chablis. The Petit Chablis is a simple variant in which the typical Chablis characteristics are less profound.
2. Chablis : the most produced appellation. The quality however can vary considerably. The vineyards are spread over several villages in Chablis.
3. Chablis Premier Cru: these are the best vineyards of Chablis and are situated north of the village.
4. Chablis Grand Cru: the top vineyards, all located on the same slope on the west side of the hill.

The Grand Crus of Chablis

Wine / food combinations Chablis
Chablis is an excellent companion to fish, shellfish and goat cheese. Chablis is the alternative name of "oyster waters" because of its great food match with oysters.

The wines from Côte d'Or (golden hills) are the most important Burgundy wines. The vineyards are situated on the eastern slopes between the towns of Dijon and Maranges. The big reds and white wines for which Burgundy is so praised derive from here. The Côte d'Or is divided into two areas: Côte de Nuits and Côte de Beaune.

Côte de Nuits
This area with a length of a mere 20km is situated between the towns of Dijon and Corgoloin. The soil consists of limestone, clay and marl, and produces almost exclusively red wines. Pinot Noir dominates here.  The vines of the Premier Crus and Grand Crus are planted on the vineyards situated on the higher slopes.  These wines are worth laying down (vins de garde), as supposed to drinking young. The Côte de Nuits red wines often have more tannin than red wines of Côte de Beaune.  The soil in the village of Chambolle has high calcium content and is therefore ideal for the Chardonnay grape. Chambolle-Musigny is therefore the only municipality in the Cote de Nuits that produces a white Grand Cru wines: Musigny

Appellations of Côte de Nuits:
1. Regional Appellation : AOC Bourgogne- Marsannay - can be found in the villages of Marsannay la Côte , Chenove and Couchey . AOC Bourgogne Hautes Côtes de Nuits - can be found in Nuits -Saint -Georges
2. Village Appellation: these wines are also available in the municipalities of the Premier and Grand Crus. The blend AOC wines Côte de Nuits -Villages can also be found here.
3. Premier Crus: there are many Premier Crus wines available.
4. Grand Crus: these top wines can only be found in Gevrey - Chambertin, Morey -Saint - Denis, Chambolle - Musigny , Vosne- Romanee and Vougeot .

The Grand Crus villages and vineyards of Côte de Nuits:

The Premier Crus villages in Côte de Nuits:
• Côte de Nuits Villages
• Marsannay : excellent roses available under  the names Rose de Marsannay and Bourgogne  Clairet de Marsannay
• Fixin : nine Premiers Crus , the most famousbeing  Clos de la Perriere
• Chambolle - Musigny : Most Premiers Crus are marketed as Chambolle - Musigny . Two use their  own name: Les Charmes and Les Amoureuses .
• Vougeot : the domain is very fragmented (50 owners) . It is therefore recommended to known the reputation of the winemaker.
• Gevrey -Chambertin
• Vosne - Romanée
• Nuits -Saint - Georges : has lots of Premiers Crus. The best known are Les Saint Georges and Vaucrain.

Wine / food combination Côte de Nuits
These wines go well with poultry, beef, game, steak and blue cheeses.