Burgundy and biking in Beaune

Stop two on the epicurean tour of France was Burgundy, home of that most fickle and fantastic of grapes, Pinot noir. This variety was also Kelly’s favourite, so this was our best chance yet to change her not so positive views on France. While the Bordeaux experience had been a bit of a spiritual home coming for me, Kel was still not convinced that France was worth returning too. Hopefully Beaune would change all that.

Nestled in a truly sacred valley, just south of Dijon, Beaune (pronounced Bone) is pretty much the centre of the universe for pinot noir. The fields around this small town have been producing wine since Roman times. As the Lonely Planet puts it, this town’s reason to exist is wine. North of the town stretches the Cote d’Or and south is the Cote d’Beaune, collectively they produce the best, and most expensive pinot noirs in the world. Not that either of these areas are very big, as we delightfully established on our subsequent explorations by bicycle.

I had attempted to book us into a small hotel by telephone while in Bordeaux, ran since 1959 by a “lady of unknown years”. The conversation had not gone well and we arrived rather apprehensively. But, after a short conversation of broken English and French, she remembered the phone call with a laugh and showed us our double room. It, and the hotel were splendid. Clearly an old mansion, the place had more character than all the places we’d previously stay in added together. Our room had an enormous bed, antique wardrobe, mahogany dressing table with mirror and was cluttered with various sitting chairs, tables, hat stands and screens. The place even smelt old, but not stale old, more rich old, like wood polish and potpourri and a touch of smoke (there was an old fireplace in the corner of course). All this for twenty Euro each in France was unbelievable! To our amazement it also included breakfast, served by the Madame every morning with coffee, croissant and baguette (of course).

Thus we spent our days, breakfast with the Madame (everyone in town knew her and referred to her simply as Madame), then either off to explore the cellars and shops in town (all with plenty of tastings) or on our bicycles to explore the vineyards. The place is incredibly well setup for bicycle touring to the extent that there are dedicated trails that wind their way through the vineyards the length of the Cote d’Beaune. Used for centuries by the farmers and pickers these paths crisscross the vineyards of Burgundy. A section around 20km long heading south from Beaune has been asphalted and signed and makes for an amazing cycle day trip. Meandering through vineyards hundreds of years old, stopping to taste the occasional pinot or have a bite to eat made for probably the best day of the trip so far. The weather even came to the party and we stopped for lunch and a sunbake at a little clearing up on the hillside. Easily back in town by 5PM there was plenty of time for a proper tasting (read a bottle) and then some dinner.

Our time in Beaune came to and end (after four nights) and we said au revoir to Madame. We had investigated shipping prices to Australia but at twenty Euro per bottle quickly realised it wasn’t feasible. Sadly, we’d have to leave French wine behind. The disappointment wouldn’t last long though; for there was no shortage of gastronomic delights where we were headed. A second home for Kel and a foodie heaven for both of us, we were bound for Italy.