Cycling the Grands Crus Wine Route: France’s Burgundy Red Wine Region

It’s surreal to cycle through the world’s most prestigious, centuries-old region for producing fine,  expensive red wines and not stop for a tasting.  To atone for this, nearly every evening we often had excellent local red wine for low prices every dinner in this corner of France.

Village of Vosne Romanee, France where we bought a bottle of local wine. 2016 Photo by J.Chong

Enroute Through World’s Cradle, Centuries and Prestige of Red Winemaking
We were reminded of this grand dame locale and terroir in the panthenon of wine regions in different ways:  road signs declaring “Route des Grands Crus”. 

Cycling Grands Crus Wine Route from Dijon. France. 2016 Photo by J. Becker

Grands Crus is French for “great growth” and is a designation by the French authorities for a vineyard producing high quality wine.  Other markers, were old stately stone gateways engraved with wine brand name that stood like faithful soldier by its vineyard acreage. In fact, stone fences were built to prevent grape theft.

Old vineyards have these remaining stone fence gates used to formerly protect grape theft. Name of vineyard in centre, with village names on left and right to indicate direction. Bourgogne, France 2016. Photo by J.Chong

Thankfully we were spinning in  early October with less tourist car road traffic. More often, we were followed or passed  by local mini farm tractors, grape haulers and mini-vans that dispensed vineyard workers.

Grape harvesters. Bourgogne, France 2016. Photo by J.Becker. Yes, this group looked all black (non-white) to us.

The sun was bright and hot. Luckily, tailwinds pushed us along the flat  terrain most the time, dotted with red tiled mini houses and village church steeples.  Unlike winery regions in Canada –Okanagan Valley in British Columbia,  Vancouver Island or Niagara Ontario region, wine-tasting in this French

Approaching village of Ladoix Serrigny, north of Beaune, France 2016. Photo by J.Chong

region,  needs to be planned and more often, you must pay.  Many wine producers  did not offer an on-site retail tasting room where we cycled.  No big deal for us since we had to navigate our loaded bikes.

Bumping Along Cobblestones Through Villages
Our cycling route, took us through tiny ancient villages every 5-10 kms.  where I was not accustomed to cycling on very narrow cobblestone streets

Town Square. Village of Nuits-Saint-Georges. France 2016. Photo by J.Chong.

Dedicated to hardworking grape harvesters. Near Marsonnay la Cote village, France 2016. Photo by J.Becker. Just southwest of Dijon.

with occasional car either patiently waiting for us, or zipping through at any open  opportunity.  These villages had road speed limits at 20-30 km./hr. which truly preserves a peaceful, sedate atmosphere.  Still, I spent more time focusing on blind corners and uneven stony road surfaces.

Many homes and public buildings were well-preserved with air of gracious tradition and quiet pride. And these villages were very quiet. A wailing child would shatter this pastoral ambience like a thunderbolt.

Memorial at Chorey Les Beaune, a village just few km. before town of Beaune. France 2016. Photo by J.Chong. Typical of quiet, ancient villages well preserved along the Grands Crus Wine Route.

Museum of Wine – Beaune France
Just a block away from our hotel in the town of Beaune, we ambled through this large museum cradled inside a very old stone thick-walled building and cobblestone courtyard which looked deceptively small from the street.

Museum of Wine. Beaune, France 2016. Photo by J.Chong

Inside there were exhibits illustrating geohistory of vineyards –from colour-coded, detailed maps on family-owned, named grape-laden, land parcels, their terroir  to grape harvesting, crushing  and cooperage, or making of wine barrels.  I enjoyed artsy wine-inspired accoutrements from archival to contemporary, on grapevine  cultivation and bachannial celebration in paintings, on vessels and even tapestry art of local landscapes, oenephiles, patrons and workers.

And yes, according to photos, there was a time in recent 20th century history where workers were sometimes naked when foot-crushing grapes in vats.

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Wine-Making, Sales and Branding for Monastaries and Convent
There is a long centuries history of the Cisterian monks  that tended some vineyards and made some fine wine. Jack tells me in some churches did store their wine underneath the church floor  –at least in Germany.   In  Catholic strongholds, wine was for mass.

Village cemetery abuts vineyards. Approx a few km. south of Dijon, France 2016. Photo by J.Becker

Contemporary woven tapestry art, celebrating region’s winemaking history. Museum of Wine. Beaune, France 2016. Photo by J.Chong

In Strausborg, France we toured a smallish cathedral, St. Thomas.  I went to the tiny church shop where surprisingly there were a few bottles of wine produced by some monk orders.  In Beaune, there was a convent that ran a historic hospital for over 6 centuries.  Historically, the convent also owned some vineyard plots. Over the centuries, nuns’ hospital work, was also supported by funds from local wine producing benefactors.

Wine shop. Beaune, France 2016. Photo by J.Chong

Today there is a brand of wine with the name of convent, only to mark its location and affinity to the people and rich history  in this French region of Bourgegnon or Burgundy.

Daily trains shoot through this peaceful vineyard region. Tiny towns are served well by trains. France 2016. Photo by J.Chong

Village scenery while cycling in rural areas. Bourgegnon, France 2016. Distances between towns are short. Photo by J.Chong

Passing by village of Ladoix Serrigny, France 2016. Photo by J.Chong

Looking out through bevelled glass window from Museum of Wine. Beaune, France 2016. Photo by J.Chong