One of the world’s most famous wine regions in the world sits in the north eastern corner of France.

There are several regions within Burgundy, and its most famous and most expensive wines come from the region just south of Dijon, in the Côte d’Or (golden slope). The Côte d’Or is again split into two, the Côtes de Nuits in the north, which is red wine country - Pinot Noir country, where the famous names of Vougeout, Gevrey-Chambertin, Nuits-St-Georges, Chambolle Musigny and Morey-St-Denis are based.

The Côtes d’Or’s southern half, the Côte de Beaune, is the place of famous names for both Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Pommard, Aloxe-Corton, Pernand Vergelesses and Chassagne-Montrachet for Pinot Noir, aka red Burgundy. The Chardonnay, aka white Burgundy villages of Puligny-Montrachet, Montrachet and Meursault, among many others are here in the Côte de Beaune too.

Below the Côte d’Or are the regions of Côte Chalonnaise and Mâconnais respectively. The two major appellations in the Chalonnaise for Chardonnay are Rully and Montagny, while Mercurey and Givry, specialise in Pinot Noir. The Mâconnais is starting to win more and more people over as a source of good value white Burgundy, while the red wine here is more made from Gamay than Pinot Noir, a reflection of the proximity of Mâconnais to the region of Beaujolais.

Beaujolais and Chablis aside, Burgundy’s wines are classified into one of four appellations, generic Burgundy, Burgundy-Villages, Premier Cru and finally Grand Cru, the last of which is renowned for making some of the most sublime wines in the world.

Beaujolais and Chablis are the south and northern respective outposts of Burgundy, and while they technically belong to the region, they both have independent identities. More details of both these regions can be found underneath their independent headings.