Includes white wines that are either made from a number of varieties and where no one is predominant, or the blend is propitiatory. For other blends see Champagne and Port Blends.
Two hundred miles south east of Paris lies the famous and historic wine region, known in French as Bourgogne. The Cote d'Or, the heartland of the region, consists of two distinct sub-regions split on either side of the town of Beaune.The Côte de Nuits to the north, includes the famous villages of Vosne-Romanee, Gevrey-Chambertin, and Nuits-Saint-Georges and are known primarily for making red wine from Pinot Noir.Although The Côte de Beaune to the south still makes some magnificent reds (see Volnay and Pommard), white wine made from Chardonnay is the main focus. The most famous villages are Puligny-Montrachet and Meursault. Burgundy has three other important regions. The village of Chablis (exclusively Chardonnay) encompassing the region's most northerly vineyards. The Côte Chalonnaise and Mâconnais to south are quantitatively speaking more important. Agriculture is more diverse with a significant portion of the land devoted to livestock and arable farming.
Bourgogne is both the French name for the region of Burgundy and of the most basic and generic appellation within it. The region's white wines at this level include: Bourgogne Blanc, which is primarily Chardonnay but with the permitted addition of Pinot Gris and Pinot Blanc in small amounts; and Bourgogne Aligoté, containing just Aligoté. For reds, there is: Bourgogne Rouge; mainly Pinot Noir, although Gamay can be used if made in Beaujolais; Bourgogne Passetoutgrains, which is predominantly Pinot Noir, must be a third Gamay. Bourgogne Rosé is also made but in very small quantities. Because Bourgogne can encompass such wide range of wines it is best to look for an additional suffix or description, such as the village or producer for hints about the wines provenance and quality.
Sparkling wine is a wine with high levels of carbon dioxide in it making it bubble. The carbon dioxide is a result of natural fermentation, either in a bottle or a specially designed tank, or as a result of carbon dioxide injection.Sparkling wine is usually white or rosé but there are many examples of red sparkling wines. The sweetness of sparkling wine can range from very dry "brut" styles to sweeter "doux" varieties.When one thinks of sparkling wine they usually think of Champagne, but this wine is exclusively produced in the Champagne region of France and many sparkling wines are produced in other countries and regions. Most countries reserve the word Champagne for a specific type from the Champagne region of France. The French terms "Mousseux" or "Crémant" are used to refer to sparkling wine not made in the Champagne region. German and Austrian sparkling wines are called Sekt. The United States is a significant producer of sparkling wine with producers in numerous states. Recently the United Kingdom, which produced some of the earliest examples of sparkling wine, has started producing sparkling wines again.
