Burgundy cooks with its wine as much as it drinks it. Red wine goes into the sauces, white wine into the pastries, and grape brandy into the cheese. Put the same wines in the glass and the plate makes perfect sense.
The place
Burgundy is a narrow band of slopes in eastern France, with limestone and clay soils and a cool, continental climate. Almost everything is made from two grapes: Pinot Noir for the reds and Chardonnay for the whites, from Chablis in the north to the Mâconnais in the south. Aligoté and the sparkling Crémant de Bourgogne complete the picture.
Burgundy is also farm country. Charolais beef, Bresse chicken, snails, mustard from Dijon and blackcurrants for crème de cassis all come from here. The cooking leans on slow sauces, butter and cheese. Pinot Noir’s soft tannin and bright acidity suit that kind of food far better than a heavy, oaky red, and Chardonnay has the body for cream and cheese.
Three plates and their glasses
Œufs en meurette + red Burgundy
Eggs poached in red wine and served in a glossy red wine sauce with bacon, mushrooms and onions, on toasted bread. It is a bistro classic and a perfect starter.
The sauce is made with Pinot Noir, so a red Burgundy is the obvious glass. Its light body and bright acidity stand up to the rich sauce without crushing the egg. A Bourgogne Rouge or a village wine is plenty. The same logic works for bœuf bourguignon, braised slowly in red wine.
Gougères + Chablis or Crémant de Bourgogne
Small, airy choux puffs made with grated cheese, served warm with an aperitif. Burgundians offer them at every wine tasting.
A crisp, unoaked Chablis cuts through the cheesy pastry and keeps the palate fresh. Crémant de Bourgogne does the same with bubbles, and makes the start of a dinner feel like a party.
Époisses + white Burgundy or Marc
A soft cow’s milk cheese with a sticky orange rind, washed during ripening with Marc de Bourgogne, the local grape brandy. It is famously pungent and spoon-soft when ripe.
Red wine often struggles here: the salt and the strong rind make tannin taste bitter. A rich white Burgundy, such as a Meursault or a Mâcon, works better, with enough body for the creamy paste. Locals also finish with a small glass of Marc.
Also worth knowing: jambon persillé
Ham set in a parsley and white wine jelly, traditionally made for Easter. Serve it with a sharp, lemony Aligoté.
One bottle to start with
Our list has no Burgundy yet. For a Pinot Noir in the same silky, red-fruited spirit, try the Friedrich Becker Spätburgunder from the Pfalz (about €17.80). It suits œufs en meurette and bœuf bourguignon beautifully. For the gougères and the Époisses, look for a Chablis or a Mâcon-Villages at your local wine shop.
If you visit
Beaune is the base: its old town, its wine cellars and the Hospices de Beaune, whose charity wine auction is traditionally held in November. Autumn, after the harvest, is the best time for a long lunch of œufs en meurette and a glass of the local red.
Every Wednesday we send one dish, one bottle and one local find, just in time for your weekend plans. Join the Wednesday letter.
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Please drink responsibly. L’abus d’alcool est dangereux pour la santé, à consommer avec modération.