Burgundy

At Poligny (39 Jura, Franche Comté) on  6 & 7 February 2010 the Percée du Vin Jaune festival takes place (and every year on the first weekend in February).

The festival celebrates the piercing or tapping of the barrels of the Jura’s famous “Yellow Wine” (vin jaune) which has spent 6 years and 3 months maturing, to enable the vintage from 6 years ago to be bottled, sold and enjoyed for many, many years to come.

British locals John & Carolyn Scallan run a B&B (Chambres d’Hote) at Sens-sur-Seille  and have put together a special weeked offer for the Festival which includes a special Jura Discovery dinner and transport to and from the Festival. With their local knowledge of wine, food, markets and things to see this would be a great way of getting the very best out of the Festival and learning more about the local wines and region – all at a bargain price:-

Come and spend the weekend discovering the wines and foods of the Jura region, meet the producers and enjoy the festival, on a specially arranged weekend break, which includes two nights bed and breakfast accommodation in our comfortable B&B, a special Jura Discovery dinner on Fridaynight, and transport to and from the Percée festival on Saturday.
PROGRAMME

Friday evening, arrive and check into your room here in Sens sur Seille. Rooms will be available from 4pm onwards. Freshen up and then at 7pm join us for a special Jura Discovery dinner, with an introduction to different Jura wines from different producers, carefully matched with each course.
Saturday morning, after a copious breakfast, feel free to discover the local market in St Germain du Bois. 11.30am leave for the Percée festival – transport is provided.
6pm return transportation
The evening is free for you to try one of the excellent local restaurants. There are 2 here in the village, and several more in the nearby towns.
Sunday, depart after yet another copious breakfast.
PRICE PER PERSON €82
Price includes 2 nights bed and breakfast accommodation (based on two people sharing a double room) special dinner on Friday night (wines included) and transport to and from the wine festival.
Not included: Transport to Sens sur Seille, entry to the wine festival (€11), other meals.
Additional nights may be booked at a discount to the normal room rate. Please ask for more information.

For more info and an enquiry form CLICK HERE

Head for Burgundy at the end of January (30-31 January 2010) to celebrate the patron saint of winemakers – St Vincent. Every year the festival moves between different wine villages (hence St Vincent Tournante – revolving St Vincent) and for 2010 the venue is in one of the top appellations for white Burgundy – Chassagne Montrachet, south of the Côte de Beaune.

Montrachet boasts two Grand Cru vineyards – Montrachet and Bâtard-Montrachet – and then there is neighbouring village of Puligny-Montrachet. These vineyards produce some of the most expensive and long-lived white wines in the world – here the Chardonnay grape is supreme,  although red wine is also made from the Pinot Noir grape.

For the weekend the village opens all its cellars for tastings; food stalls adorn the streets for snails, cheese, charcuterie and other burgundian gastronomic delights; a church service, parade and intronisation (induction)  ceremony – a lively scene in this otherwise  sleepy wine village.

For more info see www.st-vincent-tournante.fr

Cassis is one of those confusing words in French -it is “blackcurrant”, “blackcurrant liqueur (techincally Creme de Cassis) and a coastal resort in Provence (and an AOC wine)! Probably best known as the classic ingredient of a Kir (chilled white wine, traditionally Burgundy) or Kir Royale (Champagne), classic Creme de Cassis comes from Burgundy (Beaune). and it is in Burgundy that the town of Nuits St Georges holds its annual Fete du Cassis (5-6 September 2009) which celebrates all aspects of the blackcurrant – including blackcurrant bread, ham, jams and condiments, sausages, liqueurs and kir!

With stalls, music, tastings and a demonstration of blackcurrant pressing this should be fun – see www.lacabotte.com

From Santenay through Chassagne-Montrachet, Mersault, Nuits St Georges, Beaune, Gevrey-Chambertin and all the other famous names of 37 villages on the Cote d’Or to Dijon, the Route Touristique des Grands Crus de Bourgogne is a well-signposted route for cars, cycling or walking exploring the vineyards of Burgundy. Apart from the main towns, the area is usually quiet and travelling off the main roads does help to reveal some of the nuances of the landscape which make some areas more special than others,
The big problem with Burgundy, and especially its Grands Crus, is price (especially with the current poor exchange rate £1=€1.10 in early June 2009) – one solution is to explore the Hautes Cotes (Hautes Cotes de Beaune and Hautes Cotes de Nuits) which are also included on the website and offer a wider range of choice and keener prices.

For more info see www.route-des-grands-crus-de-bourgogne.com

On 15 August 2009 the village of Pouilly-sur-Loire (58 Nievre, Bourgogne), best known for its crisp Sauvignon Blanc Pouilly-Fumé wines, celebrates its wine festival on the banks of the Loire river.

When gathered, the grape is covered by a grey dusty bloom like smokey ashes from the fire. When the grape picker throws the grape into the basket, a cloud of microscopic spores is released, looking like smoke. It is also true that the grape is covered with tiny black dots, making it look “smokey”

It is important not to confuse Pouilly-Fumé (Loire Sauvignon) with Pouilly-Fuissé which is made from Chardonnay in southern Burgundy – or the local Poully-sur-Loire which is made from the Chasselas grape.

For more info see www.ot-pouillysurloire.fr

Part of our series highlighting destinations in France for a short- (or longer-) stay with recommendations on where to stay, eat, visit etc

Why Eastern Burgundy? An opportunity to get the best of both worlds – within easy distance of the classic treasures of Burgundy and the famous Burgundy vineyards whilst also exploring some of the lesser-known delights of the region which most visitors by-pass on the way south.
This is a wonderful area. Burgundy is rightly world famous for its wines and countryside but try the Jura. Most people have only heard of it through Jurassic era rocks & Jurassic Park films. John & Carolyn Scallan fell in love with it. Join them, you won’t regret it.

Where to stay: Le Bourg B&B in Sens-sur-Seille (71 Saone-et-Loire) is is run by John & Carolyn Scallan who are English but happy to live in France, – a good job as they’ve been here for 6 years now.
4 bedrooms, all en-suite, and each with their own individual design welcome you. Two doubles, one twin and a family room for up to four. Evening meals can be arranged using as much as possible from theirur own garden.! Breakfasts with home made jams and PROPER marmalade, served on the terrace when fine.

Nearest Town: Chalons-sur-Saone (40km); Arlay (16km), Louhans (18km)

Where to eat? If not at the B&B, then the Hotel St Germain in nearby St.Germain du Bois (6 kms). Good French restaurant, very popular with the locals and ex-pat Swiss who always know good value when it is around. Salads and good main courses. The 24 Euro menu is always great. It MAY JUST be possible  to give you a lift and pick you up later to help you “enjoy” the meal.

Where to eat (gourmet):
Les Trois Colombes just 300 metres from us. Run by two Swiss ladies this is a real treat. High quality food in calm and beautiful surrondings. The menu featuring “les trois filets” is superb.

Where to eat (value for money):
La Siesta Pizzeria in Bletterans (10 kms) Good value, great atmosphere and an all round enjoyable time. Proper size chips as well, not the thin “allumettes”. The Chicken Liver salad as a starter sets the tone. They do takeaways as well and, the height of nouvelle technologie they’ve got a “Pizzamatic”! A genuine Hole in the wall Pizza machine! Credit card in, choose your pizza (or two etc) and wait. Three minutes later the first will arrive and so on piping hot and in it’s own box – the wonders of technology!

Local food:
This region of France is called the Bresse and is famed for it’s poultry. Poulet de Bresse in Vin Jaune with Morilles is the region’s signature dish. Featuring the chicken (specially reared, free range chickens) and a sauce made of local mushrooms and the stunning powerhouse wine of nearby (4 kms) Jura.

Local wine:
Obviously Burgundy. Beaune is 40 kms away and could lead you into serious trouble with your bank manager but it would be worth it. For a more affordable Burgundy try the Hautes Cotes du Nuits and Hautes Cotes du Beaune or the Cote Chalonnaise. The owners have contacts in all. For something different; head eastwards into the Jura and try their wines. The Vin Jaune (see above) is one of a range of amazing and highly individual wines from this smallest of wine regions. The owners of the B&B have contacts with several winemakers and can easily arrange tastings. The local Cremant (champagne but not allowed to call it that) from friends the Chevassus is stunning. Try it.

Local markets:
St Germain du Bois (6 kms) on Saturday Morning (0900 – 1200) is a traditional morning market. Fruit & veg stalls, clothes, cheese (the B&B gets its cheese from here) butchery etc etc. The rotisserie chicken lady does a mean chicken with onions, tomatoes & gravy and a loaf of bread from either of the bakeries in the town with perhaps something naughty for pudd………..
Chalon sur Saone on Sunday morning. Mainly food market in the St. Vincent square. The cathedral dominates the sqaure and the market bustles along throughout the morning. Take a stroll through the old town, have a drink and watch the world go by.
On Monday morning, Louhans has the largest market in the area, taking up the whole of the town centre, with food, clothing and household goods and livestock too.

Must see:
The Hotel Dieu in Beaune is spectacular, open all year from 9am to 6pm (closes for lunch only in mid-winter).
The Chateau d’Arlay is open during June to September for visitors or all year long for it’s wine.
The Burgundy winerouteTouristique des Grands Crus) is like driving through all the most famous names on a wine list!
(Route The Jura countryside whose stunning scenery, including lakes, rivers, waterfalls, caves, vineyards, abbeys and castles.

The Jura Wine Route (route des vins de Jura) – “stretching over the 80 kilometres of sunny slopes called “the Revermont”, you will find an area rich in character that will reveal to you all it’s treasures. Exceptional wines, beautiful countryside, enchanting villages, gastronomy of the highest order and many other activities which promise all manner of good things.”

The hilltop village of Chateau Chalon.

For something very different, how about lunch, a bit of culture, shopping and something for the kids all in one place? Sounds good? It’s at the local motorway service station!! No kidding! Just ask for details!

A bit of culture?
Chateau de Pierre de Bresse has a local museum and lots to do for a morning or afternoon.
The photography museum in Chalon sur Saone is worth seeing for some of it’s temporary exhibitions.
The Hospice de Beaune (see above) is really well worth visiting
La Maison de la Haute Seille is a new museum of the region aound Chateau Chalon with lots to do (open Sat & Sun from 9 to 12 and 2 to 6) . They are slowly getting the English translation sorted out for all of the panels and, hopefully, the audio side of things.
The abbey at Baume Les Messieurs….. we could go on and on!

Somewhere for a walk?
Loads of quiet roads, paths, and marked routes. There are details of some in the Jura and a lot of local maps at the B&B

Something for the kids?
Lac Chalain about 30 kms. Beaches, entertainment and the like.
The Aurochs farm (www.ferme-auroch.com) ,(auroch= an ancient breed of cattle) near the Cascades des Herisson about 40 kms. Rare breed cattle, bison, Aurochs and, somewhat bizzarely, Dalmations.
Visit a snail farm. Bet you didn’t expect that! July & Aug are best for this, it can be arranged by the B&B
Or how about a river cruise on the Saone, with commentary by the English speaking captain and co-owner

Getting there?
Car is best. (more room to take the wine home.) The B&B is about 410 miles south of the Channel ports. From Calais etc, head for Reims, then Troyes, Dijon. Take A36 to the A39 and come off at junction 8. Remember a map or the GPS co-ordinates above. Otherwise, Sens-sur-Seille is between an hour and a half and two hours from both Lyon and Geneva airports, with low-cost flights from all over the UK

Getting around:
A car, frankly, is essential here. There are bikes available for hire so that the fitter amongst you can get a healthy buzz. If you let the B&B know the day before they can arrange a picnic lunch and recommend routes which are quiet and relatively flat to amble along. Should you be of a more Tour de France disposition there are longer routes of over 100 kms as well!

When to come?:
June through to September is best with the Montgolfiades Hot air Balloon festival in early June
Chalon dans la Rue festival of street theatre in July
Jazz festivals; Water festivals and a whole range of other festivals taking place over the summer months.
Late september is usually harvest time and the vineyards are alive with people picking grapes.
October things start to quieten down a bit. In November there is the release of the Beaujolais Nouveau in Beaujeu (about 75 mins away). Great fun and the wines is usually very good. The weekend after that is the Beaune wine festival where the great and the good get together to sort out the price of this years vintage Burgundies. The first weekend in February is the big wine festival in the Jura where about 80 winemakers gather together and celebrate the new vintage Vin Jaune (it’s had 6 years maturing in its barrels and is adjudged ready). Lots of other smaller festivals dotted around the year

For a longer stay?:
Louhans (about 10 miles away) has a market on Mondays all through the year. In summer it totally dominates the town. All the usual items plus hardware, fashion and livestock. Get there fairly early to get a good parking spot!
Go wine-tasting at a local producer (or two). John & Carolyn have lots of contacts in the business and can set these up and sometimes accompany you. Visit the Jura wines website www.laroutedesvinsdujura.com for information on lots of small events in the region.
There’s a tasting evening every Tuesday in season in nearby Lavigny that’s great fun but best if your French is fairly reasonable.

For more info on Le Bourg B&B see  Le Bourg B&B or use the enquiry form below.

For more info on the local area see the local tourist office websites at Tourisme Jura or Tourisme Saone-et-Loire

cforms contact form by delicious:days

Map showing the location of Sens-sur-Seille