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Dijon: taking the wine route

Let Lyria Mag set you on your way along the famous wine route of the Burgundy region. Make the most of the onset of summer to tour the region and discover the variety of vineyards Burgundy has to offer.

Fine wines

Here we are on the Route des Grands Crus where fine wines with names such as Vosnes Romanée, Vougeot and Chambolle Musigny will enchant you. You will be as powerless to resist the temptation of the route’s beautiful scenery as well as the exceptional taste of its wines. Dijon is the chosen starting point for the Route des Grands Crus, where a narrow strip of sloping vineyards stretches out from north to south covering some sixty kilometres between Dijon and the Maranges country.

The official start of the Côte de Nuits vineyards is at Marsannay-la-Côte, known as the Porte d’or or Golden Gate. The Côte overlooks the Saône plain and is divided into two halves, the Côte de Nuits to the north and the Côte de Beaune to the south, both overlooked by the Hautes Côtes. Hikers can get their walking boots on, as Marsannay is a village surrounded by countryside with countless shady footpaths leading you through the wealth of vineyards.

The Emperor’s nectar

The village and surrounding vineyards of Gevrey-Chambertin produce no fewer than 9 Grands Crus and 26 Premiers Crus (First Growth) wines, including the renowned Chambertin, Napoleon’s favourite wine.

You can visit the Château du Clos de Vougeot, located right in the heart of one of the most famous vineyards, le Clos Vougeot. Built during the Renaissance on top of the existing 12th century winemakers’ buildings, it still has a cuverie or vat hall housing four enormous wine presses, traditional kitchens and a vast wine cellar where the renowned wine-tasting association, the Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin, have held chapters since 1944.

The Route des Grands Crus makes its way to Beaune through the vineyards. Take a moment to admire the view from the Beaune mountain, which is covered with vines sloping gently down to the outskirts of the town, to the walls that protect the heart of the old city.

On foot or by bike

To escape even further into the great outdoors, the Route des Grands Crus can also be explored by mountain bike thanks to the itineraries of the Grande Randonnée (GR®) des Grands Crus (a 21 km path, taking 6 to 7 hours, red and yellow signposting, for experienced walkers and cyclists), which crosses the Côte de Nuits vineyards starting out in Dijon (from the Combe Persil park) and going on to Pernand-Vergelesses (from here, you can continue on to Santenay by taking the GR® 7).
Steady as you go if you are wine-tasting en route...

Practical information
Signposting: the signposts indicating the Burgundy Grands Crus tourist route show a white bunch of white grapes on a brown background. The route runs parallel to the former N 74 road which links Dijon to Beaune and takes smaller minor roads where possible.

And the wine route continues

The wine route doesn’t stop at vintage wines. Exploration of the Côte Chalonnaise, as the wine route continues southwards, offers further tasting opportunities. This is a route full of variety, mingling villages and nature, vines and farmland, Romanesque churches and châteaux, and much more. The Mâconnais-Beaujolais route makes up the final leg of the journey across uninterrupted vineyards from Dijon. The region has so much to offer that one trip will not be enough; there are the vineyards of the Yonne department with its legendary Chablis, and Nièvre with its sloping Pouilly Sancerre vineyards where Pouilly-fumé is produced.