Burgundy
Burgundy only produces a fraction of the wine of Bordeaux, but it produces many of the wines which make up “The Holy Grail of Wine”. There are literally thousands of small wine growers in Burgundy and it is interesting to note that in Burgundy great wineries exist alongside the virtually unknown. This is because the Appellation only regulates the provenance of a wine, not its quality. The great red Burgundies are all made from Pinot Noir and the great white Burgundies, such as those from Chablis, are made from Chardonnay. Burgundy is said to epitomize the making of wine from both Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
To the south, the region of Beaujolais produces soft, fruity, “drink now” wines made from Gamay. Many wine buffs around the world rush to be the first to drink the Beaujolais Nouveau when it is released just after vintage time, on the third Thursday in November. Beaujolais is made by the ancient carbonic maceration method, wherein the grapes literally crush themselves due to the natural fermentation inside the berries. This method produces juicy, easy drinking, but short living wines because they are low in tannin. Tannic acid is contained in the skins of red grapes but not in white varieties, and acts as a natural preservative.
The districts within the Burgundy region are Chablis, Cote d’Or (consisting of Cote de Nuits and the Cote de Beaune), Cote Chalonnaise, Maconnaise and Beaujolais. Selected elite wineries (red) are Romanee-Conti and La Tache and (white) Le Montrachet and Pouilly Fuisse.

Anthony’s Selection
Darlington Estate 2008 Sparkling Shiraz (Perth Hills)
Opening with plenty of youthful purpley mousse, this medium weight, pleasantly dry red with its plummy lingering palate is very good drinking now with anything. High Bronze Medal Standard