Monday, March 12th

Today we drove to Dijon to visit the Fine Arts Museum of Dijon.

We walked through Dijon and visited a local mustard shop on the way to lunch at the Gril Laure Restaurant. Lunch started with a Brouilly Beaujolais wine. We ate lamb with tomato and potatoes. Dessert was the best crème brulee that I had while I was over there. After lunch we got back on the bus and drove around through wine country some more. We stopped at Clos de Vougeot, where we watched a slide show and learned a little about the Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin, a society that portrays the heart and soul of the Burgundian wine industry. They hold their annual ball at the Clos Vougeot Chateau.

When we walked outside Clos Vougeot, we could see the workers pruning the vines out in the vineyard.

After Clos de Vougeot, we went to a winery in Pommard, the Caveau Meursault. The house is actually historical, once belonging to the doctor of Phillip the Bold. We toured the bottling facility as well as the cellars. There were so man bottles in the cellar, over 650,000. When we came up from the cellars we went into another room set up for a tasting. We tried two wines and I ended up buying the first one. First we had a 1998 Volnay, a very light, smooth red wine. It was lightly acidic and not very fruity. After the Volnay we tried a Beaune from 1990. It smelled so much like cheese that I was pretty turned off by it whenever it got close to my nose, not my favorite wine so far. It tasted fruitier than the first with more berry flavors.


After the tasting we all got back on the bus to go back to the hotel for dinner. Dinner started with a salad with julienne vegetables. It was good, but what came next was amazing. Next we had some chicken with mushrooms, greenbeans and a tomato. It was covered in a delicious white wine, chicken broth, and mushroom sauce. Cheeses were Brie and Camenbert again. Dessert was a wonderful sorbet sampler with strawberry, pear and cassis sorbet.

Sunday, March 11th

Nichol and I woke up around 8:45, took showers, got ready and walked down to the trai station to get phone cards. It was the first time I really got to practice my French and it was fun. Two local boys stopped us and we talked with them a little bit. We got back to the hotel by 10:30 for our lecture. The lecture that Jean gave was about French history. I have taken French History before, so I was able to recall most of what he was talking about as he said it. This trip has definitely reenergized my interest in French history and I would love to take another course in it soon. Jean told us about the history of the Burgundy and Champagne regions, and about the important historical figures in the regions as well. He discussed Clovis and Clotilde, the Burgundian Kings and Dukes, and the important role the Church, and the Benedictine and Cistercian Monks had in the early days of making wine and Champagne. When Jean finished telling us about the history of the region, Professor Juge talked to us about the different grape varieties of the region. He also discussed the importance of the weather and the terrior in the taste of the wines. We also talked about the different classifications that there are for labeling wines. Professor Juge told us approximately how many of the wineries in the regions were considered Grand Cru. He also told us that here are many village wines, non-cru wines, that are very good as well.

We had lunch at the hotel, before we left for our afternoon bus tour. Lunch was a salad with a poached egg, bacon & croutons in oil and vinegar. I loved it.

Then we had a mixed fish plate, with red mullen, seabass, and salmon with sticky rice and shredded vegetables in a Chablis white wine sauce. I liked the salmon, but not the other two.












Our Cheese course was Brie and Camenbert. For dessert we had a Nougat Glace A L’Orange, which was an ice cream with pistachios and hazelnuts and an orange sauce. I liked it, but I tried to pick the pistachios out.



After lunch we boarded the bus for our drive through Macon and the Beauolais Wine Villages.

We got off the bus and walked around outside the train station of Georges Duboeuf. These old trains were used to transport wine back in the day.I learned that there are four types of Beaujolais: Beaujolais Nouveau, Beaujolais, Beaujolais Villages, and Cru. All of these wines are made exclusively with Gamay grape.

We went to our first wine tasting at the Cave Vinzelles near Pouilly-Fuisse. We tried two whites and two reds.The first white, a Macon Vinzelles 2005 was fruity and citrusy.


The second white, a Pouilly-Fuisse 2004 was citrusy, with a stronger flavor than the first one.


The third wine was a red, a Beaujolais Saint Amour 2005. I found it bitter and highly acidic, I didn’t care for this one.
The last wine we tried was a Julienas 2005. This one was fruiter than the last, with a mild acidity and a dried red fruit taste. I tasted raisins in this wine as well.
After the tasting we got back on the bus and started to head towards the Michel Juillot Winery in Mercurey. Dinner was a homecooked meal after a tour of the Michel Juillot Winery. Dinner was prepared by the woman of the house, and their adorable children helped serve the meal. We had a new wine with every course and the meal served as a tasting as well. This meal was definitely one of my favorites.

Dinner was:
Wine – Cremant (Sparkling wine) (Wonderful)
Food – A traditional Burgundian Puff Pastry
Wine – Mercurey Chardonnay 2002
Food – Jamobon, Saucisson, and Pate
Wine – Premier Cru Clos des Barraults 2005 (White)
Wine – Mercurey 2004
Food – Pasta with Beef Burgundy sauce and Carrots
Wine – Premier Cru Clos des Barraults 2004 (Red)
Food – Brie, Camenbert, Corsican and Goat cheeses
Wine – Grand Cru Corton-Perrieres 2002
Food – Apple Tart

Saturday, March 10th

We arrived at Charles De Gaulle Airport around 8:15 in the morning. Nichol Ohren, Sarah Dole, and I met the rest of the group and our tour guides, Jean & Patrick. This in itself was exciting for me, because I had been unable to attend any of the group meetings we had before leaving. After gathering everybody up and getting onto the bus, we took off, headed for Chalon.

Lunch was buffet style at a restaurant on the way to Chalon. Apparently Campanile, the restaurant, is a big chain over in France. I had some fish, potato salad, salami and cheeses. The chocolate mousse dessert was fantastic, but very rich. I drank Pinot Noir with lunch, but there was also a white wine and a rose.

Dinner was at the Hotel in Chalon. We stayed at the Le Saint-Georges in Chalon-Sur-Saone. For dinner we started off with Kir, a Burgundian aperitif made from aligote white wine and cassis. We started with bread with olives and ham. The next dish was a poached egg in a Burgundian wine sauce with mushrooms, ham, onions and grapes. I really liked this dish, as did the rest of my table. Next we had a pork in heavy Dijon mustard cream sauce with potatoes. Blue & Camembert Cheeses came next, followed by a dessert of pears, kiwi, oranges, lemon, and pineapple tart with a meringue. We drank Givry Pinot Noir with dinner.

Kelly Hart

Kelly Hart

International Gastronomy Journal

France: Burgundy, Champagne & Paris

March 9^th-18^th, 2007