DIVING INTO BURGUNDY: KEY WINE STYLES
Welcome to our “Diving Into Burgundy” series, where our goal is to help you better understand the wines of the one of the most coveted regions in the whole world - Burgundy.
If this is your first time here, we hope you find this series helpful. If you’re a returning visitor, welcome back! Either way, we love that you love Burgundy (because so do we!) and want to learn more about this fabulous part of the vast world of wine.
In this article, we will explore the key wine styles that are produced in the Burgundy wine region. Before we get going however, let’s clarify what we mean by the term “wine styles”.
For the purposes of this article, the use of the term “wine styles” simply refers to the broad categories and sub-categories that wine (as a product) can be classified into - namely dry, sweet, sparkling or still, red/white/rosé (colour) and fortified. Of course, there are a lot of other factors and inputs that determine the ultimate style of a wine, but our focus is not on these other aspects in this article.
And with that, let’s explore the key wine styles of the Burgundy wine region!
WHAT ARE THE KEY WINE STYLES IN BURGUNDY?
DRY vs. SWEET WINES
This is very straightforward.
Almost all of the wines that are produced in Burgundy are dry, typically with 5g/L of residual sugar or less.
Unlike it’s famous cousin Bordeaux, Burgundy does not have a long or notable history when it comes to the production of sweet wines, nor does it produce sweet wines in any material quantity.
Of course, there are always outliers to the general rule. However, wines labelled as “Burgundy” in some way, shape or form will never be anything other than dry wines, practically speaking.
SPARKLING vs. STILL WINES
The scales are once again tipped in the favour of one vs. the other here.
While the Burgundy region does produce a small quantity of sparkling wines, the vast majority of the region’s production is still wines.
Sparkling wines, officially known and labelled as “Crémant de Bourgogne”, make up about 11% of the region’s production. The remaining 89% is made up of still wines.
THE COLOURS OF THE BURGUNDY REGION - RED, WHITE…AND BEYOND
It may come as a surprise for some to hear this - but within the production of still wines, there is more white wine produced than any other colour. This could be surprising given the region’s most lauded and expensive wines are in fact its red wines!
Nonetheless, the official breakdown tells a different story. In fact, 60% of all wine production is still white wine, while 29% of all wine production is red and rosé wines (remember - the remaining 11% is Crémant, which could be either white or rosé). If the figures are adjusted to account for the sparkling wine category, our guesstimate is that the scales tip even further in favour of white wines, with our guess being that the numbers would be closer to a 70/30 split in favour of white wines.
It is worth noting that only a very small amount of rosé, whether as a still or sparkling wine, is produced in Burgundy.
There is no material production of orange wines in this region.
FORTIFIED WINES
The Burgundy region is not a source of fortified wines. If they are produced in the region, they would not carry an appellation associated with the moniker “Burgundy”.
DETERMINING THE BEST WINE STYLE FOR YOU
Very honestly speaking, there is not one “best” wine style in the world-famous region of Burgundy. Determining what is best for you is a very personal choice, and the answer varies from person to person, and palate to palate.
We would recommend that you consider whether you enjoy red or white wines more, and then choose accordingly. Remember that in Burgundy, there is a TON of diversity from producer to producer, vintage to vintage, village to village and plot to plot. Therefore, it pays you spend some time decoding what you enjoy and what ultimately suits you best!
AND THAT’S A WRAP!
This should give you all that you need to know to feel a bit more confident about the different styles of wine that are produced in Burgundy!
Read this article in combination with our Grapes of Burgundy article to also better understand the general composition of the wines of Burgundy. Understanding both of these aspects in tandem will surely ensure that you feel like you know a thing or two about the famous Burgundy wine region next time you delve into your wine glass ;-)
In the next instalment in our “Diving Into Burgundy” series, we will explore the different wine area, or sub-regions, of Burgundy. So stay tuned!
Cheers!