Tourists are now looking for authentic getaways and in search of enriching discoveries, ecotourism, a more responsible and local tourism. The French are increasingly favoring destinations in France for their holidays. For foreign tourists, France remains the most visited country in the world and its notoriety in terms of wines and spirits places, the French wine regions as a destination of choice for wine tourism.
Even though tastings in wine houses have always existed, this craze for wine tourism highlights all the assets of the Bourgogne region where vineyards, heritage and gastronomy can be discovered through multiple experiences along the wine route. Thus, Bourgogne is regularly mentioned among the top 10 destinations to visit.
WHAT WINE TOURISM STANDS FOR ? HOW DO WE DEFINE IT ?
If the reception of customers for wine tastings and cellar visits has always existed, the concept of wine tourism, which has appeared more recently, concerns the fact of organizing a stay of a weekend or several days at the discovery of the region's vineyards on an initiatory journey along the wine route.
There are of course connoisseurs of good wines who seek to learn more about the most famous appellations and estates, but there are also amateurs who take advantage of a getaway to discover areas that may be more confidential but whose the tasting reveals just as qualitative.
In recent years, these wine tourism trips have also taken on a more "militant" aspect with the desire to focus on the people who hide behind the labels, these passionate winegrowers who know how to tell better than anyone the work and expertise necessary to produce a fine wine. A meeting at the Domaine is the assurance of a unique discovery of the savoir-faire of the winegrowers and the particularity of the vineyards and "Climats" of Bourgogne.
Incidentally, after the tasting, the purchase of wine at the Domaine also enters into a short circuit approach that has been just as popular in recent years.
For all these reasons, tourists who came to discover French wines and vineyards increased from 7.5 million in 2009 to 10 million in 2016, an increase of more than 30%.*
It should be noted that in Bourgogne 4 out of 10 wine tourists are foreigners: Belgians, Germans, British or Americans who have come to France to seek the authenticity of an encounter with winegrowers, preferably in small family estates that often break with the wine tourism experience. offered in areas such as the Napa Valley in California.
On the Bourgogne wine route
The Bourgogne region being very extensive from north to south and very rich in renowned vineyards, there is not one Bourgogne wine route but several.
The most iconic is the "Route des Grands Crus" which runs through the Côte de Nuits and the Côte de Beaune: the two most famous Côtes in the region. There are the most prestigious appellations and the most emblematic villages such as Vosne-Romanée, Nuits-Saint-Georges or Meursault.
However, we must not forget the other regions, in particular the Côte Chalonnaise with the villages of Mercurey, Rully or Givry or the Mâconnais which produces the famous Pouilly-Fuissé in particular, but also the region of Chablis, Beaujolais...the list can be long and will undoubtedly allow you to return to Bourgogne!
Discover all the aspects of the Bourgogne region
If wine tasting is at the heart of a wine tourism route, the fact remains that the Bourgogne region has many other assets for a pleasant stay.
Starting with the famous "Climats" of the Bourgogne vineyard between Dijon and Beaune which have been listed as UNESCO heritage in 2015 and recognized as a "cultural landscape" combining a remarkable character, an exceptional built heritage and exclusive savoir-faire.
To punctuate the stay, this wine route can be explored in different ways and create unforgettable moments: by bike for the more athletic or even in a hot air balloon for the more adventurous, with an unobstructed view of the Bourgogne vineyards.
The region also attracts for its architecture with an unmissable place: the Hospices de Beaune, but also the discovery of the many picturesque little villages of Bourgogne.
Finally, Bourgogne is a gastronomic destination par excellence! And what could be more pleasing for a wine lover than to taste a good Bourgogne wine to accompany a gastronomic meal where food and wine pairings are sublimated.
The list is long ; this lists the top 12 gastronomic tables in Bourgogne: https://www.bourgogne-tourisme.com/decouvrir/gastronomie-et-produits-regionaux/top-12-des-tables-gastronomiques-en-bourgogne/
*source Atout France: https://www.atout-france.fr/content/oenotourisme
