The Regent Street of white wines
White Burr-gun-dee
White
Region
White Burgundy is a truly classic wine, with names like Chablis, Meursault straight out of Downton Abbey. The wines are, almost all, made of Chardonnay, including Chablis, but are treated differently depending on the village or commune they come from. So Chablis and Pouilly Fuissé (not to be confused with Pouilly Fumé) are unoaked, crisper styles and Meursault is a smokey, oaked wine. This is one of the areas of the world where the individual vineyards make a difference to both flavour and price so choose wisely! It’s a great place to visit as you can travel down the river which runs from Lyon to the South visiting the villages and eating and drinking your heart content.
Things you should know
Top Tip: White Burgundy can be expensive because of its limited supply and high demand. But some of the villages are less prestigious than others, try St Veran or Rully which tend to be much better value. Or look for a prestigious producer's basic Bourgogne Blanc.
Specific Food Match: White Burgundy is subtle in comparison to some other Chardonnays, so you need classic cooking, where no one element, including the wine dominates. At the lighter end shellfish, at the richer end a butter sauce is all you need to showcase these wines.