Vineyard holiday Burgundy

The quest for the wine of the other Burgundy

In our part of Burgundy wine-growing had all but ceased. Formerly Le Chemin used to be a centre of a wine-growing region. The names of some villages or hills still retain that past: Vignes le Bas, Mont Vigne. In the 19th century our estate used to be the wine-farm of the chateau in Anthien. We still have the old wine-press of those bygone days.

There are three main reasons why the wine-growing has deteriorated. In the last quarter of the 19th century the Phylloxera destroyed whole vineyards in France. In the Great War countless numbers of young men lost their lives. France lost a great part of its work force for the labour-intensive vineyards. The third is reason is rather specific for our region. Paris used wood as its main source of heat. Most of that wood came from the Morvan region. As large rafts the wood was transported on the Seine river; the famous flottage. Cases of wine were put on the rafts to be sold in Paris. Wine from the Tannay region for example was a favourite of the French court in the 16th and 17th century. As soon as coal and gas started to be used for heating, the flottage stopped, thereby effectively ending the transport of wine to Paris.

At l’Huis Perreau we have a small vineyard of 300 vines all white, as an homage to the glorious past. We planted Chardonnay and Melon which are well known in Burgundy. We also planted Viognier and Romorantin.

Melon is an interesting grape. Formerly it used to be the grape of Burgundy. Now it has almost disappeared. Lately it is being replanted, mainly in the Tannay area, near l’Huis Perreau. Melon is, in a peculiar way, related to Dutch trade! In the 17the century Dutch wine traders convinced wine growers in the Loire Atlantique region (at the mouth of the river Loire) to start planting the Burgundy Melon. The vine is resistant to cold weather and now a whole region bears the name of the grape. Contrary to the Muscadet, Melon is not bone-dry but has a rather joyful taste to it, reminiscent of quiet Sunday afternoons.

The two other vintages are rather an experiment. Viognier is more known in the south of France (Pays D’Oc) and in “new” wine-countries like Argentine. It gives a wine “soft and strong” as Jancis Robinson puts it. According to some it has a special flavour of peaches or apricots. Romorantin comes from the small region of Cheverny, in the Loire area. It is not found outside the Loire region. We like the wine, as it is dry and fruity and it can be kept for up to 10 years. It is a grape that is supposed to grow well in a cooler climate. Its yield is almost twice as large as that of Viognier.

Vineyard holiday Burgundy