Wednesday.
Yesterday our excursion took us to a spiritual center, Hotel-Dieu in Beaune, the capital of Burgundy's wine region. This day, we visit the "mother church" of Burgundy wine, the Clos de Vougeot, where monks 900 years ago, used scientific methods to refine methods to produce wine, and now is the seat of the Confrerie des Chevliers du Tstevin, the Burgundy wine society. No wonder it has become a mecca for Burgundy wine enthusiasts,
We start the day sailing on the River Saône to St. Jean de Losne, where we connect to the canal de Bourgogne.
We see scores of barges here, including many live-aboard barges that people either rent or own. I don't envy their effort to get through these locks on their own.
Today's shore excursion takes us through the Cotes de Nuits region, famous for its vineyards, to Clos de Vougeot, where wine has been produced by local monks since the 12th century. Italso is the seat of the Confrerie des Chevliers du Tstevin, the Burgundy wine society.
The 12th century monks of Citreaux transformed winemaking, turning their vineyard into a model for “scientific” pruning and cultivation.
In 1790, during the French Revolution, the Abbey and its annexes including the Vougeot vineyard, were confiscated and declared “Property of the Nation”. For the next century, the domain changed owners frequently. It was gradually broken down until 1889, when the buildings and remaining vineyard came into the hands of Leonce Bocquet, a Burgundian owner, who saved the edifice from destruction and spent vast amounts of money restoring it.
Etienne Camuzet, acquired the chateau in 1920 and made it available to the Confrerie des Chevaliers du Tstevin, an association of wine growers, in 1934.
In 1944, it became the "spiritual" home to the Confrerie, which became the caretaker of the Clos de Vougeot, turning the chateau into a kind of Acropolis of Burgundy where pilgrims from the world over come (www.tstevin-bourgogne.com, info@tastevin-bourgogone.com).
The association wanted to elevate Burgundy wine, which had fallen in prominence to Bordeaux wine. The society was meant to market the wine, but they did something quite clever: they invited popular entertainers (like Maurice Chevalier) and important diplomats to become Members of the Society. It worked, and they brought back Burgundy as a major player in the international wine industry.
On the walls, we see the annual photo of the Society members, looking regal in their sashes.
The motto here: "Jamais en vain; toujours en vin" ("Never in vain; Always in wine")
From here, we go to aprivate wine tasting in Nuits St Georges before we return to Caprice.
Along the way, we see fields of sunflowers browning – used for fuel - and solar panels on “ancient” houses.
Meals are an Event
Meals are an event on the Caprice. The tables today are decorated with colored napkins, beautiful place settings. Tina waits for everyone to be seated, and then makes a presentation of the menu, the wines and the cheeses, telling interesting stories about them.
The lunch menu consists of feuillete de tomatos - sundried tomatoes and goat cheese in pastry; wild rice and tuna; celery root salad; green salad ; and for dessert, crème brule.
The wines are Cotes Chalonnaise and Cotes de Provence Rose
After lunch, we bike along the tow path of the canal.
The gatekeeper at lock 62 shows us his museum of collections - everything from postcards to wine to coins.
Dinner this evening includes melon with cured ham and St. Croix du Mont wine; Duck breast served with a peach sauce, Provencale tomatoes and sugar snap peas; and for dessert, almond cake with a lemon tea mousse and passion fruit.
The wines are a 2009 Saint Veran, a rich buttery white Bourgogne and, befitting this morning's visit, a Bourgogne Hautes Cote de Nuits, a rich red, fruity wine.
The cheeses today are Morbier, a cow's milk cheese, sometimes known as night/day cheese becasue one side is made from morning milking and the other is evening, Tina says. "With a good palette, you can tell the difference –stronger tasting side is the morning milking, more flavor."
Valencay is a goats milk cheese in the shape of a truncated pyramid, with a salty flavor and crumbly texture, coated in wood ash to preserve the flavor. Tina tells us the story of the cheese, which dates back to Napoleon: it was made in his honor in the shape of a pyramid, expecting Napoleon to be victorious in Egypt. Instead, Napoleon, who lost in Egypt, was offended by the point of the cheese, so it is always made with a truncated pyramid "so not to offend his relatives" (it is fantastic).
Next: Barging through Burgundy to Dijon
See also:
Barging through Burgundy: A visit to Chagny Market and slideshow
Barging through Burgundy, Day 2: Chateau de Rully and slideshow
Barging through Burgundy, Day 3: Hotel-Dieu, Beaune and slideshow
--Karen Rubin, National Eclectic Travel Examiner
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