A couple of months ago I had the chance to visit Burgundy for a few days, courtesy of the region's wine industry. It was a terrific experience, not only because I met some engaging winemakers and winery owners, nor because the weather was warm and dry. I was there following a week of rain and the day after I left the forecast was for snow.
No, the best thing about the visit was the wine I tasted.
Now, that might sound a little odd, depending on your point of view. You might think: "Of course the wine was good, idiot. Burgundies are among the best wines in the world!" Or you might think: "Burgundies are good? Some of them, maybe, but only if you take out a second mortgage. The affordable stuff is crap!"
The thing is, I've been a huge fan of Burgundy for ages. I've lived there several times for short (too short) periods, and if I'm ever pressed to say what my favourite wine is (why do so many people care?), I'll eventually concede that it's hard to beat a decent Pinot Noir or Chardonnay from Burgundy.
But over the past few years, I'd become jaded and disappointed. Too many burgundies in the LCBO were undistinguished, even though they were quite pricey.
It seemed to me that here was a case of a region living on its reputation. Or maybe my palate was being skewed by New World Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays.
Anyway, I went off on this trip to Burgundy, a bit sad to leave winter in Ottawa, of course, and wondering what I would find was happening there. I passed through Beaune briefly last year, but I drank and ate rather than tasted.
I was totally impressed by what I tasted this time. I started my tour in the south, in Macon, and drove through many of Burgundy's 100 appellations to the most northerly, Chablis. I visited four wineries a day and I tasted hundreds of wines. And, almost without exception, I was impressed, whether they were young, generic burgundies, benchmark appellations or amazing older vintages that appeared regularly on dinner tables.
What was striking about them -- most from the 2004 and 2005 vintages currently in the LCBO -- is the purity of the flavours and the balance of the components. The proof was that I could taste so many wines each day, starting at 9 or 10 in the morning and finishing at midnight, and not feel fatigued.
Wine-tasting can be very tiring (I know, cry me a river!) and many's the time colleagues and I have crawled into a bar after a long day's tasting, just dying for a ... beer. Just to salve our beaten-up palates.
But not on this trip, and that says a lot for the wine.
So now I'm all bullish about burgundy again. If you haven't tried one for a while, do.
Be prepared for a structured, nuanced wine, rather than a warm-climate fruit-bomb. And have some tasty food on hand.
The fifth annual Swirl & Twirl, a wine, beer and food-tasting event, takes place May 31 from 8 to 10 p.m. at Ottawa City Hall. Henry of Pelham and Diamond Estate Wines (from Niagara) will pour wines, as will several major wine agents and two breweries. For information on where to buy tickets ($25 each), visit www.swirlntwirl.ca.