LOCAL FLAVOUR

When you live in the shadow of the famous wine labels of the Côte de Beaune, you’ve got to come up with something rather special, and the Côte Chalonnaise does not disappoint.
Its hidden treasure is without doubt Mercurey, which comes from the north of the area close to the vineyards of the neighbouring Beaune wines.
Everyone thinks they know this Burgundian wine and indeed in certain parts of Europe it enjoys an almost cult status. It is, without doubt, a great wine, a premier cru and thankfully slightly more affordable than some of its near neighbours.
Head southwards in the Côte Chalonnaise and you come across the equally impressive wines of Montagny with names like Givry and Rully springing to mind.
So, plenty to choose from but as always, the proof is in the tasting, so let’s do just that and trek back to the Mercurey vineyards and do some sampling. The Caveau di Vin Mercurey is a great start. Located in the village of Mercurey itself, it is an innovative retail outlet where you can sample a variety of wines. In fact, at the last count, there are 64 different wines from 44 estates and producers in the local area. Most importantly, Le Caveau di Vin brings both the white and red Mercurey Villages and Mercurey Premiers Crus together all in one place.
Now we said this was an innovative setting, so what did we mean by that? With a magnetic prepaid card, you can choose how you taste the wines, by yourself or guided by a wine expert. And if you have the kids in tow, there’s a play area that will keep them occupied while you have a quiet dégustation (sampling)!
Of course, you should accompany a fine Burgundy wine with some equally fine Burgundian food. As we are in the area local to our featured couple, Paul and Sandra (read LIVING THE DREAM in this edition), we asked them for a couple of recommendations. Their first choice is ‘Le Petit Blanc’ located at Le Pont Pilley in Charrecey. This friendly restaurant serves true Burgundy food. Things like oeufs en meurette, boeuf bourguignon, crème brûlée and not to forget their speciality tête de veau. A delicacy throughout rural France but perhaps not something a vegetarian should try!
Or, if you prefer something local to your Mercurey wine tasting, the village of Mercurey has three restaurants. Just down the road from the Caveau di Vin, you will find La Marmite de Caro. Run by a Canadian (Caroline Parker) the restaurant has a Spanish flavour to it and is rated 5 stars on TripAdvisor. Caroline serves simple dishes with a daily menu starting with appetisers and finishing with her dessert called “L’indécent” As the name suggests it’s a heavy sweet gateau made of different layers, starting at the bottom are Oreos cookies, then peanut butter caramel, finished with chocolate topping.
(Ed: This sounds delicious, but it is not going to be good for my ever-expanding waistline!)
We think that this is a recipe for a great day out!