30 Second Wine Advisor: Wine Focus – Affordable Burgundy
When many wine lovers think of Burgundy, the first thought that comes to mind is “complicated and hard to understand.” The second thought is “expensive.”
There’s some basis for this reaction. Great Burgundy is rarely cheap, and cheap Burgundy isn’t often great. Good buys are out there, but you have to work to find them.
In our Wine Focus topic for May, we hope to solve some of these mysteries as we seek affordable Burgundy, hoping to zero in on – and share information about – some happy exceptions to the “Burgundy is expensive” rule.
For purposes of this discussion, we’ll set the bar at about $30 U.S. or Canadian dollars; or, for participants in other countries, the approximate local equivalent – 20 Euros, 15 Pounds Sterling, 32 Australian dollars, and so it goes.
It’s easy to participate in Wine Focus: Find a good Burgundy for $30 or less. Taste it, then visit the online forum at
http://www.wineloverspage.com/forum/village/viewforum.php?f=18
and tell us about it. Or drop by the forum at any time to ask questions about Burgundy, or share your expertise.
To set the scene for the month, let’s revisit a “Burgundy quick reference sheet” that I put together for our Burgundy tour in 2004.
• WHERE: Most broadly defined, Burgundy runs north and south along the Saone river in France between the cities of Lyons and Dijon (plus Chablis, which is a good distance northwest of all the rest). The southern portion of Burgundy incorporates the Chalonnaise, Maconnais and Beaujolais regions; but when most wine enthusiasts speak of Burgundy, they are talking about the relatively small section around Beaune, just south of Dijon, where the hillside stretch called Cote d’Or incorporates the Cote de Nuits and the Cote de Beaune, where some of Earth’s most favored vineyards grow.
• WHAT: Called Bourgogne (“Boor-gon-yuh”) in French, Burgundy wines are almost invariably made from only two grape varieties: Pinot Noir for the reds, and Chardonnay for the whites. There are a few exceptions, like the Gamay grape in Beaujolais and the white Aligote and Pinot Blanc. We’ll talk about them another day.
• WHEN: In terms of the length and texture of its vinous history, Burgundy is one for the books. Legend asserts that the ancient Romans found vineyards here when they conquered Gaul in 50 B.C., and vine growing has carried on without a break for more than 2,000 years since: by monks in the Dark Ages through Charlemagne’s time, by dukes and barons thereafter, and by small farmers and entrepreneurs after the Revolution, when Napoleon’s empire broke up the old holdings of the church and the nobility, a policy further complicated by inheritance to create a jigsaw-puzzle map of tiny properties that befuddles wine enthusiasts to this day.
• WHY: What makes Burgundy so desirable? There is little debate that both Pinot Noir and Chardonnay reach their quality pinnacle in these relatively small places; and Pinot in particular, while one of the most challenging grapes to get right, is one of the most rewarding when it all works out. Two millennia of wine-making tradition and as much experience in selecting the best possible vineyard sites further contribute to the quality factor; and sheer rarity based on limited yields from tiny vineyards drives the supply-and-demand ratio for the most sought-after wines out of all proportion. Most of us will have little opportunity to taste the greatest Burgundies. But with a little effort and care, we can certainly enjoy some good ones.
Food and Wine Lovers of Manila, Tarlac, Subic, Pampanga Angeles City and Clark Philippines gather at the best restaurant in Clark Pampanga to wine and dine on B Y O B night during which guests are invited to bring their own bottle of wine and no corkage is charged. Some guests opt to buy wine at the famous wine shop in Pampanga, Clark Wine Center to bring to dinner at this fine dining Restaurant in Angeles City, Clark Pampanga.
BYOB which stands for Bring Your Own Bottle, refers to a special treat that the best restaurant in Clark Pampanga offer to their valued customers to bring their own wines when dining at this top rated restaurant. Normally corkage fee ranging from p500 to p1500 per bottle is charged but on BYOB evenings which usually take place on Saturdays at this famous restaurant near Angeles City Pampanga, corkage charges are waived. Wine and food lovers from Manila, Tarlac, Subic, Pampanga Angeles City frequently take advantage of this special offer to dine at this restaurant in Clark Pampanga which is already well known not only for its award winning restaurant wine list but also its French Mediterranean cuisine that is always easy to enjoy and pair with fine vintage wine.
For comments, inquiries and reservations click on Click here for inquiry and reservations
Restaurant@Yats-International.com
(045) 599-5600
0922-870-5178
0917-520-4401
Ask for Pedro and Rechel
Getting to this fine dining restaurant of Angeles City Clark Freeport Zone Pampanga Philippines
How to get to this fine-dining restaurant in Clark Philippines? Once you get to Clark Freeport, go straight until you hit Mimosa. After you enter Mimosa, stay on the left on Mimosa Drive, go past the Holiday Inn and Yats Restaurant (green top, independent 1-storey structure) is on your left. Just past the Yats Restaurant is the London Pub.
Yats Restaurant & Wine Bar
Mimosa Drive past Holiday Inn, Mimosa Leisure Estate,
Clark Freeport Zone, Pampanga, Philippines 2023
Manila Sales Office
3003C East Tower, Phil Stock Exchange Center,
Exchange Rd Ortigas Metro Manila, Philippines 1605
(632) 637-5019 0917-520-4393 Rea or Chay
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For assistance in hotel and resort bookings in Clark, Pampanga, Philippines, log on to
http://www.HotelClarkPhilippines.com
To buy wine in Manila, Pampanga, Angeles City, Clark or Subic please log on to http://www. ClarkWineCenter.com
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For more information about Clark, Pampanga, Philippines log on to
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