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Our Top Burgundy Wine 'How To' Guides
Our Burgundy Wine 'How To' Guides Will Teach You All You Want To Know
Appreciating wine is a multi-faceted thing – especially when that wine is a complex Burgundy wine. There is a ritual to it, which adds to the enjoyment but is there for a reason: things are done in a certain way because they stand the test of time and get the best results. So it's natural for people to have questions about these rituals; how should I open this bottle to best enjoy the wine and reduce the risk of splitting the cork? Which bottles should I lay down, and which are ripe for drinking now? And how can I give myself the best chance of getting all the nuanced flavors and aromas from this bottle that I’ve just invested my hard-earned money in?
Thankfully, burgundywine.com by Elden Selections is on hand to provide answers. Below are some of our most popular Burgundy wine "how to" guides, which seek to shed light on some of the dark arts of oenology. We hope they help you, but if you have further questions, the team at Elden are always on hand to help, and can be contacted here.
How to Read a Burgundy Wine Label
Our first Burgundy wine "how to" guide is on the subject of how to read a wine label from a Burgundy wine bottle. If you’re going to appreciate a bottle of wine, the label is usually the first thing you’ll inspect. Burgundy labels are not always easy to interpret though. In Burgundy, the wine label may not indicate the grape variety, but it will usually display the words "Appellation [location] Controlee," abbreviated as AOC. This system is designed to ensure the wine's origin and comply with regulatory guidelines and transparency. Under Burgundian labeling rules, where the wine is grown and produced is more important than who made it. Therefore, it’s crucial to understand the various categories of AOC wines before you invest in a bottle of Burgundy wine. Burgundy wines have four different quality classifications, each corresponding to a different level of quality. These classifications are, in ascending order: Regional, Village, Premier Cru, and Grand Cru. To put it simply, the more specific the wine label is about its location, the higher the quality of the wine is likely to be. You will see Grand Cru on the label of the most expensive bottles, then Premier Cru for wines in the tier below, then Village, and finally Regional AOCs. Other things you might see on a Burgundy wine label are the phrase ‘mis en bouteille’ (denoting where the wine was bottled), and ‘monopole’, which simply means a vineyard that has a single owner.
To read more on this topic, check out our full article here.
How to Open a Bottle of Wine
This Burgundy wine how to guide teaches you everything you need to know about opening a wine bottle properly. To open a bottle of wine, you probably know already that the best tool to use is a corkscrew. However, there are several types of corkscrews available in the market. Most of them are based on the original screw pull that was created by Herbert Allen, a US inventor in 1979. The main variants are the winged corkscrew, the lever corkscrew, and the corkscrew known as the ‘waiter’s friend’. Of course, if you’re opening a bottle of sparkling wine, the technique is a little different and requires care so as not to cause any damage with the cork (aim carefully...) There are other less conventional (and more risky) methods of opening a wine bottle using a key or a shoe, but we wouldn’t recommend them!
Read more on this with our dedicated Burgundy wine how to guide here.
How to Choose the Right Burgundy Wine Glass
Understanding how the size and shape of a wine glass can affect the way you experience wine is essential. For instance, for white Burgundy wines it's best to use a steep-sided glass with a fairly open bowl and a narrow rim. Conversely, larger and broader glasses are recommended for red Burgundy wines, especially for complex grapes like Pinot Noir, as they help you experience the flavors and aromas better. When it comes to sparkling wines, the best glasses are flutes, which are tall and slim. However, be careful not to choose a glass that's too narrow, as it may prevent the aromas from reaching your nose. Additionally, the rim of a wine glass can affect how quickly the wine enters your mouth. Other things to consider when selecting a glass include the type of glass it's made from (leaded or unleaded), and whether it's dishwasher-safe. Burgundywine.com by Elden Selections recommends two perfect wine glasses to enjoy Burgundy wines in – the same ones used at Domaine de Cromey.
Read the full Burgundy wine how to guide here for more details.
How to Interpret Aromas and Aromatics in Wine
Smelling your wine’s aroma is a key first step in any wine tasting. It helps you to pick out the various aromatics compounds which will also affect your taste buds. There is a part of the brain called the olfactory bulb which also links smells to our memories and past experiences. Bear in mind the three types of aromas in Burgundy wine and where they come from – the primary, secondary and tertiary aromas. Make sure you use the right Burgundy wine glass so the wine can breathe properly. Then there is the question of aromatics – how does an aroma differ from an aromatic? These are basically more specific, unique hints of smells such as oak, truffle, oils, resin, or balms and there are several well-known chemical compounds which combine to create these intriguing smells. They also help to make aromatic wines some of the most pleasing to pair with certain foods.
Read the full Burgundy wine how to guide here for more details.
How to Taste Your Wine
It’s not hard to find some very flowery and elaborate descriptions of wine tasting online or in books, and sometimes the terms that people use can be off-putting. Perhaps you can’t taste the same things, or you worry you’re missing out on the joy others seem to be getting from a wine you think is pretty uninteresting. You’re not alone; every one of us has a unique palate and so will taste things differently. Just ensure that you are going through the various stages properly and you won’t go far wrong. Firstly, make sure your wine is at the right temperature, and you haven’t just eaten or drunk anything strong-tasting. Look at the wine, then smell it, and use the right glass to do this with. Then taste it, and try to notice the ‘attack’ (first taste sensation), then how it feels in your mouth, and then the finish – does it linger or change as you swallow? Think about whether you can taste any oak, and whether you like it if you do. If it’s sparkling wine you’re drinking, such as a good Crémant de Bourgogne, then notice whether the mousse (foam) has any specific flavors. And of course, if you’re drinking the wine with food, notice how it complements the food flavors, and how the food might enhance or change the taste of the wine.
Read the full guide here for more details.
How to Store Burgundy Wine
Not all wines are made to be stored. Some wines are best consumed immediately, while others are meant to be laid down for a while. The aging potential of a wine determines how long it should be kept. Many wine enthusiasts dream of having a cellar like the one at Domaine de Cromey (the baronial home of Elden Selections in Burgundy). However, if you don't have a cellar, you should aim for an environment that is as close to perfect as possible. This means storing wine in a cool place at about 55 Fahrenheit (12 Celsius) and keeping the temperature as stable as possible. (It's not recommended to use an outbuilding as a wine store, unless you live in an extremely cool, stable climate). Humidity should be kept at around 60-70%. If the air around the bottle and cork is too dry, the cork could dry out, leading to a bad seal and letting air in. On the other hand, air that's too damp might cause mold to appear on the exterior of the bottles and even rot your paper labels.
Read the full guide here for more details.
We hope these Burgundy wine how to guides have been helpful for you - and remember that we're all learning constantly about our favorite hobby, and that's part of the fun.
You're invited to our specially designed tasting room at Domaine de Cromey to taste our wines in luxury and splendour! The tasting room is located just a short distance from where the grapes were grown, providing the perfect environment to unwind after a day spent exploring the local area. And Cromey can also be your base for those Burgundy day trips – contact us now to book your Burgundy wine trip of a lifetime. Don't forget to also check out our exclusive Burgundy Wine Club, which is now open for membership.