With the River Saône, the Canal du Centre, the Burgundy Canal and the Loire, there is no shortage of opportunities to cruise along among the vineyards and grands crus.
The Canal du Centre, which passes through the vineyards of the Côte Chalonnaise and the Côte de Beaune, will allow you to discover villages with names that are strangely familiar: Mercurey, Rully, Maranges, Montrachet… The Mercurey vineyard is one of the oldest appellations in France, mainly producing red wines*. It is one of the best growths on the Côte de Beaune or the Côte de Nuits and is one of the great Burgundy wines. So, of course, it’s impossible not to try at least one glass. Rully produces mainly Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, Maranges produces a red wine with notes of red fruit and liquorice or a white wine that makes you think of white flowers. As for Montrachet, it is one of the most prestigious wines in Burgundy
If you are cruising along the Saône, in the area around Mâcon, you will come across Pouilly-Fuissé, produced in the villages of Chaintré, Fuissé, Solutré-Pouilly and Vergisson, a wine with a bright robe, sometimes called the “King of the Mâconnais”. Produced on soils that are rich in fossils, Pouilly-Fuissé wines have delicate, subtle flavours of hazelnut and honey. They are not to be confused with Pouilly-fumé, which you will encounter in the Nevers area, around Pouilly-sur-Loire, and which you should ideally try as an accompaniment to shellfish or fine cold meats. Still in the Mâcon area, between Briare and Dompierre-sur-Bresbre, during your barge trips on the canal that runs alongside the Loire, you can stop off at Sancerre, which produces a wine of the same name that should be drunk with a nice crottin of Chavignol cheese or even with fish, but once again you should try Pouilly-fumé as well. And on the Burgundy Canal, between Joigny and Montbard, you will be passing very close to Chablis, a village that offers us its delightful dry white wine… You could try it while you are stopping off in the charming village of Tonnerre, for example. Have fun tasting them all!
* Alcohol is dangerous to health. Enjoy it responsibly 😉
