Dion - Winery visit

About 20 of us went on a tour of wine and hike in Bourgogne. Bourgogne is famous for its wines especially for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. We visited an area called Fixin, about 25 minutes south from Dijon city center by car. The wine produced there does not have a grape variety name - only the region where it was made. So, a red wine called Fixin automatically means it is Pinot Noir. It's a very interesting bpractice, which will certainly entertain wine-lovers and add depth to the complex wine culture. 

Homemade lunch. Delicious!!

This building was built in the 1640s!

The vineyard we visited produces 5,000 bottles/ha, and they have 12 ha, so 60,000 bottles in total! They make wines in September and store it in French oak barrels until it's ready to be bottled. They taste the wine every month from barrel to barrel. The storage space is underground, not air-conditioned so that the wine will be cool in winter and warm in summer.

Rosé is made by soaking clear grape juice with skin for a little bit of time then fermenting it, not by mixing red and white wines! There seems to be strict regulations on how they produce wines: they can only use grapes, sugar, yeast, and sulfur. Sugar and yeast are added when fermentation is slow. Alcohol production is taxed, like Japan, so government tax officers periodically come and audit the winemakers' business.

Community church. This dates back to 1000s. Can't believe it.

The area was under the sea in the Jurassic era, so shell fossils are found and the subsoil. The soil contains limestone, which is also used for buildings, and marls. It's the limestone that forms the characteristic taste of Burgundy wine.

The word terroir means a combination of climate, soil, vineyard exposure and orientation, and the grapes. Many factors influence the terroir, which the winemaker mentioned a lot.

The vines are so small compared to what I have seen in Australia. They are just 40-50 cm tall because they get trimmed every year after harvest. I'm surprised at how short they are, but the vine itself is more than 40 years old. New grafting was also taking place: it was really a tiny baby vine drafted to a slightly bigger seedling. It was covered by a plastic sheet so that rabbits won't eat it. 

In the ancient times, commucal meals were prepared at this kitchen-like building.

Everything has a long history in this town.