Dijon

We took a train from Strasbourg to Dijon (about 3 hours, with stops).

Dijon is beautiful. Our Airbnb (which was fabulous, by the way…an apartment connected to a hotel) was right around the corner from the Palais des Ducs – the home of the Dukes of Burgundy (very rich and very powerful).

We loved walking around on the old cobblestone streets, exploring, shopping (Dijon!), visiting museums, and eating (we had to try beef bourguignon in Burgandy!)

We also did a wine tour and drove through some of the villages near Dijon and past lots and lots of vineyards.

*This vineyard is enclosed (le clos) by a wall dating back to the 14th century*

The Côte de Nuits is a French wine region located in the northern part of the Côte d’Or, the limestone ridge that is at the heart of the Burgundy wine region. It extends from Dijon to just south of Nuits-Saint-Georges, which gives its name to the district and is the regional center.

*Clos de Vougeot, also known as Clos Vougeot, is a wall-enclosed vineyard, a clos, in the Burgundy wine region, and an Appellation d’origine contrôlée for red wine from this vineyard.*

The Clos de Vougeot vineyard was created by Cistercian monks. The land making up the vineyard was purchased by the Cistercians, or donated to them, from the 12th century to the early 14th century. The initial vineyard consisted of donations in 1109 to 1115. The vineyard was complete, and a wall had been built around it, by the year 1336. It served as the flagship vineyard of the Cistercians, and has been a highly recognised name for centuries.

*The wine presses were designed by the monks and date back to the 15th century*

We then drove to a more modern winemaking facility where we learned about the modern process (not much different than the ancient methods) and got to taste a few local wines 🍷…