Published: The Times, 18 September 2010
David Blunkett tries many wins while touring the region's vineyards. But will they let him near the £1,000 bottle of grand cru?
You may joke that blind people sampling wine really do a blind tasting, but it's true. Do we appreciate it more? Maybe. When I told Lord Low of Dalston, a former chairman of the Royal National Institute of Blind People, that I was going to Burgundy to elarn more about wine, I was surprised to learn that he had been on 20 such holidays.
My acquiantance with wine began after my election to Sheffield City Council 40 years ago. The Lord Mayor's secretary had laid down a cellar and I began to understand the pleasure that wine can bring. For me, Burgundy combines the glories of dry whites based on the chardonnay grape and full, often voluptuous reds from the pinot noir grapes. So it was with anticipation that my wife, Margaret and I set off on an itinerary that included meeting the best winemakers of the region. We had a knowledgeable guide, Andrew Williams.
The French concept of terroir was driven home at Domaine de la Vougeraie. The winemaker Pierre Vincent handed me soil from one side of the road, then the pebbly stones in which white grapevines flourished on the other. As we went from tasting to tasting, Andrew explained the minute changes in elevation and soil that determine a village wine at the bottom of a slope and a grand cru 250 metres higher up. At the foot of the slopes of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, I paused to pay homage. At £1,000 a bottle for the grand cru, this was the nearest I was going to get to the fruits of these particular grapes for a while.
We tasted many wines in our three days, including some produced biodynamically. Domaine Rossignol-Trapet, in Gevrey Chambertin, treats its vines with herb-infused water and works with the lunar cycle. Most memorable was an evening visit to the Confrérie de Chevaliers du Tastevin, at Clos de Vougeot. This 12th century monastery is used for dinners and events which promote the wines and cultures of the region, through a guild whose name, loosely translated, means "Knights of Wine". On another evening, we visited the Museum of Wines at Bouchard Pere et Fils, where more than 2,000 pre-First World War vintages are stored. The feel of the imperfections of an unlabelled handblown bottle, with the 1846 vintage stamped in the cork, was a deep pleasure.
At British-run Miscief&Mayhem we were welcomed by Fiona and Michael Ragg who buy in from growers and make their own wine. What we tasted was excellent. Sitting in their garden, I understood why they had escaped from the rat race back in the UK.
David Blunkett travelled with Arblaster & Clarke Wine Tours (01730 263111), which can organise visits to domaines not usually open to the public. They include Domaine Rossignol-Trapet, Domaine Grivot, Domaine de la Vougeraie, Marquis d'Angerville, Domaine Jean-Noel Gagnard, Alex Gambal, Mischief & Mayhem, Drouhin and Bouchard Pere et Fils. Top-level tours to Burgundy cost from £2,450pp for four nights.
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