Final Day in Beaune: Saturday market and save the best for last

Today is the last of our 4 full days in Beaune France. It is Saturday, that means Market day. It is a large market but at least half of it is clothes and other non-food items. Plenty of produce, cheese, meats, bread and more though. As we have seen in Europe, the produce is gloriously healthy. It is fun to just wander through the packed streets and feel the energy. We bought nuts, olives, sausage and crackers for tomorrow’s train ride. We also ate meatballs, and I ate a croissant. We bought salmon for tonight’s dinner. There was the traditional French music band pictured below, a rock band in the park and a violinist elsewhere. Festive!

One last day, one last wine tour. We toured the Marche aux Vins cellars and tasting room. It is in a 13th century building that has been repaired and rebuilt several times since it was constructed by monks passing through who decided to stay and make wine. Like most, if not all of the wineries and stores in town it has underground caves. At Marche aux Vins they purchase wines rather than produce wines and everything is from Burgundy. Most of the tour is self-guided, but it starts with a guide in the cellars. He was very knowledgeable and kind. Pictures of the cellars follow.

We chose the “Prestige Tasting’ consisting of 7 wines. After our guide gave us a primer on Burgundy wines he went upstairs, leaving us with an open bottle of red wine on two different casks. We poured and drank as much as we wanted and spent a bit of time reading the literature on the wall to further our knowledge. Then we went upstairs to sample the other 5 wines of the tasting.

The upstairs space serves as a store and a tasting room. It was self-serve also, but with a catch. We received a ticket with a scan code when we purchased the tasting. There is a scanner hooked to a wine delivery system that had our other 5 wines inside. Scan the ticket and the system will pour you an ounce, one at time of each of the wines. Workers were there if you had questions or needed help with the delivery system.

Of all of the tastings we purchased, this was my favorite. The informality was seductive, and the wines were uniformly high quality and developed enough to let the drinker taste true Pinot Noir and Chardonnay flavors. If you are a wine drinker and ever in Beaune it is my recommendation you go to Marche aux Vins.

In a tasting style system I had never heard of Marche aux Vins has the tasting set up in the “pure Burgundian tradition” of tasting the red wines first. Not sure why, but no complaint from me. By the way, there was no apparent ill effect on the wines as the three Chardonnays were my favorites.

We are sad to be leaving Beaune in the morning. It is the kind of place we feel we could easily stay for weeks. Some might think we feel that way because we love the wine, but it is the soul of the city that speaks to us. Wine, no wine, we could be happy here.