Fruit of the Vine: Burgundy rich in fine wines, Catholic history

When it comes to preparing a classic American Thanksgiving feast, experts say few wines pair as well with turkey and the traditional side dishes as a fine Burgundy.
 
Master sommelier Andrea Robinson, author of the classic Great Wine Made Simple, ranks red or white Burgundy among her top 10 Thanksgiving wines. To make the best wine selection, she suggests focusing on the trimmings “because simply put, any wine pairs beautifully with a roasted bird.”
 
Red Burgundy has a “truffy earthiness” that “complements earthy sides like mashed potatoes, wild rice, roasted mushroom, root veggies,” Robinson says, while its acidity “cuts through the richness of turkey and gravy.” On the other hand, a “low oak” white Burgundy — perhaps a Chablis — is versatile enough for virtually any Thanksgiving table.

Burgundy wines are produced in the historic Burgundy region of France, a land rich both in grape-producing vineyards and in Catholic history. It also is the destination for an April 2023 Legatus pilgrimage to be led by art historian Elizabeth Lev and her husband, theologian Thomas Williams, both certified sommeliers, titled “Decanting the Faith & Wines of Burgundy, France.”

Art of the vine

Although red Burgundy is simply a Pinot Noir and white Burgundy is a Chardonnay — types of wines produced in dozens of countries worldwide — it’s the regional environment and methods used by local vintners that make Burgundy wines the extraordinary exemplars of each, the pilgrimage guides say.

“Two grape varietals, endless oenological expressions,” Williams said. “The richness of Burgundy wines is not an endless variety of grapes, but a nearly endless variety of tastes and aromas produced from the same grapes.”

The winemaking styles and techniques make the difference along with the terrior of each vineyard, as each plot of land is distinguished from others by diverse factors such as soil, sun exposure, angle, and elevation, he explained.
Lev likened the vintners of Burgundy to the region’s great artists.
 
“I think the complexity and the varieties of red and white Burgundy are a beautiful expression of the liturgical description of wine as ‘fruit of the earth and work of human hands,’” she said. “The work of the winemaker to identify the ideal moment of the grape’s perfection and capture that for the enjoyment of others finds a reflection in the world of art.”
 
Just as Burgundian painters Jan van Eyck and Roger van der Weyden paid such attention to detail that they transformed the natural world “into a beautiful bouquet of color, light, and texture,” Lev said, “so the wines of Burgundy blend scents from the fields and forests, from the cooper to the baker, into an enchanting whole.”

As an art historian, added Lev, “I think Burgundy wines, more than any other, teach us how to contemplate beauty, to engage our senses and savor details and subtleties that we tend to pass over in our busy lives. It is a lot like learning to appreciate a work of art.”

Church and wine

The April 18-25 Legatus tour not only will feature ample opportunities for tasting and learning about the region’s wines, it will also immerse pilgrims in the Catholic history and architecture of Burgundy. In fact, the history of Catholicism there intersects closely with its history of wine production.
 
The ancient Romans were making wine in the region before the birth of Christ, but after the fall of the Roman Empire the industry fell to the Church. As monasticism flourished in Burgundy during the Middle Ages, the Benedictine monks of the Cluny Abbey and the Cistercian monks of Citeaux Abbey worked the vineyards of estates bequeathed to them by nobility and refined growing and winemaking techniques, everything from pruning vines, improving varietals, and preserving their wines. It is they who developed the idea of terrior, studying and marking precise plots of land called climats based on the nature of the soil and the local climate, sometimes creating clos by enclosing them in walls. After the 18th-century French Revolution, the Church’s lands were confiscated and auctioned off to private owners, and since have been subdivided multiple times under inheritance laws.
 
But the monasteries did much more than produce wines: they were agents of reform, restoring monastic life to its more austere roots. The Cluny Abbey, which oversaw more than a thousand monasteries at its peak, “promoted greater religious devotion, pilgrimages to the Holy Land, liturgical reform, polyphonic choral music, and Romanesque churches,” Williams said.
 
‘A true treasure’

Lev finds the Romanesque architecture particularly fascinating from the perspective of both history and art. Among pilgrimage stops will be the Cathedral of St. Lazarus at Autun, considered among the greatest Romanesque-era churches.

“Produced during the age of reform and pilgrimage, this style draws upon the stability and the majesty of ancient Rome but reflects its own age of faith and evangelization,” she said, noting how the decorations of these churches “show incredible creativity and a very deep spirituality that make them a true treasure to explore.”

She also is “astounded” by the many “‘varietals’ of holiness” found in Burgundy, represented by holy men and women including St. Bernard of Clairvaux, the Cistercian reformer and influential papal adviser; St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, whose visions of Jesus popularized devotion to the Sacred Heart; St. Claude de la Colombière, her spiritual director; and St. Mary Magdalen, who is said to have come to the region and whose relics are said to be buried at Vèzelay Abbey.

“The lives and examples of these holy men and women are so different and yet so inspiring,” said Lev. “This has been a land of deep prayer and powerful evangelization from the first century.”

As might be expected of a tour led by an art historian, pilgrims will also see many great masterpieces, among them a magnificent altarpiece in Beaune by Roger van der Weyden.

For the feast

As for the Thanksgiving table, master sommelier Robinson suggests a nice Maurice Ecard Savigny-Les-Beaune Premier Cru as her top red Burgundy choice, or a Louie Jadot Bourgogne as a value option. As for the whites, she recommends a bottle of Domaine Talmard Macon-Chardonnay.

Williams said that while neither red nor white Burgundies could stand up to a marbled ribeye, “they shine next to many other foods” — including turkey.
 
“There is no better feast than Thanksgiving for enjoying Burgundy wines,” he said, “since the rich whites from the southern Côte de Beaune are complex enough to stand up to turkey with sides, yet the soft reds from the Côte de Nuits are subtle enough to complement without overwhelming.”

His personal choice? “If I were planning the meal, I would start with a lovely Meursault and follow it up with a Vosne Romanée,” Williams said. Santé!

GERALD KORSON is editor of Legatus magazine.