Beaune is the centre of the Burgundy wine trade and there are many wine producers who offer tastings. I went as part of a group from a river cruise ship to a tasting at Cellier de la Cabiote. The ground floor is the shop area. Steep steps lead down to the cellars where the tasting takes place. It would be inaccessible for anyone with mobility problems.
We sat on benches round the walls of the cellar and were given three different wines to taste, along with a description of the different styles and how they are made. The 2015 Chablis was light and fresh with a slightly fizzy taste. The 2016 Brouilly was typical Beaujolais – light, unmemorable and unchallenging. The 2013 Savigny les Beaunes at nearly twice the price was a very different wine. It had a lot more body and was ‘chewy’. We finished off with a Creme de Cassis, a liqueur made from local blackcurrants and local whlte wine. This was sweet and very good but very deceptive as it didn’t taste alcoholic. We were warned that it could be lethal so it was perhaps as well that the samples size was small – actually very small and hardly a mouthful.
This would be my main criticism – wine samples were small too and from what they charge for a tasting, I did not feel this provided good value.
