BURGUNDY - France 2014 - page 1278

Taking Wine Home: Some shops and wineries can arrange shipping (about €15 per
bottle to ship a case, though you save about 20 percent on the VAT tax when shipping—so
expensive wines are worth the shipping cost). To learn more about shipping wine, Côte
d'Or Imports works with many sellers in Burgundy and has earned a reputation for safe
and reliable shipping (US tel. [phone], www.cotedorpdx.com ) . The simplest solu-
tionforbringingsixorsobottles backistopackthem well andcheck theboxontheplane
with you. Good packing boxes are available, or you can wrap them well and put them in
a hard-sided suitcase. US customs allows one bottle duty-free, but the duty on additional
bottles is only 10 percent.
Savoring Burgundy: Wine-Tasting Tactics
If you don't want to leave Beaune: Visit the wine cellars listed under “In Beaune”
below.
Visiting vineyards without wheels: Rent a bike, take a taxi, ride a train (long
walks to villages from most stations), or take Transco bus #44 for villages on La
Route des Grand Crus (see here ) to wine villages just a short distance from Beaune
(see “Near Beaune,” facing page). You can also book a minibus tour or hire a re-
commended local guide (see here ) .
Visiting vineyards by car: Follow one of my three self-guided routes (starting
on here ) . The first two routes also work well for bikes.
In Beaune
Here are a couple of good places to learn about Burgundy wines in Beaune.
Patriarche Père et Fils
With Burgundy's largest and most impressive wine cellar, this is the best of the big winer-
ies to visit in the city. With a helpful videoguide, you'll tour some of their three miles of
undergroundpassagesandfinishintheatmospherictastingroom,whereyou'lltry13Bur-
gundian classics (3 whites and 10 reds); each bottle sits on top of its own wine barrel. The
long walk back to la sortie helps sober you up.
Cost and Hours: €15, daily 9:30-11:30 & 14:00-17:00, 5 Rue du Collège, tel. 03 80
24 53 78, www.patriarche.com .