Beaune Archives - Wine Country Getaways

Does it get any better? Riding a bike in Burgundy

Biking in Burgundy

If you like wine, vineyards, photography, and biking, there is no better way to get to know Burgundy. We spent a week in Burgundy this October, renting a wonderful home in the village of Puligny Montrachet. The owner of the home had several bikes in his storage area and I found this one in the photo that suited me just fine. If you rent a home or stay at a B&B, the usual policy is that bikes are provided for the guests. In Beaune, the main city of Burgundy, one can certainly find bikes to rent. The wonderful thing about riding a bike in Burgundy is that there are many backroads that take you from village to village. Only a couple of miles separate one village from another. Even on busy roads, bike riders are well respected by motorists. I saw many tourists of all ages riding bikes along the country roads. Here is a Website that offers a vineyard trail for bike riding. It goes from Beaune to Santenay, the area where we were located. Take your time and stop at the different villages and take a few detours when you come to small roads that run through the vineyards. Stop at one of the villages and have a casual lunch and perhaps a glass of Burgundy wine. Our favorite village was Meursault. There are plenty of choices for lunch. I left our rental home and rode through the main area of Puligny and up to the vineyards on Highway D113. While on D113, I spotted several bike riders included this lady in the photo. The bike was a rental from one of the villages. One of the great advantages of a bike is that you can pull over anywhere and enjoy the scenic vineyards and compose a great shot. When driving in a car on these small roads, it is often difficult to stop on the side of the road.

On a rental bike on D113 in Puligny Montrachet

A week in Puligny Montrachet

We are spending a week in Burgundy. We have rented a house surrounded by small vineyard plots in the village of Puligny Montrachet. We arrived on Saturday with temperatures in the low 70’s. All the grapes have been harvested and the vineyards are beginning to turn color. Learning the wine districts of Burgundy is complex compared to learning the AVA’s (wine appellations) of California and the U.S. Puligny Montrachet is in the wine district of Cote de Beaune. In turn, the Cote de Beaune is a compound region of the Cote de Or. The major grape in Puligny is Chardonnay, and the area is known for its White Burgundys.

The main city in Burgundy is Beaune and Puligny Montrachet is about 8 miles from Beaune. Getting to Puligny Montrachet from Beaune is a spectacular drive with vineyards all around. We look forward to discovering the Burgundy wine region during the week.