Pâques en Bourgogne - Easter in Burgundy in Pictures

The Easter break allowed us to pass “une bonne Pâques avec la belle-famille” – a great Easter with the in-laws. We decided to leave Alsace and head over to the hallowed wine and food heaven that is Burgundy. We ate, we drank, we partied with wine makers and here are the photos to prove it.

First stop – Dijon – and of course, the first thought that comes to mind is Dijon mustard.

Boutique de Moutarde Maille de Dijon

Who can resist mustard on tap? We bought a pot of the Chablis flavoured mustard which had a real kick followed by a beautiful smoothness.

A visit to the covered markets in Dijon was imperative for picking up some essential picnic supplies for the trip.

The bustling covered markets in Dijon

Another absolutely essential picnic ingredient is cheese - in this case Compté

While in Dijon, we dined at Bistrot des Halles , a little bistrot adjacent to the covered markets, and served as our first introduction to the food of Burgundy. In particular, Boeuf Bourguignon and poached eggs in a red wine sauce  – my new favourite dish, which I managed to eat at almost every meal!

My new favourite dish - Oeufs meurette - at Bistrot des Halles, Dijon

After Dijon, we traveled down to Beaune, in the Côte d’Or to enjoy everything this celebrated region has to offer. Of course, this meant tasting copious amounts of wine and in order to help us achieve this, we went on a wine tour with Burgundy Discovery Wine Tours, where we were in the very capable and knowledgeable hands of David and Lynne.

Our first stop for the day was the rather simple landscape of the the famous Domaine de la Romanée-Conti. My father-in-law was super surprised to see that one of the most celebrated wines in the world originates from a rather unassuming vineyard.

Tasting some excellent Burgundy red (Pinot noir) at Domaine Michel Noëllat & Fils - Vosne Romanée - Côte de nuits.

Followed by tasting some beautiful whites and reds by Baptiste Gay, Vigneron - Pernand-Vergelesses Cote de Beaune. We were lucky enough to meet up with Baptiste later that evening in Beaune for a few drinks (maybe a few too many for Mr G?)

We had lunch at Bistro du Bord de l'eau at the Relais et Chateau Hostellerie Levernois, where of course, I had to have the oeufs meurette. How could I resist?

... and for dessert, a simple but beautiful apple galette with vanilla bean ice cream.

Our final stop of the day was at Domaine Dujardin - Monthélie, Côte de Beaune - Where we were treated to some beautiful wines amongst the hustle and bustle of the festivities of Monthélie.

We were treated to some Charolais beef, typical of the Burgundy region, simply cooked in butter and seasoned.

After our splendid time in Beaune, we took a drive to the Abbaye de Fontenay via the beautifully quaint village of Semur-en-Auxois. We feasted on our market-haul from Dijon on the grass just outside the Abbaye.

Picnic of cheese, terrine, jambon and of course mustard that we purchsed from the Dijon markets, enjoyed with a crisp glass of Chablis.

Of course, Easter would not have been complete without chocolate. We happened upon these chocolate chooks in the garden which were more than sufficient to satisfy our chocolate cravings.

And lastly, a touch of irony - "Rue d'Enfer - entre l'église et le musée du vin" - "Road of hell - in between the church and the wine museum"