A beautiful wine moment, around a bottle of red Burgundy, inspired a birthday cycling trip with my sister.
The route, from The Lonely Planet Guide to Cycling in France, was chosen based on easy terrain, the odd hill just to give us a bit of a challenge, and, crucially, wonderful scenery, pristine, ancient villages, with the promise of excellent food and wine at the end of each journey. The route took us through sleepy Burgundian villages, from the timber-framed houses of Auxerre to the wine heartland of Chablis, the untouched mediaeval village of Noyers sur Serein, and finished in the hilltop jewel of Vezelay.
The train from Paris to the pretty town of Auxerre, on the banks of the Yonne river, took about two hours. We had organised to pick up our bikes from La Maison du Vélo, a unique bike shop in an old water pumping station, bikes piled against ancient pumps and machinery. Laurent, the owner, recommended a restaurant, La Petite Beursaude, for our dinner that evening. Here, we had our first taste of Burgundy’s legendary food and wine. A glass of Cremant to start, the Burgundian rival to Champagne, followed by asparagus, duck and cheese, and a gorgeous Pinot Noir, the main red grape of Burgundy.
April is a perfect time to visit as the fragrance of the blossoms is everywhere, and the weather is beautiful, without being too hot. We had our coffee and croissants on the wisteria-draped terrace at the Hotel des Marachaux, before starting the first leg of our trip. The minor roads we travelled on were quiet, smooth and fairly straight, with very little traffic.
The scenery between Auxerre and Chablis was beautiful, gentle and peaceful. Tiny quiet villages with barely a soul afoot, seemingly unchanged for centuries. The road wound gently up rolling hills until we were looking down over the patchwork that is the Chablis wine region. We found a yard with a ‘degustation’ (tasting) sign, and carefully, with much detailed analysis, chose a bottle with a lunchtime picnic in mind. A well-stocked shop with cheese, charcuterie and bread provided the rest. We couldn’t pass Marguerite de Chablis wine bar, lured by glasses clinking on the sunny banks of the Serein river. A few kilometres later, we stopped for our picnic at a sun-dappled spot by the river, leaving only a short ride to our destination of Noyers sur Serein.
The town’s medieval gates provided a cinematic entrance to Noyers, as our bikes rattled on the cobblestones in the evening hush. As we fumbled in panniers for our phones to find our accommodation, a man pulled up and called our names. He had seen us ride past, like two coyboys thundering into a dusty wild west town, and thought, ah, these must be my two Irish women!
Having settled us in with a crisp glass of white, he made a reservation for us at his friend’s restaurant, La Vielle Tour. Here, we ate more wonderful asparagus, lamb, cheese, and Gevrey Chambertin, a wonderful red wine, usually prohibitively expensive at home.
Our accommodation at the 13th century Les Trois Tours was beautiful, with a wooden balcony overlooking the Serein river. The town itself looked almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, with cobbled streets and beautiful wood-panelled buildings. An art cooperative and café in the village was a wonderland of quirky pieces, vintage furniture, great coffee and home made cakes. We had a browse at the weekly market before heading off along the river towards our next stop, Vezelay. Our lunch stop was Le Pot d’Etain, with cheese, charcuterie and cool white Burgundy in a sunny courtyard. A short stop in buzzy Avallon, then the steep climb up to the beautiful village of Vezelay.
As we took a rest halfway up this hill, along came our host wondering if we’d gotten lost, a familiar theme. We were staying in a one-room chambre d’hote, Le Porc Epic, above an art gallery.
The owners booked us a restaurant, and left us sipping a glass of Chablis on the terrace overlooking the Morvan Valley and vineyards out to the horizon.
La Terrasse restaurant was a few minutes’ walk away, right beside Vezelay’s famous Basilica. We dined on classics like Gougère and Boeuf Bourguignon, accompanied by Mercurey 1er Cru, taking a half bottle home with us to enjoy on our panoramic terrace. Vezelay is a beautiful town, perched high above rolling vineyards. Our last morning was spent wandering through its medieval streets, and visiting the stunning Basilica, and squeezing in a lunch of wine and paté. Our journey back to Paris was fairly convoluted, but that gave us time for a train picnic, of course with a nice red Burgundy, and maybe clearing the carriage with our very ripe cheese.
Resources
• The Lonely Planet Cycling Guide to France
• maison-vélo.fr
(bike hire Auxerre)
• hotel-lesmarechaux.com (Auxerre)
• Les Trois Tours
(Noyers sur Serein)
• le-porc-epic.com (Vezelay)