What's a talk on Burgundy without a little history? After the guests had settled down with an aperitif of chilled Bouvet-Ladubay Brut, Jacques took them on a short audio-visual tour of the region, explaining the complex hierarchies of Grand Crus (32 in Burgundy), Premier Crus, Villages and regional appellations. A little history of Bouchard Aine, established in 1750, also followed. Jacques explained that the founder, Michel Bouchard, was originally a cloth merchant! Guests were also introduced to some famous names from Burgundy – Maconnais, Pouilly Fuisse, Challonnaise, Cote de Beaune, Beaujolais and Cote de Nuits.

The dinner that followed showcased the wines very well – Organic greens with seared snapper went perfectly with a 2006 Chablis by Bouchard Aine, followed by spinach-filled ravioli and roast rack of lamb with pearl onions and red wine sauce with a Beaujolais Les Coteaux 2006 and a Bourgogne Pinot Noir Les Vendangeurs. Finally, came a bittersweet chocolate tart.

Pictured above Jacques dioque of Bouchard Aine et Fils explains a point to Vijay Rekhi of UB
Jacques also explained that Burgundy is one of the smallest AOCs – much smaller than Champagne or Bordeaux. But it rates as one of the world's best, nonetheless!

It certainly was a red-letter day for Bangalore's wine lovers to get an opportunity to taste, savour and understand wines from one of the world's best known wine-producing regions.