Burgundy is famous for its wines, but a lot of people don’t get further than the bottle shop (or, for the serious connoisseur, the wine merchant’s) and don’t realise what a great place it is to visit. The main wine-producing area, the Côte d’Or, has some of the best scenery, prettiest towns, glorious food and fantastic architecture in France.

Now Burgundy is offering new initiatives for both the beginner and the dyed-in-the-wool wine freak, with the emphasis on fun, food and uncomplicated enjoyment — tailored to suit British visitors, not least by doing it in English. Wine tourism in this sensationally beautiful and historic region in east-central France is set to take off in a big way in the very near future — the Côte d’Or is in the final throes of being declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco. Now’s the chance to unravel Burgundy’s secrets.

For beginners (and people who already have the wine bug) there are a number of places offering affordable tasting lunches — you get lashings of different wines to try, all explained to you in terms that are as easy to digest as the mouthwatering food. Top winemaker Olivier Leflaive, in the cute village of Puligny-Montrachet, is the pioneer of this, putting his own wines on display to their best advantage.

In Les Caves de l’Abbaye in the heritage-rich city of Beaune, Pascal Wagner and business partner Pierre-Olivier Coron are going one step further — they are showing wines from a whole raft of incredibly good winemakers. In ancient vaulted cellars, Pascal and Pierre-Olivier offer tasting lunches of some of the best charcuterie and regional cheeses you can imagine.

And here’s the great thing: their amazingly well-stocked wine shop sells wines from makers rarely open to the public, giving all the benefits of a cellar tasting at well below most merchants’prices. If you fancy a bottle of something sensational with lunch, you can have it at shop price — no huge restaurant mark-up. The impressive range of rising star Nicolas Potel is available to taste and buy, and many others. Superb value and fun all the way.

More and more Britons are using a service fostered by Beaune tourist office. You can hire individual guides who will drive you around the countryside (very pretty — think Cotswolds with vines), introduce you to winemakers and be your interpreter. Fees start at about 200 euros, a snip if you’re sharing. What’s more, you can taste as much as you want without having to worry about the breathalyser.

A friendly and knowledgeable outfit is Promenades en France, which adds a solid knowledge of wine to its meticulously organised tours, which also cater to walkers and cyclists.

Burgundy On A Plate, which organises gourmet tours, has something special for those who are dying to meet legendary but usually inaccessible winemakers. It’s run by Sue Boxell, who really knows her stuff and has amazing contacts. She’s persuaded some of the most famous and reclusive winemakers to open up for her this year. Watch her website for updates. I predict a stampede.

Indeed, both Sue from Burgundy On A Plate and Pascal from Les Caves de l’Abbaye (and his own company, Wagner Wine Vision) are well placed to deal with a growing phenomenon among British wine-lovers — we’ve become a nation of wine groupies. Like star-struck film fans, we have our dream hit-lists.

I dream of paying homage to Anne-Claude Leflaive in Puligny or her legendary neighbour, Louis Carillon, both of whom produce famous but very different versions of Le Montrachet, indisputably the greatest white wine in the world. Domaine Michel Gros in Vosne-Romanée, the domaines of Comte Georges de Vogüé and Ghislaine Barthod in Chambolle Musigny, Armand Rousseau, the Trapet family and their cousins Rossignol-Trapet in Gevrey-Chambertin — all these crop up in fantasies shared with other wine-freaks. I look to Pascal and Sue for help.

We can add a few more to the list of possibly attainable stars: Domaine Prieuré Roch (run by a co-owner of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti), Domaine d’Ardhuy in Corgoloin, famed for its monopoly Clos des Langres, Domaine Demongeot in Change… what a galaxy of stars is now coming into reach, thanks to enterprises like Burgundy On A Plate and Promenades en France. And who could not wish to shake the hand of the venerable Hubert de Montille from Volnay, who so stoutly defended the great wines of Burgundy against the pernicious globalisation of Robert Parker and cronies in that fascinating film Mondovino?

A number of winemakers are now reachable directly — Domaine Jean Monnier in Meursault, for example, has a shop and tasting room in the village square. Look out for its Clos de Cîteaux, a sensational Pommard at a fantastically low price. Another British obsession is discovering unknown, independent winemakers who deliver really good value for money. There are about 1,000
winemakers in Burgundy, so sorting the sheep from the goats is not easy. Pascal Wagner introduced me to the tiny Domaine Tessier, for example. It’s hardly known but produces some sensational Meursaults.

I can pass on a couple of my own discoveries, relative unknowns who offer fabulous tastings, great value and a warm welcome. Both are in the tiny, hidden-away village of La Rochepot. Here, in the shadow of a must-see fairytale château, Domaine Denis Fouquerand produces astonishing Crémant de Bourgogne. It puts most ordinary champagnes in the shade and yet costs only six euros. There are also good-value reds and whites. Domaine Pouleau-Ponavoy nearby not only has first-class St Aubin premier cru, but a Puligny-Montrachet premier cru at an unbeatable price — say I sent you.
As the Côte d’Or takes its rightful place as a World Heritage Site, its secrets are being laid bare. Help yourself to a true taste of excellence.