Photo By: Getty Images Photo By: Mehdi Fedouach, Getty Images France’s most famous wines are produced here – those commonly referred to as “Burgundies” – are dry red wines from Pinot Noir grapes and white wines made from Chardonnay grapes (pictured). Macon, a southern city in the Burgundy region, is best known as a source of good white wines made from the Chardonnay grape. Wine connoisseurs love white wine particularly from the Pouilly-Fuissé. While you’re in Macon, we recommend taking a stroll by the Saône River while you enjoy a glass of Pinot Noir, Beaujolais or Chardonnay -- native to this small town and local wine region. Burgundy is home to some of the most expensive wines in the world, including those of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Domaine Leroy, Henri Jayer, Emmanuel Rouget, Domaine Dugat-Py, Domaine Leflaive and Domaine Armand Rousseau. Clos de Vougeot -- a wall-enclosed vineyard and the largest, single vineyard in the Côte de Nuits wine region -- is named for the River Vouge.

The river is actually a stream that separates the village Vougeot from Chambolle-Musigny. best wine bars near green parkIf you like red wine, then this is a destination you should add to your to-do list.best wine kits to buy Travel to the quaint town of Dijon, known for its gastronomic specialties like snails, mustard and cassis -- a liqueur often mixed with white wine to make Kir, a popular aperitif. dry white wine what does it meanThe town is also known for its medieval art, half-timber houses and hotels, and its charming streets lined with chic shops.best wine to go with pizza Not only is it known as a popular wine region, Burgundy is also a popular food destination. best outdoor wine bars nyc

Travel here to taste authentic beef bourguignon, a.k.a. beef Burgundy. wine for cold weatherThe stew is prepared with beef braised in red wine, beef broth, garlic, onions and mushrooms.best red wines that are not dry Heribert, bishop of Auxerre and son of Hugh the Great, built the Castle of Saint Fargeau as a hunting meeting place in 980. top 10 wine brands in franceLocated in Yonne, the castle hosts a history show with 600 actors and 60 men on horseback. best years for italian red wineThe show represents 10 centuries of history, including the Joan of Arc epic, the Great Mademoiselle arrival and the French Revolution. Époisses de Bourgogne is a popular but pungent unpasteurized cows-milk cheese in Burgundy.

It’s an acquired taste. This soft cheese is best served with a good red Burgundy wine. The Burgundy Canal (Canal de Bourgogne), located in central eastern France, connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea via the Seine and Yonne rivers to the Saône and Rhône rivers. Les Hospices de Beaune, better known to some as the Hôtel-Dieu, was founded in 1443 as a hospital to that provided free care for men who fought in the Hundred Years’ War. The architecture and medieval art is awe-inspiring. Don’t miss seeing Rogier Van de Weyden’s 15th-century masterpiece, “The Last Judgment.” While you’re visiting Burgundy, we suggest you taste coq au vin -- a French braise of chicken cooked with wine (usually local), salt pork, mushrooms and garlic. American chef Julia Child made the dish popular in the U.S. after preparing it on the PBS cooking show, "The French Chef." Nestled in a wooded valley in Burgundy, Fontenay Abbey is a well-restored 12th-century Cistercian monastery founded by St. Bernard of Clairvaux.

It’s just one of several places tourists should see when visiting Burgundy. Other popular tourist spots include Museum of Modern Art, Morvan Regional National Park and Palais des Ducs. Every autumn, the famous Burgundy Truffle market is held at Noyers-sur-Serein. Vendors sell pottery and local produce in the town center. While you’re here, we suggest taking a day trip along the Serein valley to Poilly-sur-Serein, the heart of the Chablis vineyards. Other popular festivals in Burgundy include the Chablis Wine Festival and the Jazz a Beaune.Ah, wine in Avignon. The city’s location is prime for wine lovers (like moi). It’s something of a crossroads to French wine regions – think Provence and the Rhone. We arrived in Avignon with two nights booked, but promptly extended our stay to a third night. It’s just too lovely!Oddly however, we found it a bit difficult to do much Avignon wine tasting before 6:30 p.m. and after 10:30 p.m. To help the cause, I present a tourist guide to drinking and buying wine in Avignon.

The enotecas (wine shops) we liked most also let you drink wine, which gave us a taste of the regional wines before buying. Plus, they are just great places for a little Avignon wine tasting.A fun little wine shop just around the corner from Avignon’s main square offering 32 wines to taste and a large stock of wines for purchase – mostly French wines.We spent a couple hours browsing and tasting local wines from their enomatic (a.k.a, a wine dispenser). The enoteca has one table with chairs and the enomatic gives you options for three different size pours – a taste to a full glass.The owner, Laurent, talked to us about the regional wines and provided tasting recommendations. We left with two of his suggestions – a red and white from the Rhone as well as a Champagne.Opens at 4 p.m., seemingly every day. Ignore the hours listed online as well as the promo piece at the tourist office. We tried to go three times and only found it open for business after 4 p.m. (as stated in the shop window).

Avitus has local wines as well as a small smattering of global bottles. It’s also a rare place you can get a glass of wine in Avignon before 6:30 p.m. – great outdoor seating.If you’re looking to explore regional wines make sure you sample them with regional fare. We were lucky enough to find some great food to go with our wine in Avignon.We found this incredible place through a new Twitter pal and fellow expat who lives in the region. For more regional deets see her blog, Sara in Le Petit Village.The little place had about 10 tables with one person taking care of everyone – and the service was perfect. As for the food, it was incredible – we both went with the duck entree. Click to read the restaurant review – starter, entree, dessert – oh my!Initially we only planned on the starter and entree option, but both were so amazing and we simply didn’t want to leave, so we ended up with dessert and a (local) after-dinner wine. Great prices – we spent about 100 euros for two with an aperitif each, three courses, a bottle of wine, and an after-dinner wine.17 Rue des 3 Faucons, 84000, Avignon.

Phone: +33 4 32 76 35 13 Hours: Thursday hours 6:30 pm–10:30 pm. Reservations: A must. We called in the morning and got the last table. People kept trying to get seated, but she was full the rest of the weekend.Another great place to eat and drink wine in Avignon. More duck, but more importantly – foie gras! 51 Rue Vieux Sextier, 84000 Avignon. Hours: Tuesday to Saturday 12 to 2 p.m. and 7 to 10 p.m. Sunday 12 to 3 p.m.A great wine list and a big outdoor seating area – a nice place to for an Avignon wine tasting. We got crafty with our selection here, trying a syrah from the Northern Rhone and a syrah from the Southern Rhone.A side-by-side tasting of the same varietals from different parts of the same region was interesting. My pick: the Gigondas (Southern Rhone). Wine bar and restaurant with a full menu. The food looked and smelled delish. Check out Gastronomy Blog’s food review of AOC (makes me wish we’d have eaten there!)5 Rue Tremoulet, Avignon, France. Opens at 7 p.m. Located in the Halles market, this bar had locals drinking wine and beer all day long (or every time we walked by).