Our group of wine travelers are making their third and final stop of the day at Domaine Pierre André in Aloxe Corton.
One of the great things about our group is the range of winology (is that a word? If not it should be) among the members. We have some relative wine novices, some dabblers, some serious wine lovers and a sommelier in our ranks. You certainly don’t have to be a wine snob to love this type of travel – it’s all about getting close to the land, the products of it and the people who make it happen. Everyone had an absolutely fantastic time and everyone learned something new and gained a deeper appreciation of Burgundian wines.
“In vino veritas” is an ancient latin phrase that translates as “in wine there is the truth”. Most likely it originally referred to that after drinking a lot of wine, a mans truth will flow from his mouth as his tongue loosens up. But maybe we can look for a deeper meaning now. Grape growers are really farmers. Their farm “produce” gently speaks the truth about the land, the weather, the history, and the fruits of their labors. In our experience it is more rewarding to see and feel the veritas of their labors at the location it is actually produced. We travel to open our hearts and our eyes to learn more about the world. And in learning more about the world we learn more truths about ourselves as well. And as wine is one of so many of God’s wonderful creations we can say that in wine there definitely is truth.
At Pierre André, the glazed tile roof of the Chateau is easily one of the first things you notice when you pull into the parking area. It is also one of the first things you notice when you see a bottle of their wine. We held our tasting in the Chateau and then visited the wine cellars before heading back to Beaune for the night to rest up as we had 2 more tastings in Burgundy the next day!
