Three Months in Burgundy

(Autumn 2016) The opportunity to live in France for three months was a dream come true – part of a bucket list item I’ve had for years as something I would do “someday”. However someday came much sooner than expected after a doctor told me I only had one year left to live. Five days later another doctor told me it was a misdiagnosis, but during those five days – which were some of the longest of my life – my husband and I had deep talks about how we would spend that last year together.

The one item that kept coming to the top of my list was living in France for a while. So when the trauma was over and I learned I had a sabbatical coming up at work, my husband and I agree that I would go to France for a semester to teach and do research. It was decided that since he works internationally in the oil industry, he could easily stop by to visit me several times coming and going from his job.

Burgundy, Bordeaux or Alsace?

So then came the tough decision of where to go in France. Fortunately for all of us in wine education, there are always opportunities to work at universities in France part-time. Therefore, I reached out to my fellow professors in France and was offered the chance to teach in either Burgundy, Bordeaux, or Alsace. I chose Burgundy because my research matched the region better, and because I have always dreamed of living amongst those famous pinot noir vineyards.

A Gite in Vosne Romanee

Therefore in the autumn of 2016, I found myself in France for three and a half months. I spent the first two weeks at a French immersion program in Bordeaux (see post here), before flying to Paris to rent a car and drive the 3 hours south to Burgundy. On the way, I stopped off to visit my relatives who live near Fontainebleau for a few days, and then arrived in Burgundy at the beginning of September for a three month stay.

During my sabbatical, payment for teaching part-time at the Burgundy School of Wine & Spirits in Dijon came in the form of a rental house. I was offered an apartment in Dijon or a 3 bedroom house in the village of Chambolle-Musigny, of which I promptly chose the latter. However, one month before departing California, I received an email informing me that they were changing the location and I would be staying at a 2 bedroom gite in Vosne Romanee. A gite is a rental apartment or house that is located in an older dwelling, and has been subsidized by the French government to assist in renovating  historic structures.

At first I was disappointed, because expecting many visitors, I was hoping for a 3 bedroom house; however, when I saw the gite, I was delighted with how spacious and charming it was – including a private walled yard with striking blue door at the entrance. It even had a name – the Consulate. Still more thrilling was the fact that the gite was only a five minute walk from some of the most famous vineyards in the world, including my namesake, La Tache, as well as Romanee Conti, La Romanee, Richebourg and Romanee-St. Vivant.

However the biggest surprise was to learn that the gite was owned by the Chateau Liger-Belair, and my landlords were the count and countess, who lived across the street in the large chateau that dominates the center of the small village of Vosne-Romanee. They turned out to be delightful and friendly hosts, and the last evening I was invited to a cozy dinner complete with amazing wines. Of course the other very famous winery in Vosne-Romanee is DRC – Domaine Romanee-Conti, which was also one block away from my gite. I was fortunate enough to have visited here in the past (see post), but was honored to be allowed to visit three more times during my stay.

Living in Vosne-Romanee – a Village without a Bakery

Several people thought it was strange that I wanted to live in a small French village without a grocery store or bakery, rather than live in the bustling center of Dijon or Beaune.  But I am a country girl at heart, and living near the vineyards is important to me. So though Vosne-Romanee has less than 500 people, and only boasts a small, friendly post-office, a church, and two excellent restaurants, it was perfect for me.

Each morning I was able to take a long walk in the vineyards, which are trespassed by many hiking and biking trails that run along the Cote d’Or. The grocery store and bakery were only 2 kilometers down the highway in Nuits St. George, and the distance to both Dijon and Beaune was only 18 kilometers each way. So I settled into my little gite, and melted into my dream of living in France. Some days were challenging, many were miraculous, but none were lonely – because as soon as my friends and family knew I had a gite in France, I had visitors almost every weekend.