How to drink Burgundy for less

If you’ve ever heard wine people bang on about Burgundy, you’ll have gathered this French region is a pretty special spot. It’s the type of place that makes wine lovers swoon, with its revered appellations and vineyard sites, bucket-list wines and astronomical prices. While that’s certainly all true of Burgundy – you could fork out thousands on a single bottle if you really wanted to – it’s not the whole story. And a raft of top new wines is now proving it, making this in-demand region a much more realistic choice for those of us with less money to burn. 

As the home of chardonnay and pinot noir, Burgundy has been growing grapes for almost 2,000 years, and producers have been refining these wines ever since. Some of the world’s most celebrated drops are made in this region from hotly sought-after producers like Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Domaine Armand Rousseau and Domaine Dujac. And with so many wine lovers especially fanatical about chardonnay and pinot, Burgundy sits on a bit of a pedestal.

However, beyond the big names, there are 100 different appellations across this much-loved part of France, and each one is classified into the region’s various quality categories – Grand Cru, Premier Cru, Village and Bourgogne. In short? Burgundy’s wines are much more diverse than you might think, and they come in at a whole range of price points. 

So, if you have a soft spot for chardy and pinot, you’re keen to taste what Burgundy is all about, or maybe you just want to feel a little fancier than usual, check out the five new releases below, which all come in under $60 (with one even slipping in under $50).