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Step 1
Educate yourself on how the wines are named. The name is typically the place or the region where the grapes grew. This place may be a village, district or even a vineyard within France. Almost four hundred names or places exist for just the red burgundy wines.
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Step 2
Appreciate the red's characteristics. They tend to be low in tannin, so they're often aged in oak barrels to increase these levels of tannin. These reds are high in alcohol and tend to be lighter in color than other red wine from France.
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Step 3
Choose a variety of flavors for your collection. Since the flavor varies based on the vineyard location, quality and age a variety of flavors can exist. Some red wines have an earthy, smoky or woodsy character while others tend to be fruitier with hints of raspberries, blackberries or cherries. Most whites tend to be fruity, dry, tangy and lighter in body.
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Step 4
Know the difference between the grapes that grow along two strips of land running north and south. The northern strip is the Cote d'Or or Golden Slope where all the famous red French Burgundies come from. The southern strip is Cote Chalonnaise that has lower priced wines.
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Step 5
Choose to collect the reds from the classifications Grand cru, Premier cru, Commune or Village, and Bourgogne. Grand Cru are the best vineyards in the Cote d'Or, and Premier cru wines are second in line and considered very high quality. Village wines are wine blends from lesser vineyards with their own specific characteristics while the Bourgogne classification are those that are blended from wines anywhere within the region.
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Step 6
Age the white French Burgundies appropriately. Those you collect from Premier cru should age at least three to five years while those from the Grand cru should be from five to twelve years.
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Step 7
Age the red wines appropriately. Wines from the Grand cru should be aged at a minimum of five to seven years or more than 15 years for the best. Premier cru need to be at least three to five years old. Village wines can be drunk within two to four years. Bourgogne should be enjoyed within three years of the release date. All of these wines can be kept and aged longer if they're considered the best within each category.
