Where To Find Everyday Burgundy Wines Under $40 Delivered

The Burgundy wine region is often thought of as the home of expensive, prestigious wines. While there are certainly many of those to choose from, it's important not to forget the smaller producers scattered across the region's various terroirs. These producers offer a huge variety of affordable, everyday Burgundy wines of excellent quality. However, it can be difficult to know where to find them, or which ones to choose because not all winemakers are created equal! Our mission is to find those exceptional ones 

The good news is that Elden Selections has done the hard work for you, and dedicated a category on their wine shop to great value, high quality Burgundy wines - “Everyday Burgundy Wines Under $40”. It’s the whole philosophy behind our burgundywine.com site, where we list the hidden gems we’ve found over decades of living in and loving Burgundy. As Burgundy prices continue to rise, we are even more committed to finding high quality ‘star’ wines at affordable prices that you CAN drink everyday.   

It's important to keep in mind that a wine's price is influenced by several factors in addition to the vineyard site and location. These include its bottle design, recent reviews, closure type, taxes, trends and more. Even some of the best affordable wines may increase in price if any of these factors change. You can rest assured that we at burgundywine.com will seek out the best producers for you to try at the most reasonable prices. We get familiar with the producer and their vineyard site to ensure the best experience. And now you can to. Let's take a look at some of these wines and learn how to get the most bang for your buck without sacrificing quality. You won’t go far wrong by trying some of the following: 

Everyday Burgundy Village and Appellation Bourgogne Wines 

Village appellations, which account for about 36% of all Burgundy production, can be a good way to explore the region. Another option is to try appellation Bourgogne, which is considered the generic Burgundy wine and serves as a model for what Burgundy wine should taste like:  

• Domaine Alain Vignot Bourgogne Cote Saint-Jacques Vin Gris - you probably haven’t heard of Alain Vignot and his Domaine, and that is no bad thing. It’s a hidden secret, and he produces very little wine – the very definition of “quality not quantity”. Alain essentially invented the appellation Bourgogne Cote Saint Jacques in 1975. This wine proves you can have serious "food wines" for very little money – not only is it complex and aromatic, it’s called "gray" because of its unique color, likened to a "partridge eye", found in some expressions of champagne. 
• Domaine Borgeot Bourgogne Blanc - The appellation Bourgogne, which produces both red and white wine, is widely regarded as the quintessential Burgundy wine. It can be seen as a benchmark for the quality of Burgundy wine and for Burgundy Wines Under $40. The wine is made from the same grape varieties as other more specific appellations, and it is made in nearly all of the winemaking communes in Burgundy. This means that even a basic Bourgogne has the potential to showcase the unique characteristics of the terroir and the vintage – this one is fruity, floral, mineral in the attack, and perfect to drink right now.  

Choose Chablis and Auxerrois for Quality White Burgundy Under $40

• Jean Dauvissat Pere et Fils Chablis - the (relatively) new kid on the block Fabien Dauvissat produces this wine which has buckets of chalky minerality before a long, rich finish, giving you lemon drops and deep berry fruit along the way.  
• Domaine Felix Bourgogne Cotes d'Auxerre Blanc - yes, they grow Sauvignon Blanc grapes in Burgundy... but only in Saint-Bris. On this Burgundy terroir, it produces dry white wines such as this one - light, fresh and very pleasant. 

Look for Cote de Nuits Over Cote D’Or 

• Domaine Pierre Thibert Bourgogne Rouge - this wine from ‘garagiste’ (small-scale) producer Pierre Thibert is from a single vineyard in Nuits St Georges, which is superbly positioned. It has a great structure but a low price, which means it drinks well above its appellation and should be on anyone’s bargain list of wines to try. The Cote de Nuits consistently produces great wines which are cheaper than their Cote d’Or cousins, but don’t compromise on quality, making them ideal Everyday Burgundy wines.
• Julien Cruchandeau Aligote 'Le Village' - why not try something a little different and go for an Aligoté rather than a Chardonnay for your next Burgundy white wine? This one comes from vines half a century old in the hills above Nuits St Georges; you’ll get crisp apple acidity, crunchy fruit, and a long finish with that trademark limestone minerality. Julien was given vines from the vineyard of none other than Burgundy elder statesman Aubert de Villaine (of Domaine Romanee Conti fame) and has gone from strength to strength in Bouzeron and the Hautes Côtes de Nuits ever since. 

Make a Date with Mâconnais Wines for Everyday Burgundy

• Chateau de Vergisson Macon Solutre Pouilly. Wines from Macon are well-known favorites of white wine lovers and have a reputation for elegance and charm. When done well like this wine, it’s noble, well-structured and opulent. Stephanie Saumaize and Pierre Laroche created their Domaine du Chateau de Vergisson back in 2012 and it has been producing charming, everyday wines like this ever since. There is no other region in all of Burgundy which has seen such investment in recent years as Mâconnais, and as such quality has been on the rise.  

Crémant de Bourgogne Beats Champagne 

• Domaine Borgeot Crémant de Bourgogne is made in much the same way as Champagne, just without the eye-watering price tag. This one will suit any occasion, and you can be assured that it isn’t made by a faceless luxury goods company, but instead has had the love and care of the Borgeot brothers poured into every bottle.  
• Louis Picamelot Crémant de Bourgogne 'En Chazot' is winemaker Louis Picamelot’s very own interpretation of a Blanc de Noirs wine (made from white-juiced black grapes), using Pinot Noir grown in just one superb vineyard. In our humble opinion, the best Crémant is made by Louis Picamelot...period. They really do rival the best Champagnes, but bring their own character to the table – quite literally sometimes, because they’re as good to drink with food as they are as aperitifs.  

These are just a few ideas to whet your appetite – why not check out our wine shop and discover them all? There are over 40 winemakers working with us, built up over 40 years (coincidence?), so in addition to everyday drinking wines, we bring a range of wines throughout Burgundy's 4 quality levels and from the main appellations. The prices move up as we move up through the quality levels, but the philosophy still holds as does our continued search for value and quality. 

But what some wine sellers won’t tell you is that the terroir classification into village, premier cru or grand cru is no guarantee of quality — what it means is the terroir has the potential to achieve this level, but in reality will only achieve it at the hands of a skilled and talented winemaker. These are the winemakers that grace our pages, and whose wines are guaranteed to satisfy you in both the affordable category as well as the premium end. Salut! 

If you're interested in learning more about wine, our blog has plenty of articles to discover, including helpful guides and profiles of some of the best winemakers we work with. You can also join our Burgundy Wine Club by following the link provided, and receive special hand-picked selections of our best wines, as well as great member-only perks, such as free entry into a draw for a 4-day/3-night stay at Domaine de Cromey.