Burgundy is one on the most interesting, if confounding, wine regions in the world. To work your way through the maze of Burgundy grand cru label names, it might be helpful to nail four C words: C?te, Clos, Champs and Corton. The most famous section of Burgundy - home to 32 grand cru vineyards - is a long, roughly rectangular region known as the Cote d'Or. The word cote means 'slope' and is pronounced 'coat'. Cote d'or translates to 'slopes of gold' and refers to the gold- and russet-tinged vines of the autumn, although many would argue the moniker refers to the breathtaking prices commanded by the wines. In cool climates such as Burgundy, vines thrive on cotes, especially south-facing ones where they crane their necks this way and that to catch both morning and afternoon rays. As vines are very finicky about wet feet, most grand cru vineyards are positioned on c?tes to take advantage of hillside drainage. The Cote d'Or is subdivided into two lengthy districts, which are known as the Cote de Nuits (slopes of the night) and Cote de Beaune (slopes of Beaune, which is a large town in the southern half of the region). The Cote de Nuits is home to the finest pinot noir in the world. Cote de Beaune produces world-renowned pinot noir as well but reaches its summit with chardonnay. 'Clos' is an ancient term that indicates a walled enclosure, usually affiliated with a wall around a monastery or cloister's vineyard plots. As Burgundy's history is closely entangled with Cistercian monks, who were avid gardeners and viticulturalists, many of the region's place names feature the word 'clos'. These days, few clos walls remain, although there are remnants of walls or entry gates from earlier times. Clos de Vougeot is one of the few properties still fully enclosed by a clos. Five other grand cru vineyards still retain the name clos: Clos de Tart, Clos de la Roche, Clos des Lambreys, Clos St Denis and Chambertin Clos de Beze. It's not foolproof but if monks took the trouble to enclose a site many centuries ago, then it is probably a fine quality vineyard, even if it's not ranked grand cru. Champ means 'field', so is seen frequently in French farming communities - and in Paris: the Champs-Elysees was a vast field until Marie de Medici decided to plant a broad avenue of trees. Champ is derived from the Latin word for campus and forms the basis of the name of the world's favourite region for bubbly: Champagne. It is widely understood that the names of nine famed grand crus - those that affix Chambertin to their titles - are derived from the word champ. In the seventh century, monks from the Abbey of Beze planted a plot of vines, calling their enclosed vineyard Clos de Beze. By the 12th century, Clos de Beze had gained such a vaunted reputation that Monsieur Bertin - an ambitious neighbour - decided to plant the same grapes in his fields. His vineyard was known as Champ de Bertin, or Bertin's Field, which with time was contracted to Chambertin. The origins of the name Corton are murkier, though it is generally agreed to be a contraction or derivative of Curtis de Orthon, meaning 'domains of Orthon', a first-century Roman emperor. The name figures in two grand crus, both among the world's finest sites for chardonnay: Le Corton and Corton-Charlemagne. Corton-Charlemagne appears to be the only vineyard named after two emperors. It was said to be a favourite of Charlemagne's wife as it didn't stain her husband's beard. I suppose that was before another C word - Clorox. Debra Meiburg is a master of wine
