Barging through Burgundy

By Liz Humphreys

Set sail for sublime views and culinary delights on the unsung canals of France’s premier wine region

The fluffy fish dumplings — a combo Tof pike, egg whites, choux pastry and thick cream — float in a rich, velvety crayfish sauce. The generous chef at L’Eternel in the French hilltop town of Vézelay has piled extra crayfish on top. I’ve never tasted the famed quenelles Nantua — made, I am told, by simmering the crayfish shells with onions, carrots, fish stock, white wine and plenty of butter. The light-as-air dumplings melt in my mouth, and taste even better when washed down with a glass of the local pinot noir.

TERROIR CUISINE

© BOURGOGNE-FRANCHE-COMTÉ -COMTÉ TOURISME/ALAIN DOIRE

Beyond the meal, the scenery’s not half bad either. Vézelay is an adorable UNESCO World Heritage Site, and I hike up its steep streets to see the evocative 9th-century Romanesque Basilica Sainte-Marie-Madeleine. The church, thought to hold the relics of Mary Magdalene, became a popular stopping point in the 11th and 12th centuries for pilgrims venturing to Santiago de Compostela in Northern Spain. As I walk back down Vézelay’s cobblestoned streets, now in their modern incarnation of galleries, clothes stores and cafés, I glimpse vineyards planted all the way up to the town’s edge that remind me where I am — Burgundy.

VÉZELAY WITH ITS FAMOUS BASILICA SAINTE-MARIE-MADELEINE

But this isn’t the hyped Burgundy of Beaune and Dijon fame. Instead, Vézelay is one of the stops on my six-day cruise down the Canal du Nivernais, which might be Burgundy’s best-kept secret.

The 174-kilometre long waterway snakes through Western Burgundy, connecting the Yonne River in the north to the Loire River in the south. Along the way, the canal meanders past charming villages, pastoral countryside and — this being Burgundy, after all — lovely places to eat and drink.

A SAMPLING OF THE ONBOARD EXPERIENCE

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I’m cruising the canals on a barge once used to transport cargo, since transformed into a boutique passenger boat that accommodates up to 14 guests. The boat navigates narrow waterways where traditional vessels simply can’t fit. Since it sails at a relatively leisurely speed, and needs to slow down even more every few hours to pass through the many locks along the way, I’ll have plenty of time to get out and run on the greenway alongside the canal to work off all the delicious food I’ll be eating — at least that’s my hope. Little do I know we’ll be served multiple types of cheese each and every day along with unmissable French desserts.

VINEYARDS NEAR VINCELLES

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We begin the cruise in Auxerre, a medieval town with a cathedral displaying mesmerizing, multicoloured stained glass windows. After a short sail to Vincelles, where the boat docks, we drive for half an hour to reach the Chablis countryside, home to Burgundy’s fabled chardonnay vineyards. At Domaine Jean-Marc Brocard, our charismatic host serves us five wines, including two vintages of the Domaine’s well-regarded chardonnay, paired with local cheeses. The winery was one of the first in Burgundy to take up organic farming in 1997, and today, it grows a large portion of its grapes organically and biodynamically.

HISTORIC TOWN OF AUXERRE ON THE YONNE RIVER

The next day, we set sail for Accolay. While the village itself is of little note, it’s only a half-hour bus ride away from Noyers-sur-Serein, often called France’s prettiest village. I’m charmed by this wine-growing town’s 15th-century half-timbered buildings, wisteria-filled flower baskets and picture-perfect squares. But here’s what really excites me: We’re in Noyers on a Wednesday morning — market day! Food stalls overflow with farm-fresh fruits, veggies, fish, meats and cheeses, and there’s a pleasant buzz as locals do their weekly shopping.

NOYERS-SUR-SEREIN

I pop into the Maison Paillot charcuterie and wine shop to try a local specialty — gougères, delicate French cheese puffs. Run by butcher Denis Paillot and his two young sons, Pierre and Vincent, Maison Paillot not only sells Burgundy classics like country-style pâté with Burgundy marc liquor, but also addictive bread, baked daily, and a fabulous selection of local wines. They also run the popular Restaurant Les Millésimes, specializing in homemade regional dishes such as Époisses pie, made with smoked ham and potatoes.

GOUGÈRES

Though the food has been fab, Burgundy isn’t Burgundy without a little more wine. Our barge group heads over to wine cooperative Bailly Lapierre, which has made sparkling wines since 1972 in a little village called Bailly — the birthplace of AOC Crémant de Bourgogne. An underground quarry houses the winery’s tasting cellar, so I’m thankful for my jacket as temperatures are constantly cool. But a few sips of the bubbly quickly warm me up.

CRÉMANT DE BOURGOGNE

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Though the barge continues to interesting sites like the 12th-century feudal Château de Bazoches, even better than the places we stop in along the way might be the fabulously talented onboard chef, Tadek Zwan. I quickly become used to breakfasts featuring baked goods like melt-in-your-mouth pain au chocolat or madeleines from the pâtisserie in whatever town we’re docked, along with bowls of fresh fruit, freshly baked quiche and cheese.

FRANC-COMPTOIS CHEESES

© BOURGOGNE-FRANCHE-COMTÉ TOURISME/CORINNE VASSELET

While buffet lunches are a bit simpler and lighter, the multicourse dinners are where the chef really shines. Each night, I’m served a selection from France’s greatest hits, like French onion soup, coq au vin, quail Gaston Gérard (with Dijon mustard, white wine and cheese) and rosemary- and mint-marinated lamb. Desserts range from floating islands (fluffy meringue in a pool of vanilla custard sauce) to tarte tatin (apples and caramel) to a brilliant pain perdu (the original French toast). And, oh yes, cheese after cheese — Comté, Reblochon, Brillat-Savarin.

On the last day, when we sail past some of the finest scenery of the trip — the craggy cliffs of Rochers du Saussois. I sip champagne on the barge’s roof deck with the new friends I’ve made and reflect on the meals that will compel me to return.

ROCHERS DU SAUSSOIS

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