Wine suggestions this week include good red Burgundies

What is the world’s greatest wine region? A common question and an unfortunate answer — Burgundy.

Unfortunate, because this is a maddeningly complex region and the wines at the medium and top end are very (very) expensive. No other region has so many designated separate Appellations and each of these has further intricacies and quality levels built in (eg, named Premier Cru and Grand Cru sub-vineyards). Red Burgundy in particular is notoriously unpredictable but when you taste a good one you might not want to drink anything else ever again.

Burgundy is on a micro scale with hundreds of growers and the grower/producer’s name is by far the most important information on the label. Benjamin Leroux is the kind of guy you want to find — small, focused on a few plots, incredibly quality conscious, and also slightly quirky.