Make no mistake, Burgundy is not cheap. These days the price of wine from some celerity domaines has spiralled into the Bordeaux hemisphere of inflated pricing and beyond the grasp of most wine lovers. However there is still a wealth of reasonably priced Burgundy if you know where to look… and you can find it on or within spitting distance of the Côte d’Or.

It is the job of a good importer to seek out these well priced finds and offer them along side the more expensive wines. In the films following the blog two of the UK’s best Burgundy merchants (Berry Bros and OW Loeb) give their suggestions, but here are my tips for wine which will set you back between £10-25 a bottle.

For a start forget about the well known villages of the Côte d’Or – the likes of Chambolle-Musigny and Vosne-Romanée for reds and Puligny-Montrachet and Meursault for whites. It’s cheaper to ferret out wines from lesser known villages. On the Côte de Nuits think along the lines of Marsannay at the northern end. Marsannay offers gorgeous fruity wines with plenty of terroir character for sensible prices and they will be fairly up front and ready to drink young. We’re talking red and white here. Talented young grower Laurent Fournier explains more about this appellation in three films on my website The Burgundy Briefing.

You can also find well priced wines in neighbouring Fixin. Moving down to the Côte de Beaune, one of my favourite villages for a bargain is Pernand-Vergeleses. Here again you can find white and red. The reds can be quite austere so it’s a safer bet in riper vintages. Look out for the elegant Ile des Vergelesses. The whites have a stony note. The Pernand-Vergelesses, 1er Cru Sous Les Frétille is like a mini Corton-Charlemagne at a fraction of the price. Can’t argue with that. I can recommend Domaines Remi Rollin Père et Fils, Vincent Rapet and Laleure-Piot.

In the Côte de Beaune you also have the villages of Savigny-lès-Beaune and Chorey-Lès-Beaune and moving south, but close to Meursault, Monthelie and Auxey-Duresses. Domaine Terre des Velles who have a new cuverie on the edge of the Auxey-Duresses are making lovely wines from both villages.

One of my fav little spots for whites is Saint-Romain. Oliver Leflaive make a Saint Romain which Bastien Gauteron explains in the film below. Saint-Romain is a scrumptious, hill top village with vineyards of Chardonnay draped across the slopes below. These make great value pure, trilling citrusy whites.

Moving South and bargains from Saint Aubin and Santenay are harder to find these days. Step over into the Côte Chalonnais and Maconnais there are plenty, but this is a story for another time. Look north – way north of the Côte d’Or and the same can be said for Chablis. 1er Cru Chablis is often a steal.

You can also find inexpensive wine from the Hautes-Côtes. This the land above and beyond the Côte d’Or. Just look on the map…for example Concoeur a couple of miles from Vosne-Romanée. If you are touring the area, you can still stop by and buy at the cellar door in such villages. this is also a good place to seek out young, energetic winemakers who are full of passion and enthusiasm.

Domaine Bertrand Marchant de Graumont has a modern cuverie in the small village of Vergy where the wine is made by daughter Auxelle. Most of the parcels of this domaine are actually in Nuits-Saint-Geoges, but she has a Bourgogne Aligoté from a parcel located in the Hautes Côtes de Nuits at the foot of the ruins of the Abbaye de Saint-Vivant. Aligoté will be cheaper than Chardonnay and if well ripened can be lovely and lively.

Domaine Michel Gros has excellent red and white Hautes-Côtes de Nuits. Pinot Noir typically ripens two weeks later than the Côte d’Or. His Hautes-Côtes de Nuits Blanc has a savoury, salty note. The 2011 is a mature wine with nutty, savoury favours , fresh acidity and an aroma of fennel frond. Lovely with food.

As Jasper Morris MW quite rightly points out in the film, a top tip is to buy from a quality domaine. “How’s that?” I hear you say. Well they will certainly have an entry level offering. They may not have an Hautes-Côtes, but pretty much every domaine (I can only think of one which does not) will have a Bourgogne.

These simple wines will have been make with the same care and attention as the more illustrious wines of the domaine. Simple, but not so simple. The fruit for Bourgogne will typically come from vines planted just below the village where the domaine is situated. In other words on the flatter part which is classified as regional land. However some domaine may also include lesser village parcels or fruit from younger vines in the blend. You really cannot go wrong here. These Bourgogne are a steal for the quality. Yup… despite the hype, if you care to look, you can still bag yourself a bargain in Burgundy.