Many would argue that Burgundy is one of the two most important wine regions in the world. Others would say the wines, despite the obvious quality of many, are poor value and often very disappointing. Both of these points of view have some truth but there is no doubting that when at their finest the wines of Burgundy can be some of most exciting and exhilerating taste experiences in existence. The world's most complex dry white wine comes from the Côte de Beaune, and some of the world's most elegant reds come from the Côte d'Or. These are the two regions responsible for Burgundy's highest quality wines, yet there are several other areas of equal importance. Beaujolais, for instance, sometimes produces more wine than the rest of Burgundy put together, and the Maconnais and Chablis are names synonymous with easy drinking whites although if one digs a little deeper there are dazzling wines to be found too. The wines are named after the areas in which they are grown - Chassagne-Montrachet, Aloxe-Corton, Nuits St. George, Pouilly-Fuissé etc. as opposed to areas such as Bordeaux where the wine is named after the actual producer. This means that there may be many growers under a single name although there are some unusual cases where a single property (such as La Romanee Conti, Clos de Tart and La Tache) is owned by one producer - these are called Monopoles. Vineyards regarded as superior are called Premier Crus and the exceptional sites Grand Crus. It is in this system where the problem with a lack of consistency in quality is found. Le Corton may indeed be a great name and many great wines are made under that name, but if a poor wineMaker owns property in Le Corton he is entitiled to call his wine Le Corton and classify it Grand Cru even if ithe quality is not good. Consequently many wine lovers are wary of Burgundian wines - the name of the wine is no gurantee of quality; look for the name of the producer instead.