ince 2003 Véronique Moiroud-Monnot has been running Domaine Corgette, a maison d'hôtes/bed & breakfast in Saint-Romain. She has chosen to stay off the beaten track and offer her guests the tranquility of the lesser-known parts of the Côte d'Or.
– It's a project that I started when I was 40, she explains. It was a time in my life when I wanted to do something myself.
Saint-Romain is hidden in a valley behind Meursault and Auxey-Duresses. The village is actually split in two. The lower – and bigger – part, Saint-Romain-le-Bas, is at the bottom of the valley, surrounded by steep cliffs. The upper part, Saint-Romain-le-Haut, is at the top of the cliffs, overlooking the rest of the village.
Domaine Corgette is located in Saint-Romain-le-Bas. Véronique Moiroud-Monnot is originally from Meursault, but has been living in Saint-Romain for some time. She has got a degree in hotel management and when the Domaine Corgette – right next to her own house – came up for sale the decision was easy.
– I like meeting people, she says. And I like to make them feel at home. That's what people say when they come here; it's just like at home, very casual.
Today Domaine Corgette is a bed and breakfast business with five rooms. Previously it has been a winemaker's house and café. And incidentally, the name has nothing to do with courgettes/zucchinis.
– It means small courtyard. Cour in French is courtyard. People in the past used to put "-ette" at the end of words to say small. That has been the name of the house for many, many years and I decided to keep it.
Saint-Romain is only 20 minutes away from Beaune, with its Hospice, shops and street life. In Saint-Romain the commerce is somewhat limited – a restaurant and an ambulating baker. Then there are of course numerous vignerons offering their produce.
– People are happy to come here, to get away from everybody else, Véronique Moiroud-Monnot says. They are happy to discover new places and they like to have "secret" addresses instead of going where everybody else is going. When they discover this place they very often come back and recommend it to friends and family.
In this part of the world the tourist season starts in March and runs all the way to the Vente des Vins des Hospices de Beaune, the big wine auction held in mid-November.
– It's good to have the low season, so we can spend time renovating. I like that part as well, the decoration of the place, so I need to have time for that too.
– Most of the people that come are interested in wine. But people also come here for the walking trails, the culture or for biking. People with children come here to discover other things than they usually do.
– I have people staying for many days and every day they tour around. I have some Americans staying at the moment that are going to l'Abbaye de Fontenay. They don't hesitate to drive many kilometres to visit new places.
The people staying at Véronique Moiroud-Monnot's place come both from France and from other countries. Belgium is the most well-represented country, followed by Switzerland and the US. Since the start five years ago there has been a slow change towards longer stays. People no longer use Saint-Romain as a stop-over on the way to the south.
– In the beginning the majority of our guests were people staying for just one night. Now people know the place and when they come back they stay longer.
– For us it is important to see people for longer periods off time Véronique Moiroud-Monnot explains. We think that the relationship is more interesting when there is time to talk and when we can help them plan their tours and to discover the region. So now for the weekends we only accept at least two nights, because otherwise it is like a hotel. You say hello, you say goodbye and there is nothing interesting in your relationship.
For the first-time visitor to Burgundy Véronique Moiroud-Monnot has a few tips depending on personal taste and how long their stay is.
– They should not miss Beaune. They can spend at least a day there, just wandering around. Then they can tour the vineyards. Walk or rent bikes, and you can have a picnic in the vineyards if the weather allows it.
– We can also give them good addresses to winemakers in Meursault, Saint-Romain or the Côte de Nuits so they can discover real people, taste wine and maybe buy wine. I also make a program according to their taste. If they want to buy wine I will send them to small winemakers. If they just want to visit I will send them to a castle.
On a personal level she enjoys going to the market in Beaune (Wednesdays and Saturdays), buy some food there and go for a picnic in the vineyards. She also mentions the Mont de Sène, up behind Dezize-lès-Maranges, and if you have children there is the Parc de la Bouzaize in Beaune. And if you want to go a bit further, there is the Lac des Settons in Morvan.
© 2007 Ola Bergman
