(Wine Geo) Burgundy’s River—the Saône

From its source west of the Vosges Mountains, France’s Saône River flows past Burgundy’s Côte-d’Or and the finest vineyards of Beaujolais before it joins the Rhône River in the city of Lyon. Read on to discover five fast facts about the Saône River!

#1—It’s Burgundy’s River: The Saône River flows—generally to the southeast—for just over 294 miles (473 km) across eastern France. For much of its length, it helps to define the wine region of Burgundy and Beaujolais (located along or west of its western shores). Many of the grands crus of the Côte-d’Or are located a mere 10 miles/16 km to the west of the Saône, and once the river makes its way a bit further south, it forms a small part of the eastern border of the Mâcon AOC before heading further south toward Beaujolais. The river then flows past the northern and central portions of the Beaujolais AOC (about 6 miles/9 km from the eastern edge of the vineyards) before it takes a sharp turn to the east just past the town of Villefranche-sur-Saône on its journey to the Rhône.

Map of the Saône River by PRA via Wikimedia Commons

#2—It all begins in the Faucilles: The source of the Saône River can be found within the rolling hills of the Monts Faucilles (Faucilles Mountains).  The Faucilles Mountains mark the boundary between the Lorraine Plateau (to the west) and the Vosges Mountains (to the east). The precise source of the river— a spring located at the foot of a cliff (elevation: 518 feet/158 m)—may be found in the Grand Est commune of Vioménil.

 #3—It’s Petite and then it’s Grande: The Saône meanders as a slow, winding river—known as the Petite  Saône through the Faucilles Mountains and across the Lorraine Plateau for about 93 miles/150 km until it is joined by the Doubs River in the town of Verdun-sur-le-Doubs. At the point of its confluence, the Doubs is a much more impressive waterway than the Saône (and some would argue that the Saône joins the Doubs instead of the other way around). From Verdun-sur-le-Doubs to its confluence with the Rhône—where it is known as the Grande Saône—river is a high-capacity waterway crisscrossed with canals leading to the vineyards of Burgundy as well as many other large rivers—including the Loire, the Marne, and the Rhine.

Photo of the Presqu’île by David Monniaux with Wikimedia Commons

#4—There is “almost an island” near the end: Located with the 1st and 2nd arrondissements of the city of Lyon, the Presqu’île is a peninsula extending from Croix-Rousse hill in the north and surrounded by the Rhône and Saône Rivers—precisely at the point where they join. The word presqu’île translates literally to “almost an island,” an apt way to describe the prestigious area, recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site and home to Lyon’s City Hall (the  Hôtel de Ville) and the 14th-Century Church of St. Nizier in addition to a plethora of restaurants, cafés, and department stores.

#5—It feeds the Rhône: In the city of Lyon, the Saône flows into the Rhône as a right-bank (and the Rhône’s largest) tributary. From Lyon, the Rhône flows south through a valley (well-known to wine lovers as the Vallée du Rhône/Rhône Valley) tucked between the Alps and The Massif Central. Just past Arles, it breaks into two arms and forms the Camargue Delta on its way to the Mediterranean Sea.

References/for more information:

• https://www.franceafloat.com/burgundy-saone/
• https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monts_Faucilles
• https://www.french-waterways.com/waterways/south-east/grande-saone/
• https://www.french-waterways.com/waterways/north-east/petite-saone/

The Bubbly Professor is “Miss Jane” Nickles of San Marcos, Texas… missjane@prodigy.net