Tales of the Vine: The King with the Grizzly Beard

Behind every bottle, there’s a story…

Born in 742 and rising to power as the Holy Roman Emperor and ruler of much of the Western World, it was Emperor Charlemagne who commanded the planting of the Pinot Noir vines that produce the excellent red Burgundy of Le Corton.  It is well-known that Emperor Charlemagne adored the precious red wine of Le Corton and he drank copious amounts every day.

However, as the years passed and the king became an older man, his hand was no longer as steady as it once was.  From time to time, while enjoying his precious red Burgundy, he would spill some wine onto his flowing white beard.  The resulting red stains annoyed his wife to such an extent that she demanded that he stop drinking wine.

Emperor Charlemagne was a legendary lover of women, but he was nevertheless determined to avoid giving in to his wife’s demands.  As such, in a legendary move if ever there was one, Charlemagne became an aficionado of white wine. In this way, he was able to drink to his heart’s content (even while spilling a bit on his beard) without compromising his regal appearance or arousing the wrath of his favorite wife.

In time, Emperor Charlemagne demanded that part of the hill of Le Corton be replanted with white grapes. Legend has it that this is how Corton-Charlemagne—the famous white wine Grand Cru vineyard—came to be. With white wine in hand, Charlemagne was able to drink his daily allotment of wine—shaky hands, grizzly white beard, and all.