When Americans hear Dijon they almost always think of GREY POUPON mustard, the first challenger to French’s to achieve success in the states.  But there is much more to this home of the Ducs de Bourgogne who ruled this vast and wealthy territory in the 14th and 15th centuries.

Once upon a time the local wine was a barely drinkable white called Aligoté that when combined with a few drops of créme de Cassis, the region’s black currant liqueur becomes a Kir, named for the priest, resistant and later Mayor of Dijon, Chanoine Kir who popularized it by serving it at official functions. Today Aligoté has become a very drinkable wine that itself makes an excellent apéritif.

But the most compelling reason to grab the TGV at Le Gare de Lyon for the 1 1/2 hour trip to Dijon is the magnificently renovated Musée des Beaux–Arts that houses the second largest collection of Medieval and Renaissance art in France, after the Louvre, with over 2, 500 works on display.

Musée des Beaux-Arts Dijon

1 rue Rameau, Tel 03 80 74 52 09

Open daily except Tuesday

After the tragic death of her husband, the 3-star Michelin chef Bernard Loiseau,Dominique Loiseau, in the tradition of strong French women, secured his legacy and then expanded it. In July of 2013 she added Loiseau des Ducs in the heart of Dijon, overlooking the place de la Libération. Loiseau des Ducs is listed as an historical monument hotel dating from the 16th century.

I was joined for dinner by four colleagues from the Association de la Presse Etrangère. As we awaited our meal we were served the traditional gougères accompanied by the Kir de maison–sparklingcrémant and Prunelle Sureau