DETAILS: Saint-Vincent Tournante Wine Fest

Burgundy's Saint-Vincent Tournante will be held Jan. 26 and 27 in the village of Saint-Romain, in the wine region west of Beaune. Plan to spend at least two nights to tour Saint-Romain, the local wine country and historic Beaune. Local winemakers will open their cellars for tastings; buy a tasting glass with tickets for about $15 on-site. Reservations and information: http://www.saint-vincent-2008.com (in French).

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GETTING THERE: Saint-Romain is about eight miles southwest of Beaune and about 31 miles southwest of Dijon; both cities are easily accessible by train from Paris. For example, a nonexchangeable first-class Paris-Beaune ticket for the Friday-through-Monday surrounding this weekend is about $54 each way for the two-hour, 19-minute trip. Train tickets and car rentals can be reserved on the French National Railway Web site, http://www.voyages-sncf.com.

WHERE TO STAY: Hotels are small, so reserve as early as possible, checking accommodations in nearby towns as well as Beaune. The Beaune Office of Tourism (see below) can assist with bookings.

Tiny Saint-Romain has one hotel, the attractive Les Roches (Place de la Mairie, 011-33-3-80-21-21-63), with eight double rooms for about $110 a night. Fixed-price dinner is about $31.

Nearby Nolay has two basic but comfortable hotels in historic buildings: the Hotel du Parc (Place de l'Hotel de Ville, 011-33-3-80-21-78-88), with rooms starting at about $89 a night and a restaurant with fixed-price menus from $23; and the Hotel de la Halle (Place des Halles, 011-33-3-80- 21-76-37), with 14 rooms, from $67 a night.

In Nuits-Saint-Georges, about 13 miles northeast of Beaune, the Domaine Comtesse Michel de Loisy (28 Rue General de Gaulle, 011-33-3-80-61-02-72, http://www.domaine-de-loisy.com) has antique-filled rooms from $103 a night.

In downtown Beaune, the luxurious old favorite of American wine lovers is the historic Le Cep (27 Rue Maufoux, 011-33-3-80-22-35-48, http://www.hotel-cep-beaune.com), with doubles starting at $231. A moderately priced alternative is the Hotel des Remparts (48 Rue Thiers, 011-33-3-80-24-94-94, http://www.hotel-remparts-beaune.com), with rooms starting at $110.

WHERE TO EAT: Burgundy is a food and wine lover's paradise, with restaurants ranging from simple country inns to three-star Michelin affairs. Just southeast of Beaune in Levernois is the luxury hotel Hostellerie de Levernois (Rue du Golf, http://www.levernois.com), which recently opened a lunch bistro, the Bistro du Bord de l'Eau, in 19th-century kitchens set in a manicured garden. Fixed-price lunches are $41 to $47. For a local village restaurant try the simple, popular Le Bouchon (Place de l'H¿tel de Ville, Meursault), offering straightforward Burgundian cuisine with fixed-price menus at $21 to $48.

In Beaune, for sophisticated preparations of Burgundy classics try Le Gourmandin (8 Place Carnot, http://www.hotellegourmandin.com), about $25 per person at lunch and $51 at dinner. Or try the modern wine bar-restaurant La Part des Anges (24 Bis Rue d'Alsace), about $37 for a full-course lunch and $57 for dinner.

INFORMATION: Saint-Romain: http://www.mairie-saint-romain.fr/en/tourism.htm. Chevaliers du Tastevin : http://www.tastevin-bourgogne.com. Beaune Office of Tourism: http://www.ot-beaune.fr (in French).

-- R.V.C.