A cockerel or chicken braised in red wine with bacon, mushrooms and small onions, the sauce thickened with its own juices.
What makes it coq au vin
Chicken on the bone, braised in red wine.
The bourguignonne garnish of bacon, onions and mushrooms.
Often flamed with brandy; the sauce sometimes thickened with the blood.
Where it comes from
It was a way to make an old rooster edible, cooked a long time in wine. There's a story that it goes back to Caesar and the Gauls, but nobody takes that very seriously, and several regions claim a version.
Burgundy's is the best known, made with the local red — sometimes named for a grand wine, as coq au Chambertin. Most cooks now use a large chicken and a shorter braise.
How it varies
Coq au vin jaune
The Jura's version, with its sherry-like yellow wine and cream.