Ahead of Bourgogne Week London, 2019 keeps its fabulous promise!
On the eve of Bourgogne Week London, as winemakers prepare to introduce the 2019 vintage to the market, tastings have confirmed the great impressions hinted at in November 2019. This is going to be a great vintage.
In 2019, the weather was very variable (see our press release from November 2019). This brought its share of stress, with moments of tension in many estates, but the harvest went very smoothly with a fabulous final result. It was hot and dry year, but the wines are demonstrating a vigor that is already delighting Bourgogne wine fans. The magic of the years in a nine strikes again!
The only downside is that the volume of 1.23 million hectoliters (excluding VCI) is well below the 10-year average of 1.44 million hectoliters from 2010-2019.
The wines are both rich and balanced. For the whites, notes of ripe citrus are found alongside aromas of white blossom. The reds are mainly marked by aromas of ripe dark berries; a sign of great vintages in the Bourgogne region.
Bourgogne wines are a traditional accompaniment to the holiday season. They are wines that are synonymous with festivities, gastronomy, and conviviality. Furthermore, there is a Bourgogne wine for every taste within an extensive price range. From the Bourgogne and Mâcon appellations plus a geographical denomination, including Bourgogne Tonnerre, Bourgogne Epineuil, Bourgogne Côte d’Or, Mâcon-La Roche-Vineuse, and Mâcon-Lugny, right through to Grand Cru AOCs that are the stuff of dreams. And don’t forget the effervescent Crémant de Bourgognes to add sparkle to every occasion.
As this turbulent year draws to a close, there is even more reason for us to cling onto our traditions and value what we know to be true: YES, you will celebrate Christmas, Hannukah, or St. Nicholas! YES, you will treat yourself! And YES, Bourgogne wines will be there to accompany the festivities, as usual!
“Open your Bourgogne wine” is more than just an opportunistic marketing slogan, it’s a veritable manifesto. Let’s fight together against austerity this holiday season and return to a reassuring sense of normality.
During the first lockdown, as France ground to a halt, estates and négoce businesses continued their efforts to produce the splendid 2020 vintage (see below). They were honored with #LaVigneContinue (The vines grow on).
During this second lockdown, estates and négoces have adapted and are doing everything possible to ensure customers can find their wines in compliance with health protocols in force. Direct sales from the cellar are always possible, but there are also other solutions, including click & collect, mail order, or online. Many wineries are now offering to deliver wines locally or ship them further afield.
But, if your favorite wine is not available for direct sale, then don’t worry – there are many other ways to buy Bourgogne wines, all of which are listed in the press release.
See you in March 2021 for Les Grands Jours en Caves
Bourgogne producers are inviting industry professionals and journalists to come and taste their wines at the estate from 15 to 19 March, before things get back to normal in 2022.
The March 2020 edition of the biennial Grands Jours de Bourgogne industry event has had to be postponed until March 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But, in the meantime, Les Grands Jours en Caves, a “lite” version of the main event, will run from 15-19 March 2021.
The Grands Jours en Caves interim trade event will maintain the conviviality of the Grands Jours de Bourgogne and provide professionals who can travel to the region with a welcome opportunity to stay in touch during these tough times.
According to many in the industry, the 2020 vintage is unique. The growth cycle was continually ahead of the average and many winegrowers started and finished the harvest in August. But this advance had to be carefully managed year-round, in parallel with the COVID-19 pandemic, from budburst to harvest.
These efforts paid off and for many winemakers, this vintage is both absolutely exceptional yet remarkably typical! The wines from this hot year have a lot of fruit, great vigor, and much sophistication, enough to make us start to reconsider how we view such years.
Matthieu Mangenot, enologist and Assistant Technical Director at the Albert Bichot wine house has experienced this vintage from the inside and gives us his three-minute summary in this video.
Another reason for celebration is the volume harvested, especially in terms of white wines. With an estimated yield of 1.55 million hectoliters, Bourgogne will be able to satisfy market demand.
Click here to find out everything you need to know about the 2020 vintage.
The Cité des vins et des Climats de Bourgogne in Beaune will be located in the heart of the city’s new Biodivercity®-labeled urban and landscaping district, just a stone's throw from the Palais des Congrès. Modern, ecological, and distinctly human, it will feature an upscale hotel, restaurants, a luxury wine-focused shopping mall, an events hall, and a large landscaped park.
The ground floor of the Cité, covering 1,100m2, will be solely dedicated to the discovery of the wines and Climats of Bourgogne.
Visitors will be able to explore exhibits organized according to three major themes, with an estimated visitor time of 90 minutes:
- The Bourgogne region’s history, soil, territories, etc.
- The plots and Climats; this unique model for terroir viticulture
- The grapes and the wine; single varietals, vinification, barrel making, aromas, and tasting
The Cité in Beaune will help promote the Climats of the Bourgogne region, inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. As such, it will be the center for discovering the Climats of Bourgogne, which will have a dedicated space within the visitor trail. The uniqueness of the exhibition lies in the establishing the right balance between scenography, museography, and a pleasing visitor experience.
The building permit was issued during the last week of November, with preparatory work due to begin shortly.
We will check back in during January 2021 when the first stone is laid.
2020 started well for Bourgogne wines. But then, the COVID-19 pandemic put an end to a long period of growth, forcing markets to evolve in keeping with measures implemented to curb the spread:
- Over the first two months of the 2020-2021 campaign, sales from the property increased by 5% compared to the average for the past five campaigns. They nonetheless remained 8% down on the previous campaign.
- The 2020 harvest is estimated at 1.55 million hectoliters, an above-average yield, but one nonetheless marked by a decline in the volume of red wines.
- Over the first nine months of 2020, exports were heavily impacted by the lockdown and restrictions in certain Bourgogne wine markets. They were down 3.9% by volume over the same period the previous year. Despite this, the months of January, February and June to July saw positive results in terms of volume.
- In France, Bourgogne wines are more than maintaining their position on modern circuits, up 4.8% by volume over the first eight months of 2019, thanks in particular to their presence in convenience stores and availability via drive.
As we await the date when the new Brexit export rules will be applied, the UK increased global wine imports. Bourgogne wines, in particular, profited from this return to growth, with exports up 8.7% by volume and 3.9% in terms of value over 2018.
This growth was confirmed, against all expectations, in 2020.
Despite the pandemic, over the first nine months of 2020, Bourgogne wine exports continued to enjoy very good performance by both volume and revenue compared to the first nine months of 2019:
- Up 11.6% by volume (up 1.15 million bottles)
- Up 1.3% in terms of revenue (up €1.3M)
Almost all Bourgogne appellations profited from this growth, but the big winners were white wines (up 19% by volume), including Régionale Mâcon AOCs in particular (up 19%) and the four Chablis AOCs, up 7.4% by volume.
Although less impressive, increased growth seen by red wines was nevertheless reassuring, up 5.7%, driven mainly by the Régionale Bourgogne appellations, including Bourgogne plus a geographical designation, which were up 19% by volume.
These good results are an excellent omen, coming just a few weeks before Bourgogne Week London, which runs from 11-15 January 2021, and will mark the launch of the 2019 vintage (see front page).
The employment platform for the Bourgogne wine industry is to be continued, with a further raft of communication to come.
The vitabourgogne.com website and associated advertising campaigns were launched on 1 September 2020. In barely two months this platform, which is dedicated to industry-related employment and training, has posted more than 100 job offers, and received more than 13,000 visitors and 1,000 applications.
These results are extremely encouraging and as a result, the program will be continued into 2021. Poster campaigns and radio ads will continue throughout the region and will also be extended to Paris and Lyon.
New videos and graphics will be created and distributed across social networks, especially for younger audiences. These videos will illustrate the seasonality of work in the wine industry, through ambassadors and employees wishing to share their love for their jobs.
VITA Bourgogne will be using all these tools to improve its work of informing and advising job seekers and recruiters in the months to come.
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St-Vincent 2021: Santa will be stocking up from the patron saint of winemakers!
Are you looking for a gift idea? Then look no further than the Saint-Vincent 2021 boutique, which has plenty of special offers for the holidays.
It is already a historic Saint-Vincent Tournante because the Saint-Vincent 2021 celebrations will actually be taking place in Corpeau, Puligny-Montrachet, and Blagny on… 29-30 January 2022! The event had to be postponed because social distancing measures due to the pandemic would not have allowed a celebration worthy of the name.
Despite having a little extra time to prepare, the organizers of the next edition of the event are sticking to their original plans, and during the holidays, are offering fans a range of Saint-Vincent-themed gifts via an online store at saint-vincent-tournante-2021.com. Visitors simply need to create an account before they can explore what’s on offer, including:
- The collector's pack, containing an apron, a hat and a polo shirt, priced at €50, reduced from €55
- The super collector’s pack, containing an apron, a hat and a polo shirt, along with six Lehmann Absolu 38 glasses, for tasting white, red and sparkling wines, at €80 instead of €95
Each item can also be purchased separately.
The Saint-Vincent Tournante has been held every year in a different village since 1938. It was created by the Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin, and celebrates Saint Vincent, the patron saint of winegrowers.
And the 12 Tastevinage Majors of 2020 are...
Every year since 2017, the Tastevinage has named the “Majors”, which are the jury’s 12 favorite wines.
Bourgogne vs. Burgundy: to re-affirm their identity, the region and the producers are reverting back to the original French iteration of the name, Bourgogne.
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