Despite the on-going health crisis, the Cité des vins & des Climats de Bourgogne has stayed on track, continuing with the project’s design phase. The current focus is an optimized project for the future Cité in Mâcon.
Initially designed to straddle the Bourgogne Wine Board (BIVB)’s Maison des Vins and the Maison Mâconnaise des Vins, the definitive version will be located entirely in the BIVB property.
This new decision has highlighted opportunities for improving and optimizing the space. The permanent exhibition space will be bigger and more areas for mingling, tasting, and chatting will be created.
From the outside, the original façade will be preserved. The powerful feature shaped like a wine press screw will be preserved above a curved façade inspired by the ammonite fossils that can be found in the region’s soil. From the top of the screw, at 13 meters high, visitors will be able to see down to the Saône and part of the town.
In terms of planning, additional administrative delays caused by the lockdown have had a direct impact on the filing of the building permit. The cité in Mâcon is now set to open in the spring of 2022, to be ready for the summer season.
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At your service
2020: A good start for a (very) early vintage
Since flowering, the 2020 vintage has maintained its head start. It is set to be one of the earliest ever seen in Bourgogne.
High temperatures during the week of 18 May allowed flowering to begin across Bourgogne. The mid-flower stage, with 50% of buds open, was reached by the end of the week in the earliest-flowering sites with the earliest-flowering varietals.
Flowering is important to winegrowers because they know that harvesting usually starts between 90 and 100 days after harvest. It is sometimes even earlier when flowering occurs in May.
Locals are thus preparing to harvest grapes for Crémant de Bourgogne in mid-August. Harvesting for still wines will begin very soon after.
Such early dates have rarely been seen before in the region. They set this vintage amongst the very earliest to flower (along with 2007 and 2011). Compared to last year, the 2020 vintage is currently two to three weeks ahead. The rest of the growth cycle will confirm whether this head start will be maintained or not.
Winemakers in Bourgogne are ready to welcome you!
Winegrowers are adapting to ensure they can be convivial whilst ensuring safety. Those cellars now open have been listed to make visiting them even easier.
Bourgogne currently has some 900 cellars open to the public in this land where welcoming visitors to the cellar is a long-standing tradition. To ensure it continues, the region’s winegrowers have had to reinvent themselves, and all the more so given that 15% of sales are linked to these visits. The stakes are high.
However, many cellars had to close to the public during the lockdown. Some winegrowers demonstrated great initiative by developing online and takeaway sales, or offering a delivery service, ensuring a minimum of income.
As business slowly returns to normal, wineries are adapting in order to be able to welcome the general public, with interesting initiatives flourishing across the region. A list of 350 cellars committed to welcoming visitors with respect to current health recommendations is now online on the Bourgogne Wine Board (BIVB) website. It is updated daily and includes all the information you need about visiting them.
The list presents each village in alphabetical order, with each cellar also listed alphabetically. To organize your trip, simply see which estates are open in nearby villages and contact them.
In the short term, the gradual easing of the lockdown is suggesting a very unusual summer season. A partial absence of international travelers, large numbers of local customers, with no doubt more families and aspirations to reconnect with one’s home nation all mean that winegrowers will have to adjust their offer and change their communication. As the profile of the tourists changes, so do their expectations.
But it’s not a problem – the wine producers of Bourgogne are always ready to reinvent themselves.
Marsannay, the only Village AOC to produce red, white, and rosé wines, has seen its production area extended by 80 ha. The occasion to learn more about it.
Described as the “Golden Gateway to the Côte de Nuits”, the Marsannay AOC extends across the villages of Chenôve, Marsannay-la-Côte, and Couchey. Vines have been grown here since the 7th century. The Abbey of Bèze, the bishopric of Autun, the dukes of Bourgogne, and many others all owned vines here. Marsannay wines featured on the tables of Louis XIV and Louis XVI, and certain Climats even enjoyed a classification equivalent to today’s Grand Crus through until the 19th century.
Red wines from the Marsannay appellation have an intense color, with a generous fruity bouquet of morello cherry, strawberry, blackcurrant, and blueberry. In the mouth, the attack is powerful and generous, harmonizing with a fatty finish and lovely length.
The whites reveal the full gamut of citrus and white blossom like hawthorn and acacia. The mouth, which is often broad and rounded, opens up to reveal a fine mineral structure with sustained length.
As for Marsannay rosé, their fruity tenderness expresses pêche de vigne and gooseberry aromas, and their characteristic vigorous indulgence on the tongue makes them perfect for the summer season!
Sommelier’s tips: Marsannay reds are natural partners for red meat such as rib steak with marrow, hanger steak with shallots, or even ostrich. Or pair them with river fish like pike, pikeperch, or stuffed carp. They also go very well with chop suey, sautéed vegetables, quality cold cuts, feathered game, and cow milk cheeses. Older vintages are great with Époisses, Munster, or any other mature cheese.
Marsannay whites are ideal with white meats. Try them with chicken à la Gaston Gérard, veal, or filet mignon of pork with a mustard sauce. Asian cuisine such as sushi brings out the chiseled aromas of these Chardonnays, and in addition to classic sea fish dishes, some years in the cellar produces white Marsannays that marry wonderfully with goat cheeses.
Lastly, Marsannay rosé wines can be enjoyed throughout a meal, with summer barbecues, mixed salads, fine cold cuts, white meats, crab, or red mullet. Spicy, Asian, and Mediterranean dishes also provide great pairings. And after a few years, why not try a Marsannay rosé as a divine accompaniment to dessert!
With the global economy severely impacted by the pandemic, which comes on top of the Trump tax, Brexit, and the unrest in Hong Kong, exports of Bourgogne wines recorded an overall dip of just 1.8% by volume for the first four months of 2020. The drop in terms of revenue was more significant, down 7.9% on the same period in 2019. The trend was positive until February, continuing the excellent dynamic seen in 2019, but sales were unsurprisingly hit hard in March and April.
The figures for the start of the year were greatly impacted by the US market (down 17% by volume and 25% in terms of revenue), with sales down by more than one million bottles. The impact of a 25% levy is clear, with the decline having started at the end of 2019. Among other export markets that saw major drops were Belgium (down 19% by volume), Switzerland (down 22%), mainland China (down 37%), and Hong Kong (down 12%).
However, those markets with a state monopoly fared better: Sweden posted its biggest-ever increase by volume over the first four months (up 38% on 2019), with a strong rise in revenue (up 28%); Canada was up 11% by volume on the same period in 2019, with a 15% jump in revenue.
For its part, Japan recorded a 22% increase, thanks to the Chablis and Petit Chablis appellations which were up 2% by volume over the first four months, with an 18% rise in revenue.
The United Kingdom, the second biggest export market for Bourgogne wines after the USA, posted modest growth of 3.4% by volume, but a 10% fall in terms of revenue. This was mainly driven by Régionale Mâcon white appellations (up 34% by volume and 17% in revenue). They sold an additional 500,000 bottles on this market, which almost compensated for the fall in Chablis sales in the UK over the past three years, despite selling for lower prices.
Bourgogne wines have long enjoyed a genuine aura in Japan, a land whose culture, tastes, and values are very much in tune with these wines. In 2019, Japan remained the third biggest export market for Bourgogne wines by revenue, despite a slowdown in Japanese growth, which practically halved between 2017 and 2019. In terms of volumes, Japan remains in fifth place in terms of importers of Bourgogne wines.
Key figures in 2019 for Bourgogne wines in Japan: Exports: 7.5 million bottles (up 2.4% on 2018), for 113 million euros (up 10.7% on 2018), by volume:
- White wines: 59%
- Red/rosé wines: 36%
- Crémant de Bourgogne: 5%
In 2019, Bourgogne wines accounted for 16% of the volume of French AOC wines exported to Japan, for 23% of the revenue.
All indicators are on green, allowing the Bourgogne winegrowing region to hit new records in terms of revenue.
Bourgogne wines performed strongly in the first quarter of 2020 in Japan, up 16.3% by volume and up 20.4% in terms of revenue compared to the same period in 2019, promising a great year.
Every year, China is becoming a more mature market for wine. In 2019, it was the world’s fifth biggest wine importer, with 6.13 million hectoliters worth 2.18 billion euros. Over this period, French wines moved into second place. This contraction in imports was notably due to the development of Chinese wine production, aimed at increasing local consumption.
In this context, Bourgogne wines are doing well. Exports of Bourgogne wines enjoyed strong growth in revenue (up 22.7% on 2018), beating the record set in 2018. This record applied to both red and white. In 2019, Bourgogne wines accounted for 3% of the volume of French AOC wines exported to China, for 7% of total revenue.
Key figures in 2019 for Bourgogne wines in China: Exports: 2 million bottles (up 24.4% on 2018), for 28.8 million euros (up 22.7% on 2018), by volume:
- Still white wines: 21.2%
- Still red/rosé wines: 78.4%
- Crémant de Bourgogne: 0.4%
In 2019, Sweden retained its place as the ninth biggest export market for Bourgogne wines in terms of revenue, with 2.9% of total export revenues. It was ranked sixth in terms of volume, just behind Japan, with 6% of total exports.
Imports of wine to Sweden from around the world have grown continuously over the past decade, increasing by 11% between 2010 and 2019.
Key figures 2019 for Bourgogne wines in Sweden: Exports: 5.35 million bottles (up 6.6% over 2018), for 30.64 million euros (up 5.6% over 2018), by volume:
- Still white wines: 56%
- Still red wines: 28%
- Crémant de Bourgogne: 16%
Despite only accounting for 4.1% of French AOC production, Bourgogne was the leading French region on the Swedish market, accounting for 25% of all AOC exports.
These strong results seem to be repeating in 2020 with a strong performance in the first quarter of 2020, up 42.8% by volume and 41.4% in terms of revenue. The country seems to have not been too badly impacted, so far, by the pandemic.
The 105th edition of the Tastevinage, postponed due to the lockdown in France, took place at the Château du Clos de Vougeot on Friday 29 May in some very particular circumstances to meet all health and safety regulations. A jury of 75 industry professionals met in small groups to decide which Bourgogne wines were most representative of their respective appellations and vintages from a selection of 658 cuvées. The winning wines are now entitled to bear the Tastevinage seal, a guarantee of quality, authenticity, and pleasure.
The wines submitted hailed from across the region, from Chablis to the Mâconnais, from Régionale appellations to Grand Crus, both still wines and sparkling Crémant de Bourgognes.
The selection process for this prestigious label is a rigorous one, and the percentage of winning wines bears witness to the severity of the jury. Of all the wines tasted, only 221 were bestowed with the Tastevinage seal, some 32% of all submissions.
For this edition, 67 Régionale appellations, 78 Village, and 67 Village Premier Cru and Grand Cru AOCs were selected for the Tastevinage, whose mission it is to defend Bourgogne wines.
The press release with the list of laureates available on June 19 in the press room (in the news of the vineyard section) with link to the space in question.
Two new tourism tools for the Climats of Bourgogne
The Association des Climats de Bourgogne launches two new tools to support the tourism trade and the region’s industry professionals.
We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: Wine tourism has picked up once again in Bourgogne! And the Association des Climats du Vignoble de Bourgogne - Patrimoine Mondial has certainly contributed to this uptick.
In early June, it launched two new tools to support tourism across the Climats:
- An online training module called “Understanding the Climats of Bourgogne”, comprising six two-minute videos and their corresponding Q&As. This eLearning module, aimed at hotel and tourism professionals, is freely available from the association’s website at www.climats-bourgogne.com. For now, in French only. English may be available soon.
- A beautifully illustrated new tourist map comprising a series of different ways to explore the Climats.
These two tools are part of a commitment to promote and support sustainable tourism in partnership with local industry professionals, including tourism offices, hoteliers and restaurateurs, and winegrowers.
And it is with this forward-thinking strategy that Climats Month, which runs from 5 June to 5 July, has taken a new, digital approach and will run entirely online, across social media.
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Winemakers and maisons
The first honey from the Château de Fleys!
The estate continues to make progress in terms of its commitment to biodiversity.
The Château de Fleys estate covers 28 hectares of vines across the Chablis and Chablis Premier Cru winegrowing area. Last year, four hives were introduced. The spring honey harvest has resulted in some delicious golden nectar that is available to buy.
However, the acquisition of these hives was not part of a commercial strategy. It was mainly driven by the estate’s commitment to biodiversity and is part of its Level 3 Haute Valeur Environnementale (HVE) environmental certification.
The COVID-19 pandemic has sadly meant that all live music festivals have been canceled for the near future. But the Rootstock festival, organized by the Château de Pommard, has decided to maintain its dates, but is switching to an all-digital format. As such, music lovers are invited to join in on 11 and 12 July for 48 hours of non-stop sounds.
The line-up features an eclectic selection of experienced artists and young musicians. Some 24 of them, carefully selected by the Rootstock jury, will battle it out to win one of five Artist Discovery prizes of financial support and a mentorship program with an already established artist. Winners will be selected by the audience who can vote online for their favorites. Applications are already open on the festival’s website.
The festival is open to all, thanks to a Music Pass offered by the festival team. For lovers of Bourgogne wines, a Music & Wine Pass is also available, giving access to a selection of prestigious appellations.
After putting in place all the necessary measures and precautions, this famous Beaune wine house is now ready to reopen its century-old cellars, among the largest in the region.
Two types of visit are available:
- The Historic Tasting Tour, costing €10 per person. It runs at 10:30am, 2:30pm, and 4:30pm for a maximum of eight people. Reservation is recommended and the tour lasts 90’ with a tasting of five wines.
- The Privilege Tour, by reservation only. From €50 per person, for up to eight participants. The tour lasts for two hours.
The Château du Moulin-à-Vents was created more than 300 years ago in the southern part of Bourgogne. It now owns vines in the Moulin-à-Vent and Pouilly-Fuissé appellations and is offering guided tours during the estate’s open day on Saturday 27 June, from 3pm to 7pm.
The day will end on a festive and musical note around the wine bar and a meal. Visitors will also benefit from a preferential rate when buying the estate’s 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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