27 May - Bourgogne wines at the heart of #ChardonnayDay celebrations!
This year, #ChardonnayDay falls on Thursday 27 May. Bourgogne has become a leader of this event, which mainly takes place on social media, and which was created in California a decade ago.
The Chardonnay grape may have conquered the world, but it’s in Bourgogne that it finds its most pure expression, in terroir that brings out all its subtleties.
But remember, Bourgogne’s winegrowers and négociants don’t just produce Chardonnays: They make Chablis, Pouilly-Fuissé, Montagny, Auxey-Duresses, Bourgogne Tonnerre, Mâcon, and so many more, all from this single emblematic varietal. These wines, each one so delicate, express the differences of geology, meteorology, and the touch of the winemaker in a thousand different ways.
The Bourgogne Wine Board (BIVB) will be publishing plenty of content across its different social media platforms throughout the day, with the hashtags:
#BourgogneWines and #ChardonnayDay.
Meanwhile on Facebook, you’ll be able to use some special Bourgogne wines filters to personalize your photos.
In parallel, the BIVB is organizing a series of digital online events:
> A Tweet-Up dedicated to the Chardonnay grape and the Chablis appellation in particular on 26 May. Head over to Twitter and check out the @purechablis.
> Ahead of #ChardonnayDay, press seeding will offer connected Canadian wine and lifestyle influencers in Quebec and Ontario the chance to discover four Bourgogne appellations, using a simplified map of the region and its cheese and meat specialties in a deliciously educational session!
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Wine tourism: Bourgogne producers open their arms. Follow the guide!
The 2021 edition of the Vignobles & Découvertes Bourgogne Cellar Guide is available in both paper and digital versions on the Bourgogne wines website.
The Vignobles & Découvertes Bourgogne Cellar Guide is a reference for wine tourism in the region. It is ideal for discovering or rediscovering Bourgogne, its 84 appellations, its winegrowers and négociants.
The guide is published by the Bourgogne Wine Board (BIVB) and is designed to facilitate your searches and help organize your visit via the tourist trails that crisscross the region. The 2021 edition covers 213 cellars that bear the label, having passed a rigorous quality audit. They are presented by region to help you find them more easily.
For a fully immersive experience, this guide is packed with useful information. After a presentation of the national Vignobles & Découvertes label, it includes an introduction to the notion of the Climat, a notion specific to Bourgogne and included on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 2015. It will then whet your appetite with information about the Cités des Vins et des Climats de Bourgogne project, an invitation to visit the École des Vins de Bourgogne in Beaune, and a reminder of the region’s main values, namely conviviality and a respect for terroir.
Bourgogne wines will be the star of the show in wine stores, restaurants, and wine bars in Tokyo, just a few days before the start of the Olympic Games.
For this third edition of the event in Japan, which runs from 28 June to 4 July, the Bourgogne Wine Board (BIVB) is inviting all industry players, including importers, wine stores, restaurants, wine bars, and eCommerce players to take part in Bourgogne Week Tokyo.
Local market influencers are invited to create events to offer their customers the full Bourgogne wine tasting experience, with a chance to meet other fans, and to share their experiences.
eCommerce will enjoy a place in the spotlight this year, thanks to several partnerships showcasing a range of Bourgogne wines that are lesser known amongst Japanese consumers.
The BIVB will be orchestrating the event, with a communication campaign to maximize visibility through a dedicated website, soon to be unveiled.
A training day upstream of Bourgogne Week
On 3 June, ahead of Bourgogne Week Japan, the BIVB is hosting two masterclasses for journalists and industry stakeholders including distributors, sommeliers, and eCommerce representatives:
- “Chablis, the expression of a terroir” will involve a tasting of four Chablis and four Petit Chablis wines, exploring the multi-faceted nature of these appellations and their amazing appeal.
- “A first step towards terroir in Bourgogne” is dedicated to Régionale plus geographical denomination appellations and will involve sampling three Mâcon-plus wines and five Bourgogne-plus wines.
Japan is a fascinating historical export market and the third biggest for Bourgogne wines. After a 2020 limited by the pandemic (down 3.3% by volume and 1.6% in terms of revenue over 2019), 2021 has begun calmly, up 0.9% by volume and 2.4% in terms of revenue for the first three months of 2021 compared to the same period last year.
For the time being, red wines are the big winners, up 17.1% by volume and 19.4% in terms of revenue, with all AOC families showing progress, apart from the Grand Crus.
Crémant de Bourgogne is also doing well, up 5.9% by volume and 4.3% in terms of revenue over the first quarter of 2020. White wines are a little slower to take off.
Long overlooked, the Aligoté varietal produces some pleasant wines with great freshness. And the Americans and Brits know a good thing when they see it!
Bourgogne Aligoté is not what it used to be. The low-ranking acidic wine, which could only be tolerated with a large dose of crème de cassis in a kir, is now being used to produce quality wines, shown off with pride by many winemakers and négociants.
Bourgogne Aligoté is one of the first AOCs (Appellations d’Origine Contrôlées) created in Bourgogne, having existed since 1937. It is made from 100% Aligoté, a varietal that has been grown in Bourgogne since the 17th century.
According to Pierre Gallet's dictionary of grape varieties published in 2015, it is “Vigorous, early budding, and rustic, and likes a sloping terroir where it regularly produces 50-70 hectoliters per hectare but can produce three times that on the plains” Producing a good Bourgogne Aligoté means working hard to channel its energy and reduce its productivity. Some enthusiasts have even created an association called Les Aligoteurs to promote its virtues.
It is an ideal wine for the summer: Indulgent, youthful, and fashionable. It’s a little offbeat, in its pale gold colors. The bouquet is fruity with hints of apple and lemon but can also be floral. In the mouth, this energetic wine stimulates the taste buds.
In June, the Bourgogne Wine Board (BIVB) will be showcasing this vigorous appellation with American and British journalists and influencers through two operations targeting social networks to make wine lovers want to rediscover this little gem.
- In the USA on 22 June, a Tweet-Up will bring together eight connected influencers, each with four wines. They’ll be no video link-up here, rather an exchange of tweets to share impressions and learn more about #BourgogneAligoté – the hashtag to follow!
- In the UK, an Instagram Live at the end of June will bring together 10 influencers around four Bourgogne Aligoté for an hour of discussion. Followers of the @VinsdeBourgogne account are welcome to follow the action and take part.
USA: Revealing the unexpected side to Bourgogne wines
Two sessions for American influencers will showcase some unexpected Bourgogne wines from a region that never fails to surprise!
These two events, called the “Unexpected Bourgogne Series”, will bring together five participants, including journalists and connected influencers. Each theme will showcase certain producers and some potentially surprising appellations.
- “Stars and Gems” involves two professionals: One winegrower and one négociant. Each will present one of their best-known wines, along with a lesser-known appellation. Participants might be surprised.
- “New Generation” explores the young people taking over wine estates from their parents. Who are they? What wines do they offer? Participants will discover all of this and more along with four wines from across Bourgogne.
The latest edition of the Rendezvous with Bourgogne Wines show heads south to Saint-Véran. This lesser-known AOC is bursting with interest. Saint-Véran is one of the five Village appellations of the Mâconnais, the southernmost part of Bourgogne.
The wines in this AOC are 100% Chardonnay and mark the palate as much as the spirit thanks to their unfailing freshness. This appellation is very similar to its better-known neighbor Pouilly-Fuissé. Indeed, the winegrowers of Saint-Véran are also taking steps to have some of their plots recognized as Premier Crus.
The “Rendezvous with Bourgogne Wines” show is a 60’ program aimed at industry stakeholders and press. The first 20’ are devoted to reports and interviews with winegrowers and négociants, while the second part features a tasting of six wines which participants from all over the world can experience simultaneously with an official trainer and expert from the École des Vins de Bourgogne.
From now on, the winegrowers and négociants whose wines are presented will feature in the show to present their wines and answer questions from the audience.
The program is broadcast in 10 countries, in French at 4pm and in English at 9am, 11am, 6pm and 10pm. All times are CET.
The hunt will be on for Bourgogne wines with the reopening of restaurants in France and around the world. To meet demand, Bourgogne has two years of wines in stock, all colors combined (Source: BIVB, DRM end of March 2021).
While sales of Bourgogne wines barely slowed in 2020 and the first quarter of 2021 is looking good, up 9.5% by revenue and 16.4% in terms of revenue, this availability is the result of good volumes over the past three harvests, which averaged a little over 1.5 million hectoliters per year.
Although it is not yet possible to assess the impact of the frost that hit the vineyards in April, these volumes in reserve are good news: There is enough to satisfy demand in the cellars of our cooperatives, winegrowers and négociants.
Hong Kong 6 Bourgogne wines are still in demand
Despite the difficult context in 2020, Bourgogne wines are still doing well with a new record in terms of revenue at €67.9 million.
Revenue from exports of Bourgogne wines to Hong Kong were up 1.7% in 2020 to €67.9 million. This is a new record after a 2019 that already showed good growth, up 8% over 2018.
Despite a slight dip in exports, down 0.5% by volume over the record year of 2019, 2020 confirmed the strong positioning of Bourgogne wines across distribution circuits in Hong Kong since 2010. As such, compared to the average over the past five years, volumes exported in 2020 were up 6%. All Bourgogne wines enjoyed good growth, both by volume and in terms of revenue:
> White wine: Up 3% by volume and up 18% in terms of revenue in 2020 compared to the average over the five previous years
> Red wine: Up 9% by volume and up 70% in terms of revenue in 2020 compared to the average over the five previous years
Crémant de Bourgogne wines, which were virtually absent from this market five years ago and which are still relatively little-known, had a good year in 2020 accounting for 0.6% of exports, up 11% by volume and 25.4% in terms of revenue compared to 2019.
Exports over the first three months of 2021 showed clear growth, up 60.8% by volume and 61.5% in terms of revenue over the first three months of 2020. This came after a slight dip in the same period in 2019. Red Bourgogne wines showed the strongest performance, with growth up 98.3% by volume and 83.2% in terms of revenue.
On 6 May, Thiebault Huber, a winegrower in Meursault, was reelected President of the Confédération des Appellations et des Vignerons de Bourgogne (CAVB).
Thiebault Huber, winemaker at the Domaine Huber-Verdereau in Meursault, was keen to renew his mandate as he had “the feeling he had more to give [to the winegrowers of Bourgogne] and could further help [them] share, continue, and promote this passion that drives us,” he said.
He is also treasurer of the Confédération Nationale des Producteurs de Vins et Eaux de Vie de Vin à Appellations d'Origine Contrôlées (CNAOC), member of the Association Générale de la Production Viticole (AGPV), member of the Comité Régional of the INAO and member of the permanent committee of the Bourgogne Wine Board (BIVB).
The Board of Directors of the CAVB has also been renewed, with the arrival of 10 new members.
The 2021 vintage: A two-speed start
What is the status of the future vintage in Bourgogne, a few weeks after the spring frost?
The 2021 vintage began with an exceptional frost, which will certainly lead to slashed yields on harvesting. However, the story is yet to be written, and hopefully, it may turn out better than some predict.
The winter of 2020-2021 was marked by alternating mild and cold weather. On average, it was milder and wetter than normal, when compared to the period 1994-2020. After a significant cooling in mid-March, temperatures rose markedly, even becoming summer-like during Easter week from 29 March to 3 April.
The vines’ growth cycle was then suddenly stimulated, and in the space of a few days to early April, some plots, notably the Chardonnays, reached the mid-bud stage.
An equally brutal change in weather then occurred on the night of 5 April, with the arrival of a large mass of polar air. This caused significant nighttime frosts, from 6-9 April in particular. The earliest sectors and plots were the hardest hit, despite the efforts of the winegrowers.
It remains almost impossible right now to evaluate the real impact of this frost event, especially as other episodes of frost took place through until the beginning of May, in the north of Bourgogne in particular.
Temperatures remained cool through to mid-April and the less advanced plots or sectors have struggled to continue budburst. We had to wait until the return of milder conditions after 19 April for the primary buds to start developing again. For these plots, the estimated mid-budburst stage of 50% green tips were close to those observed in 2019. However, these averages hide great disparities across the patchwork of plots and even within each one.
Despite the number of frozen buds, there is still hope. The secondary buds are still there and although generally less fertile, they will still carry some bunches. Their bud break will take place later, however, causing a shift in the vines’ development.
Our winegrowers are still hard at work taking care of their vines, and there is still much to hope for. This vintage is far from over.
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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