After several years of reflection, design, and hard work, the Cité des Climats et vins de Bourgogne, supported by the Bourgogne Wine Board (BIVB), is preparing a major inaugural event from 15-18 June.

This will be a two-stage event:
- 15 & 16 June: Inaugural ceremonies for financiers, industry and tourism professionals, and the press.
- 17 & 18 June: Opening of the Beaune site to the general public with a series of celebrations across the network (including Mâcon and Chablis)

But if you can’t wait that long, you can catch a preview of the network and its visitor experiences at the Mâcon site on 3 May, and in Chablis on 17 May.

All the details can be found in the press release here
 

With climate change shifting the world as we know it, the future of Bourgogne wines depends on its rootstocks, the diversity of which has yet to be fully explored. As a result, the Bourgogne Wine Board (BIVB) is now piloting a large-scale project to explore this field, along with a range of regional partners.

The GreffBourgogne program aims to test new rootstocks across Bourgogne’s full range of microclimates. In the long term, it will allow winegrowers to choose the right rootstock for every location.

The program has three key thrusts, the most visible of which is the creation of observation platforms throughout the region. A first plot was planted in Beaune on the Côte d'Or in the spring of 2022, comprising Pinot Noir and Chardonnay vines. A further two plots of Aligoté and Pinot Noir followed in the fall of that year, in Aluze and Rully. A third plot of Chardonnay will be planted in Lugny in the spring of 2023, with another Chardonnay plot planned for the Northern part of Bourgogne in 2024.

At the same time, researchers from the Chambers of Agriculture, the Groupement d'Etudes et de Suivi des Terroirs (GEST) and the Association Technique Viticole de Bourgogne (ATVB) are also studying selected volunteer vineyards, where plots have been planted with different rootstocks according to the experimental protocols.

The project’s third thrust involves more than 20 wineries that are taking part in the project, following autonomous observation protocols on their own plots.

“We are expecting new results every year, because each campaign will be a source of learning,” explains Héloïse Mahé, Project Manager at the BIVB. “This program will run for at least 10 years, but the results will be published annually to help winegrowers choose their rootstocks. We will wait until the end of the 2023 campaign – the second year of observation – to publish our first results.”

This project has significant input from across the region and enjoys a budget of €200,000 for the first three campaigns (2022-2024). The BIVB is driving the initiative, working with the Chambers of Agriculture of the three départements of the Yonne, the Côte-d'Or, and Saône-et-Loire; the GEST; and the ATVB. The IFV also brings its horticultural expertise.

In June, the Bourgogne Wine Board (BIVB) is running its accreditation program for its Official Bourgogne Wine Trainers. The aim is to train new “ambassadors” for the region’s wine from right across the world.

The prestigious community of Official Bourgogne Wine Trainers is a large family that currently counts 60 members. They represent Bourgogne wines in different markets around the globe, training both professionals, including sommeliers, wine merchants, and importers, along with amateur wine buffs.

They are all very effective influencers, communicating across social media to promote the entire range of wines from the region.

New members may only join the team after passing a rigorous accreditation process. Only the very best will obtain their diploma at the end of the process. Their knowledge of Bourgogne wines is evaluated by the BIVB across several phases. Their motivation is also taken into consideration, along with an analysis of any events they already host to promote Bourgogne wines.

An initial theoretical examination has already taken place, with 11 candidates selected to come to the region from 12-17 June. There, the applicants will take part in tastings, meetings with winegrowers and merchants, and will explore a range of food and wine pairings. A final tasting exam on tasting will validate their access to this exclusive community. 

As predicted just after the harvest, the 2022 vintage was generous in Bourgogne, with average yields up 18% compared to the average over the last five years. In total, excluding the Volume Compensatoire Individuel or VCI, 1.748 million hectoliters of wines (~233 million bottles) are now being aged (sources: CAVB and FDAC - Declaration of Harvest 2022). This is the second-best yield ever after the 2018 harvest of almost 1.82 million hectoliters.

- White wines account for most of the harvest, totaling 1,073 million hectoliters or 61% of the 2022 harvest (~143 million bottles), up 24.5% on the average over the last five vintages.

- The volume of red wine reached 477,607 hectoliters or 27% of the 2022 harvest (~63,7 million bottles), up 20% on the average over the last five vintages.

- Crémant de Bourgogne wines accounted for 192,293 hectoliters (~25,6 million bottles) or 11% of the harvest, up 18% on the average over the last five vintages.

When the VCI is added to these already very good numbers, Bourgogne will be able to satisfy all of its markets. Winegrowers are already crossing their fingers for the 2023 vintage.

Fans of Bourgogne wines will also be very happy with these wines whose quality was recently praised at the Hospices de Nuits wine auction which ran in mid-March.

Click here for more information on the 2022 vintage with details about the year’s weather (updated)

The Hospices de Nuits-Saint-Georges wine auction is traditionally held at the Château du Clos de Vougeot, and the results of this 62nd edition were in line with the dynamic growth the sale has enjoyed over the past four years. Thanks to a more generous harvest for 2022 than in previous years, some 160 barrels of wine were up for sale this year, with some 19 different appellations representing the diversity and authenticity of each appellation. Sales amounted to a hammer price of €3,603,000, up 45% over last year’s event when 109 barrels were up for grabs.

The “Pièce de Charité” (charity barrel) raised a new record sum of €64,580 for the Blouses Roses non-profit, represented by the French actress Constance Dollé.

The sale of 18 red appellations garnered a hammer price of €3,504,000, up 44.32% over 2022. While the only lot of white wine - a Nuits-Saint-Georges Premier Cru, Les Terres Blanches, Cuvée Pierre de Pême – brought in €99,000, up 70.69% compared to the previous edition!

The reputation of the Hospices de Nuits-Saint-Georges wine auction continues to grow, and the quality of the wines on offer was recognized as being down to the work of the estate’s winegrower Jean-Marc Moron. The 2022 harvest was a sunny and opulent one, which seduced buyers looking for a perfectly balanced vintage with a lovely freshness in a classical expression of the Bourgogne style.

For more details on the results of the sale, see the full press release here. 

Jean-Jacques Féral, the new owner of the Domaine Montbarbon, has won the Young Talents Trophy for the Mâconnais from the Groupe des Jeunes Professionnels de la Vigne in 2022. The trophy thus remains in the Viré-Clessé appellation for the second year in a row since its award to Franz Ludwig at the Domaine Gondard-Perrin in 2021.

The award, which recognizes young talent from each of the Bourgogne region’s production areas, was presented recently at a gala dinner in Chassagne-Montrachet.

Three wines from the 2020 vintage were presented: Mâcon-Villages Les Origines, Viré-Clessé La Petite Condemine, and Viré-Clessé Quintaine La Chapelle Saint-Trivier. In a blind tasting, sommelier Fabien Espana and journalist Rachelle Lemoine were charmed by the balance and aromatic complexity of the wines bearing the Montbarbon estate’s “M” logo.

“This award is great news, especially at this special time for the estate,” explains Feral, now manager of the Domaine Montbarbon. “It is a reward for all the hard work done in recent years,” he says.

Feral initially worked as a journalist before retraining as a winemaker. He worked at the Domaine Nicolas Maillet in Verzé and the Domaine des Poncétys in Davayé before joining Martine and Jacky Montbarbon and then going on to acquire the business from the Montbarbon family.

“It all happened by word of mouth,” he explains. “Just when they were looking for a buyer, I was looking for vines, and we found a fit. The success of my business depended on the success of their succession and vice versa,” he concludes.

Click here for the full press release (only in french)