After a successful opening ceremony and a summer of visits, the time has come for the Cité des Climats et vins de Bourgogne in Chablis, Beaune and Mâcon to unveil the autumn program.

The Cité continues in its aim to be a place dedicated to Bourgogne, its Climats and its wines, accessible to young and old alike.

It is offering a varied program, including guided tours, activities for children and families, afterwork events, exhibitions, workshops and wine-tasting courses.

Download the full press release here (only in French).

For more details and prices for the program go to: 
www.reservation.citeclimatsvins-bourgogne.com

Follow all the latest news from the Cité des Climats et vins de Bourgogne on https://www.citeclimatsvins-bourgogne.com/en/

Manuel Olivier, Vice-Chairman of the Technical Committee of the Bourgogne Wine Board (BIVB) made this stark observation: “The past four vintages have shown us the destabilising effects of climate change in a short space of time: frost, heatwave, drought, unusually early harvests and rot. “These four years include three of the hottest years on record since the beginning of the 20th century.”

He went on to say: “As we stated in 2019, plant material plays a key role in this context. Whether it's a question of the availability of plants, intra-varietal diversity and changes in grape varieties, or the choice of rootstocks and disease resistance, the Technical and Quality Center of the Bourgogne Wine Board (BIVB) is leading and supporting projects that meet the challenges encountered in the field. 2023 will see some major projects come to fruition for the future of wine growing in Bourgogne.”

Other projects include:
- Qanopée: an insect-proof greenhouse system to secure plant material for vine planting
- Genetic diversity of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay: understanding and studying their behaviour, and thus broadening the range available to winegrowers
- Exploring other varieties in Bourgogne: to anticipate needs linked to climate change
- Rootstock: diversifying to help adapt to climate change
- CEPinnov: creating resistant varieties with regional characteristics to meet societal expectations

This technical booklet is available on the BIVB Extranet here (in French only).

… help people grow old gracefully.

The 163rd Hospices de Beaune wine auction will take place on Sunday November 19, at Les Halles de Beaune.

Since 1945, raising money for charity has been at the forefront of the Hospices de Beaune wine auction. Although this auction is primarily organised for the benefit of the Hospices de Beaune (a museum, hospital, retirement home, etc.), each year the Charity Barrel is sold for the benefit of one or more charities.

This year, conscious of this public health challenge, the Hospices will be supporting one or more charities involved in avoiding problems linked to ageing and helping people preserve their independence as they age.

On the occasion of the auction, the weekend will see different events for the press and the public:

> On Sunday, before the auction (which starts at 2.30pm), the traditional joint press conference will see the Hospices de Beaune and the Bourgogne Wine Board (BIVB) discuss the latest news.
--> 10am in Les Halles

> The full press program for the weekend, starting at the Palais des Congrès on Friday morning, will soon be available online in the BIVB press room, and an invitation will be sent to you in October...

Hospices de Beaune press officer: Estelle Bidault - 06.73.91.77.79

Every year, on the fourth weekend in October, the picturesque village of Auxey-Duresses opens its cellars to the public. It's a chance to discover the Côte de Beaune in all its dazzling autumn colours.
That’s the “Coup d'Œil” (glance) section.

As for the “Coup de Cœur” (crush) part, you'll be able to  discover or revisit this Village appellation and its Climats classified as Auxey-Duresses Premier Cru, which offer excellent value for money.

IN PRACTICE:
- The cellars are located in Auxey-Duresses and Melin (a hamlet of Auxey-Duresses): there’s a free shuttle bus between Auxey and Melin
- Wine tasting from 10am to 6pm, both days
- Welcome ceremony in the Place de l’Eglise in Auxey, by students from the Maison Familiale de Grandchamp
- A €5 glass entitles you to taste wine at all the cellars marked with the "Coup d'Œil, Coup de Cœur" logo
- Small bites: escargots, œufs en meurette, Charolais burger
- Event sponsor: La Crémaillère in Auxey-Duresses (reservations on 03.80.21.64.48)
- Some food exhibitors alongside the wine growers
- Barrel-making demonstration by specialist makers Billon
- Craft displays

More details and the list of participating wine growers here (only in French).
 

Around 100 tasters from the wine industry came together to taste choose the wines that were most representative of their appellations and vintages.

This Autumn session was sponsored by William Wouters, Belgium's Best Sommelier 1992, President of the Belgian Sommeliers Guild, European president of the Association de Sommellerie Internationale (ASI) since 2020 and organiser of the World Sommelier Championships.

The results of the 112th Tastevinage selection:
Winegrowers, sommeliers, restaurateurs, wine merchants, buyers, journalists and knowledgeable connoisseurs gathered in the Grand Cellier of the Château du Clos de Vougeot, to taste the 400 Bourgogne wines entered at this year's event. Each wine is tasted anonymously to ensure the impartiality of the tasters.
Of all the wines presented, only 132 were awarded the Tastevinage seal, equivalent to 33% of the wines presented to the jury.

In total, they selected:
- 46 Régionale appellations
- 50 Village appellations
- 36 Village Premier Cru and Grand Cru appellations

This result fulfils the mission of the Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin: to promote the great wines of Bourgogne, whatever their level of appellation.

Read the full press release here (only in French).
See the results of the 112th edition here (only in French).

"We're not coming up with anything new. We're just doing what our grandparents used to do when they brought back their returnable bottles for a refill", said Jean-Jacques Féral, the new manager of Domaine Montbarbon in Viré (Mâconnais). “To my way of thinking, it’s all very well having environmentally friendly practices in the vineyard and cellar, but that's no longer enough. We also need to really think about our supplies and dry materials".

Before this could happen, there was the small technical matter of the labels. "We had to work on two areas: paper and glue. As we wanted to improve our labels, we gave the job to our new printer in Charnay-lès-Mâcon", said Mr Féral, who cultivates 13 hectares of Mâcon-Villages and Viré-Clessé AOCs.

And that was not all, a service provider then had to be found to wash the bottles. This was done by Groupe Serge Cheveau in Ladoix (Côte d’Or). "The idea was that all operations should take place in the region. There's no point in driving hundreds of kilometres by lorry".

For the moment, the policy is limited to bottles bought in our shop. “It's a trial run", he added. "Customers need to get into new habits, such as remembering to bring back their empty bottles”. And looking ahead to the next stage: "For the 2023 vintage, I plan to join a national collection network so that I can offer a way forward for all my customers”.