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The Climats du Vignoble de Bourgogne – a UNESCO World Heritage Site

20/11/2023

On 4 July 2015, the Climats du Vignoble de Bourgogne were added to UNESCO’s prestigious World Heritage List as cultural landscapes, or “combined works of nature and of man”. The listing reflects the Climats du Vignoble des Côtes de Nuits et de Beaune’s status as a model for terroir winegrowing. It also takes into account the cultural and heritage elements embodying this 1,000-year-old history of wine production. As such, it is culture, savoir-faire, and heritage of the winegrowing villages and historical centers of Beaune and Dijon that have been recognized by UNESCO.

Since the listing, our association has had a mission to protect, promote, and raise awareness of this exceptional region through a range of efforts and a management plan for the territory drawn up in partnership with the state, local authorities, and professionals from the world of wine.

The Hospices de Beaune charity wine auction is a powerful expression of the founding values of the Bourgogne winegrowing region and the Climats du Vignoble de Bourgogne World Heritage site. It is also a fabulous opportunity to shine the spotlight on the region in all its diversity, whether historical or contemporary, physical or intangible. The protection and promotion of the heritage that the Climats represent is at the heart of our mission to encourage the restoration of historical buildings, to better understand their architecture and to bring to life the know-how that surrounds them. That is also what the Climats represent – an exceptional testimony of a living cultural tradition.

• Heritage with universal appeal

RESTORING WINEGROWING HERITAGE
187 projects financed and 6km of walls restored in three years

The low walls, cabottes or vine workers’ huts, clos gates, stone steps, and calvaries mark the identity of the landscape of the Climats du Vignoble de Bourgogne. They also serve a very useful purpose for winegrowing and preserving diversity. These 220 km of low walls mark out the Climats and play an essential role in the fight against soil erosion. When they are made of dry stone, they also provide valuable shelter for fauna and flora.

• BIODIVERSITY: New!

AFUND TO ENCOURAGE COMMUNAL INITIATIVES
2 projects already underway in Chassagne-Montrachet and Corton

Preserving the Climats winegrowing model and its terroirs means maintaining local biodiversity. The latter may also prove to be an effective aid for vine cultivation and adaptation to climate change.
A year ago, to help maintain and develop this biodiversity in the listed site's vineyards and villages, our association launched the "Biodiversity Fund". Its purpose is: to finance and support group projects, so as to ensure consistency, efficiency and experience sharing across the appellations. The fund finances a diagnostic phase followed by an action and training phase. The Côte-d'Or Chamber of Agriculture and the LPO (Ligue pour la Protection des Oiseaux - League for the Protection of Birds) are providing their expertise.
Two projects are already receiving support under the scheme: the Chassagne-Montrachet ODG (18 winegrowers involved) and the Paysage de Corton association (around forty winegrowers involved).

• The Climats – A World Heritage site at the heart of the Bourgogne region’s wine tourism revival

The inclusion of the Climats du Vignoble de Bourgogne on the UNESCO World Heritage List was one of the triggers for the creation of the Cité des Climats et Vins de Bourgogne. The listed area is naturally at the heart of the content of the Cité in Beaune. Our association is a member of the steering committee, and as such, has offering its expertise and actively participating in the development of the museography and scenography of the visitor experience, in particular with regard to the space set aside for the World Heritage site.

The actual Cité Internationale de la Gastronomie et des Vins in Dijon dedicate also a special place to the Climats, which is now fee for visitors.

The Maison des Climats, in Beaune, is the must-see exhibition to help visitors get to grips with the Climats de Bourgogne and their inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List. With interactive displays for young and old alike, a giant reproduction of the Côte, panoramic video, and multimedia content to immerse visitors in the vines. It’s a reference et it’s free. The place to be before any tasting!

The Route des Grands Crus de Bourgogne is undergoing a transformation! A major gateway to the Climats de Bourgogne region, this legendary route is being reinvented as it celebrates its 90th anniversary! Our Association and its partners, working alongside the Côte-d'Or department, have embarked on a major project to upgrade the landscapes, the route and the cultural and tourist attractions of the forty or so picturesque villages that criss-cross it.

PRESS CONTACT: Association des Climats du Vignoble de Bourgogne – World Heritage
Delphine Thevenot-Martinez / communication@climats-bourgogne.com
+33 (0)3 80 20 10 40 / +33 (0)6 31 42 13 50