This area is dedicated to wine professionals including sommeliers, restaurateurs, wine store owners importers and trainers. Welcome to your very own BIVB website where you can find all the tips and tools you need. You will find documentation, photography, training tools and all kinds of other useful information here to facilitate your search. You can also browse our events and training calendar and you are welcome to attend any that appeal. If you require any further information then don’t hesitate to contact us!
The pickers may be exhausted by the heat, but they're all smiles this year!
Indeed, the 2023 vintage is shaping up to be a very good one, particularly in terms of volume. The grape clusters were beautiful and the grapes themselves were bursting with sugar. Picking for the Crémant de Bourgogne began on August 25, followed by the still wines (white and red) harvests at the beginning of September. Picking will continue until the end of the third week of September.
It’s true to say that although 2023 was very changeable, the vines had everything they needed to perform at their best. There was sunshine, but it was not too hot at flowering time, so that each flower could form into a grape berry, there were regular showers to produce juice, and sufficient light to obtain optimum ripeness.
However, it was not all plain sailing, as the winegrowers were quick to point out: they had to remain vigilant right up until the last moment. After successfully combating disease outbreaks at the start of the cycle, they had to keep a calm head when conditions deteriorated in the first part of August. And even more so when the heatwave hit at the end of August, temporarily halting ripening and making picking conditions difficult.
The biggest constraint was the heat at harvest time: several winegrowers opted to pick at night, while others started as early as 5am to harvest the grapes when they were cool. After rigorous sorting, particularly of the Pinot Noir grapes which were most affected by the conditions over the year, the grapes were often cooled so that the alcoholic fermentation could begin at a leisurely pace, a process that allows all the aromas of the year to be extracted as fully as possible.
Vinification began and will continue until spring. Overall, the yields are good, with a lovely aromatic expression. We'll know more at the Hospices de Beaune wine auction on November 19. This will be the first trial run for the 2023 vintage.
Discover the Viré-Clessé appellation
Viré-Clessé, the first Village appellation to come from a merger between two geographical denominations of the AOC Mâcon.
Viré-Clessé is a Village appellation in the Mâconnais producing exclusively white wines from Chardonnay grapes.
Before achieving the enviable status of AOC Village, the wines of Viré and Clessé had different names: Mâcon-Clessé and Mâcon-Viré. As the wines from the two villages are very similar in character, the wine industry opted for a single appellation in 1999: Viré-Clessé.
Although it is one of the newest appellations in Bourgogne, it has a long history and the style of the wine is very varied, with lots of dry wines (91% of Viré-Clessé wines are dry), and also a tradition of producing demi-sec wines. It is the only appellation in Bourgogne that permits wines with a residual sugar content of up to 18g/litre, bringing about the "levrouté" classification.
Viré-Clessé is a lively, fresh wine that is delicate and supple. It is often pale gold in colour with slightly green highlights. The nose is an instant delight: hawthorn and acacia flowers, a bouquet of honeysuckle and broom, with notes of lemongrass, white peach, menthol, fern and verbena. Pine and quince jam aromas appear as the vintage ages. Vintages with residual sugar can take on more tropical flavours with notes of spice and honey.
At the table!
If the wine is dry, the attack will be bold and lively on the palate. We recommend it as an accompaniment to tender meat dishes in sauce, such as veal, or steamed or poached fish in white sauce where its sharpness will add depth and consistency. Its aromatic intensity is also well suited to poultry, shellfish and sautéed vegetables. Demi-sec or levroutées go well with sweet and savoury dishes, such as a chicken tagine with apricots and almonds, or Asian dishes.
Also try Viré-Clessé with a bloomy rind such as Camembert, or goat's cheeses whose texture is lightened by the natural freshness of the wine.
In this video we invite you to follow Robin Kick, Master of Wine, as she explains the geographical and geological features of the Viré-Clessé appellation.
Here Franck Michel, winemaker at Domaine Michel, describes the characteristics of Viré-Clessé, including Viré-Clessé Levroutés, which you may not yet know!
To find out more about the Viré-Clessé appellation, click here.
At your service
29 November: Take part to the next “Rendez-vous avec les vins de Bourgogne”
The Montagny Village AOC, a hidden gem of the Côte Chalonnaise will be the focus of this program, with a new feature…
The November 29 broadcast of “Rendez-Vous avec les vins de Bourgogne” will feature the Montagny appellation.
--> What’s new: You can now watch the live show while tasting the wines in the comfort of your own home in "vinottes®"format!
The first part will reveal the characteristics of the appellation with reports and interviews with winegrowers.
The second part will feature a guided tasting of several wines that participants will be able to taste simultaneously. Robin Kick, MW, and winemakers will answer questions in the live chat.
To watch the programme on the day:
In French at 16h ; In English at 9h00, 11h00, 19h00 (Paris hour, UTC+2)
If you wish to taste the wines, you can either register to one of the sessions organised by one of the Bourgogne wine Ambassadors or click on this link to receive a box with 6 vinottes®(small format samples).
Chablis wines will be in a number of French cities to offer wine professionals some Chablis Moments - a chance to meet representatives from the vineyard.
The events are divided into two parts: an exploration of the Chablis Premier Cru appellation with 12 different Climats to taste, followed by a meal featuring food and wine pairings with six other wines ranging from Petit Chablis to Chablis Grand Cru.
This winter, Chablis wines will be:
In Marseille, on November 6 with the participation of Marine Descombe from the Domaine Passy Le Clou.
In Dijon, on November 20 with the participation of Jean-François Bordet from the Domaine Séguinot-Bordet and Louis Moreau from the domaine Louis Moreau.
In Angers, on January 29 with the participation of Stéphanie Michelet from the Domaine Courtault Michelet.
Wednesday, January 10, 2024 is a date to mark on your agenda if you are a Bourgogne wines Importer. We would like to invite you to present a selection of your Bourgogne wines portfolio at the trade tasting organized by the BIVB as part of Bourgogne Week 2024. The event will take place at London's Lindley Hall and promises to be a fabulous opportunity to showcase some of the hidden gems from Bourgogne wines, while enjoying the excitement and enthusiasm that characterizes the Bourgogne Week.
During this event, the focus will be on lesser-known Régionale and Village appellations, an important theme that addresses customer demand. Those at the tasting will be a hand-picked selection of wholesalers, sommeliers, restaurateurs, wine merchants, buyers from supermarkets and e-commerce, as well as journalists and influencers. It's an opportunity to meet industry professionals and network with other wine enthusiasts alongside exhibitors from Bourgogne who have already signed up for the event.
Don't miss this opportunity to let people taste your wine and immerse yourself in all that Bourgogne has to offer. We hope you can join us and look forward to sharing this experience with you.
For more information and to register, please contact Gersende Pommery by e-mail or by telephone on +44 207 062 4617. The number of places is limited so we encourage you to reserve yours as quickly as possible.
Plant material: 2023 brings major projects to fruition
The BIVB has just published its eighth technical booklet, with a focus on plant material.
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).
Living the Bourgogne wines experience
October 21-22: Join the 75th Chablis Wine Festival
Come to the heart of the Chablis village to celebrate the new 2023 vintage and meet the producers!
The 75th Chablis Wine Festival will take place on October 21-22 in the center of Chablis.
Since it was first held in 1949, the Chablis Wine Festival has evolved to offer visitors an ever more enjoyable, festive event. Its 75th anniversary is an opportunity to enjoy a weekend of meetings with wine professionals from the Chablis and Grand Auxerrois vineyards, as well as tastings, events and new discoveries.
The Chablis Marathon will once again be held on the Saturday, with races for all ages.
Saturday October 21 - 12.30 to 6pm
Tastings with about around 40 winegrowers, entertainment for adults and children, catering and food stands.
6pm: The AMAB Compagnie will give a representation of the play "Le Jeu de l'Amour et du Hasard" in the courtyard of Château Long-Depaquit (in French).
Sunday October 22 - 9.30am to 6pm
Tastings with about around 40 winegrowers, entertainment for adults and children, catering and food stands.
9.30 to 11.30am: walks through the vineyards, starting from Chablis town hall
11am: opening of the tasting stands and parade of Les Piliers Chablisiens, with the Les Enfants de Chablis brass band.
11.30am: VIP speeches and inductions into Les Piliers Chablisiens in the courtyard of Château Long-Depaquit.
More information and details about the program on the Chablis wines website here.
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.
9 issues per year, published by
Bureau Interprofessionnel des Vins de Bourgogne
12, Boulevard Bretonnière - BP 60150 - F-21204 BEAUNE CEDEX
Tel. 00 33 (0)3 80 25 04 80
COPYING OF THE CONTENTS OF THIS NEWSLETTER FOR FAIR USE IS AUTHORISED
Press
professional access
Educator Area 
extranet
Partager
