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!
Good news for Californian wine industry professionals – on 29 April, we will be coming to see you for a very special day.
The “Escape to Bourgogne” concept is simple: For one day, we’ll take you on a voyage of discovery through Bourgogne and its wines. Participants will be immersed in the region and its terroirs and will be able to discover its hidden secrets, along with some brand-new ideas for food and wine combinations.
Participants will spend the day with an official Bourgogne Wines Ambassador and Anne Moreau from the Domaine Louis Moreau in Chablis. Part of the action will take place on social media, on Twitter and Instagram in particular, via the #EscapeToBourgogne hashtag. (By invitation only).
Â
Bouzeron
The appellation that showcases the Aligoté varietal!
Aligoté is, after Chardonnay, the second most commonly used white grape varietal in Bourgogne. This ancient varietal is a cross between the Pinot Noir grape and the Gouais – which has now disappeared. Despite being long neglected, the Aligoté grape is now enjoying a revival amongst winegrowers and consumers alike.
The Bouzeron Village appellation is a case in point!
Created in 1997 under the impetus of Aubert de Villaine (co-manager of the Domaine de la Romanée Conti) and his wife, Pamela, it is the only one of the 44 Village AOCs to produce wine made exclusively from the Aligoté grape.
• An ideal location
The vines producing the Bouzeron appellation are grown on favorable slopes in the villages of Bouzeron and Chassey-le-Camp. Located on the Côte Chalonnaise and separated from Santenay by the valley of the Dheune, these villages are close to Rully and Chassagne-Montrachet.
• Terroir
The Bouzeron AOC is exclusively grown at the top of slopes comprising white mainly limestone marl. The Aligoté grape thrives here at between 270 and 350 meters above sea level. The vines are ideally located, facing east-southeast.
Pierre de Benoist from the Domaine Aubert and Pamela de Villaine will tell you about the Bouzeron appellation, when it was created, and what makes it unique:
• Sommelier’s tips
Both lively and full-bodied, these wines are often indulgent with subtle power. They marry perfectly with oysters, offering a touch of citrus and channeling the salinity with distinct minerality. Bouzeron wines are also very good with shellfish, poultry, risotto, and many cheeses, in particular most goat cheeses, Beaufort, Comté, and even Cîteaux.
• Did you know?
Apart from Bouzeron, only two other Bourgogne wines can be made exclusively from the Aligoté varietal: The Régionale Bourgogne appellation of Aligoté, and Morey-Saint-Denis Premier Cru Monts Luisants. This is the only Premier Cru Climat planted with Aligoté.
Hong Kong: A mature market that appreciates top-of-the-range Bourgogne wines
The fourth biggest market for Bourgogne wines in terms of revenue, Hong Kong consumers have traditionally favored premium bottles. But this market, in constant evolution, is gradually opening up to lesser-known Bourgogne appellations.
Over the first 11 months of 2019, exports of Bourgogne wines were up 11.2% to €61.8 million compared to the same period in 2018. This is a new record in terms of revenue, after three consecutive years of strong growth.
A rather rare phenomenon in Asia, where markets are traditionally oriented towards red wines, Hong Kong imported as much red (49.8%) as white Bourgogne wine (49.6%) last year. Both colors were doing well, although reds offer the higher added value, with the Grand Cru of the Côte de Nuits proving particularly popular.
Over the first 11 months of 2019, the volume of white Bourgogne wines exported to Hong Kong continued to grow, reaching the equivalent of 539,594 75cl bottles. Revenue was also very strong, at €15.47 million, up 14.9% compared to the first 11 months of 2018.
Red Bourgogne Régionale appellations dominated the market, accounting for 30% of exports in terms of volume, down 26.4% on the first 11 months of 2018.
Village and Village Premier Cru appellations from the Côte de Beaune and Côte de Nuits came in second, with 26% of export volumes and 33% of revenue, up 28.9% for the first 11 months of 2019.
By becoming a sponsor of the Bronze level of the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET), the Bourgogne Wine Board (BIVB) is underscoring its support for this organization and its overall commitment to learning.
The WSET is the biggest wine and spirits training body in the world, with four levels of qualification taught by a network of trainers across 70 countries and in multiple languages.
As for the BIVB, it trains thousands of market influencers every year around the world – more than 7,000 in 2019 alone – as well as the general public through the École des Vins de Bourgogne and its network of Official Ambassadors.
Respectively in 9th and 18th positions in terms of value of exports of Bourgogne wines, Sweden and Norway are on the schedule for a wine tour at the end of March.
On 27 and 29 March, Bourgogne wines will be visiting Stockholm followed by Oslo for a series of masterclasses and press meets. Sweden and Norway are two very loyal markets for Bourgogne wines, particularly for those from Chablis, representing the 7th and 8th biggest export markets respectively.
On 27 April, Sweden will be hosting a masterclass with Michel Jamais, dedicated to lesser-known Bourgogne appellations. The aim will be to give wine professionals and journalists an opportunity to discover these accessible, varied, and high-quality wines.
In Norway on 29 April, the focus will be on Chablis wines, which have always been very popular in Scandinavian markets, mainly because they are so well-suited to local cuisine. A masterclass will be dedicated to exploring the entire range from Petit Chablis to Chablis Grand Cru, and will be hosted by Liora Levy, Official Bourgogne Wines Ambassador.
François Labet, co-President of the BIVB will be in attendance to meet the press at two dinners. He will also attend tastings organized by the Bourgogne Franche-Comté Region’s Chamber of Commerce on Monday 27 April in Stockholm and Wednesday 29 April in Oslo. Around 20 winegrowers and négociants from the Bourgogne and Jura regions will be in attendance to meet key players from each market, including importers, wholesalers, state monopoly buyers, retailers, wine merchants, restaurateurs, F&B managers, sommeliers, journalists and bloggers.
Â
22 winners at the Chablis Wine Competition
The 34th edition of this competition was strict yet fair, naming just 22 medal-winners out of 366 samples submitted across all four Chablis AOCs.
This year’s Chablis Wine Competition was presided over by Gaëtan Bouvier, Best Sommelier in France 2016 and sommelier for the Institut Paul Bocuse.
The winning wines are used by the Bourgogne Wine Board (BIVB) for marketing and training purposes in France and abroad. The 22 medal winners will act as worthy ambassadors for Chablis wines in 2020.
In order to obtain a medal, they must successfully pass two tests: First, the jury tasting, and then that of the super jury. Each year, this two-phase selection results in a limited number of winners, the quality of whose wines are appreciated by both juries. This year, there were Petit Chablis, Chablis, and Chablis Premier Cru wines from the 2018 vintage in competition, with only Chablis Grand Cru wines representing the 2017 vintage.
Located at the southern end of the Bourgogne region, the Mâconnais is a dynamic region and one whose wines are growing increasingly popular among Bourgogne wine lovers.
Mâcon plus a geographical denomination such as Macon-Pierreclos or Mâcon-Azé represent a first step towards an interpretation of terroir, a key notion when it comes to Bourgogne wines. These wines will be widely explored during the next edition of the Rendezvous with Bourgogne Wines show.
The first part of the show will allow participants, whether they’re based in Hong Kong or Los Angeles, to sample wines at the same time as our expert trainer in Bourgogne wines, Jean-Pierre Renard. They will also be able to ask him questions live via the Twitter hashtag #BIVBRDV.
To take part in this training program, please contact your local Bourgogne Wines Official Ambassador.
The École des Vins de Bourgogne organizes and hosts a wide range of training courses about Bourgogne wines throughout the year, including several that are specially designed for industry professionals like you. They are designed to suit the needs of sommeliers, wine store owners, importers, and buyers, to help you widen out your understanding of Bourgogne wines.
The École des Vins de Bourgogne works with 14 professional trainers and also offers tailor-made teaching, from a simple stroll through the Climats with a picnic to a tasting circuit of several days between Chablis and Mâcon.
Most of these sessions are available in a range of languages and are adapted to groups and individuals.
Around 250 Bourgogne wine professionals, including producers, sommeliers, brokers, restaurateurs, and journalists will be selecting the most representative wines by appellation and vintage from nearly 400 submissions, with a focus on quality, pleasure, and authenticity.
This spring 2020 edition will be presided over by actor and director Éric Laugérias.
Â
EVENTS CALENDAR
The 30/01/2020
USA : A series of masterclasses especially designed for professionals
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