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!
After early and fast budburst, flowering is set to take place mid-May. The 2020 vintage is thumbing its nose at the lockdown and is already beating records.
Temperatures during the first fortnight in March were above normal, triggering an early start to the growing season across the whole of the Bourgogne winegrowing region. Across the network of reference plots monitored by the Bourgogne Wine Board (BIVB), the first green shoots were observed as early as 18 March for the Chardonnays. The mild weather then continued, and the Pinot Noirs followed close behind on 23 March.
However, a powerful anticyclone from Scandinavia then brought a mass of cold, dry air to the region, causing temperatures to fall considerably. The growth cycle then began to slow. But temperatures picked up once again in early April and rose above seasonal averages from the 5th of the month, which led to very quick budburst.
The estimated date of mid-budburst stage (with 50% green tips) put 2020 among the earliest-starting vintages. It is, on average, a week ahead of the 2019 vintage, regardless of varietal. The temperature, which has stayed well above seasonal averages, has led to an explosion of vegetation. After the cooler weather seen in the last few days of April, progress was two to three weeks ahead of 2019, depending on the sector and varietal.
The first flowers have now appeared, and for the moment, the 2020 vintage is one of the earliest ever seen in the Bourgogne winegrowing region.
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Discover an appellation: Mercurey
An appellation from the Côte Chalonnaise that is crying out to be (re)discovered!
In the heart of the Côte Chalonnaise, Mercurey is one of the biggest appellations in the Bourgogne winegrowing region. Most of the vines are Pinot Noir, but there are a few terroirs more suited to Chardonnay that produce white wines with big personalities.
The Mercurey appellation as seen by Amaury Devillard, owner of the Château de Chamirey:
Sommelier’s tips:
The red wines of this appellation are often deep red in color with a hint of ruby. On the nose, they offer crisp, fruity notes of raspberry, strawberry, and cherry. With age, they take on hints of undergrowth and spicey aromas like tobacco and cocoa beans.
Rich and fleshy in the mouth, red wines from Mercurey bring structure to sirloin steaks, other cuts of beef, and lamb, either braised or in sauce. Roast pork is another great partner thanks to its rich flavors, as is chicken casserole.
The whites are representative of the Chardonnay grape, offering notes of white blossom such as hawthorn or acacia, along with hazelnut and almond, cinnamon and pepper. A mineral touch is also part of the character of these wines which are, in a word, indulgent! These aromas ensure white Mercurey wines are wonderful served with fish in sauce or cooked seafood dishes, Asian cuisine, and hard cheeses. They also make a lovely apéritif.
The Mercurey appellation explained by Jean-Pierre Renard :
COVID-19: The Bourgogne wine trade is moving at a snail’s pace
With the closure of borders and the restaurant trade brought to a halt in most countries, the Bourgogne winegrowing region fears a very gloomy second quarter.
In terms of exports, initial results from the first quarter are good, given the global context, even if the drop is bigger than the first figures suggest: After two very good months, March was more mixed. Volumes exported were down 2.6% over the first quarter of 2019 (but up compared to 2018), while revenue dropped by 8.2% (Source: BIVB/customs).
Among the three biggest markets for Bourgogne wines, the USA suffered the most marked decline, with exports strongly impacted by the 25% ad valorem tax, especially for the most highly valued appellations, which were down 11.6% in terms of volume and a very significant 30.1% in terms of revenue. The United Kingdom is back on the decline, after a good year in 2019, down 14.1% in terms of volume and down 13.4% in terms of revenue. Japan is still on a strong upward trend – up 16.3% by volume and up 20.4% for revenue, although this is not expected to last.
For the second quarter, things are not looking good. “We don’t have figures for April yet, but we are expecting a big drop in exports,” said Louis-Fabrice Latour, President of the BIVB. “Some markets are doing well, particularly thanks to retail outlets. This is notably the case in the UK, and for the Canadian and Scandinavian monopolies. Asia is taking off again, even though we have yet to reach cruising speed,” he added.
The French market is much trickier. The Bourgogne region has a particularly close relationship with the hotel and restaurant sectors, which together represent around half of all sales of its wines around the world. In France, it’s a key pillar for sales of Bourgogne wines. “We stand shoulder-to-shoulder with restaurants. And while they remain closed, a proportion of our wine stocks will remain in our cellars,” Latour added. Major retail channels are not making up for lost sales, while direct sales are also very limited, due to the fact that cellars have had to close, and tourists are staying away. A few estates and négoce businesses have taken their sales online, via their own websites or national and international platforms, but this remains fairly rare. Some businesses have also launched a click-and-collect service to meet local demand.
Louis-Fabrice Latour again: “Until now, the Bourgogne region has done well, thanks to the diversity of the industry, its wines, and its markets. In particular, we have noted greater demand for those appellations offering good value for money, such as the Bourgogne or Mâcon AOCs with an additional geographical denomination, Bourgogne Aligoté, Crémant de Bourgogne, and Bourgogne Villages. But we are anticipating things to get worse, at least until hotels, wine bars, and restaurants can once again open their doors.”
Australia has long been an important outlet for exporters of Bourgogne wines. In 2010, it was ahead of China and even Hong Kong in terms of export volumes (581,820 bottles). In 2019, exports of Bourgogne wines to Australia increased once again. It is even the leader of these three markets in Asia-Pacific by volume for Crémant de Bourgogne, the Chablis and Petit Chablis appellations, and Régionale Mâcon white wines.
Key figures in 2019 for Bourgogne wines in Australia:
Exports: 1.59 million bottles (up 9.8% on 2018) for 18.25 million euros up 9.2% on 2018), by volume:
* Still white wines 48%
* Red and rosé wines 26%
* Crémant de Bourgogne 26%
Australia is a very stable market, split between the prestige appellations and celebrated producers and Régionale, Bourgogne, and Bourgogne plus additional geographical denomination appellations. However, a 2017 survey underlined the region’s potential, with professionals very familiar with Bourgogne wines, and a market that is very open to Village appellations, particularly red and sparkling ones.
The first two months of 2020 showed the initial consequences of the 240 of days of vast Australian wildfires. Bourgogne wines sales were down by volume (down 9.7% on the first two months of 2019), although revenue continued to grow (up 24.6% on the same period in 2019), driven by Bourgogne red wines (up 79.4%, for 49% of the revenue).
For the rest of 2020, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic will be a major factor (closure of restaurants and wine bars, lockdown, suspension of flights, closed borders, etc.). Initial figures should be available by early summer.
Around a decade ago, the Marsannay AOC began a major campaign to have some of its plots classified as Premier Cru. This is a slow process, but worth the wait for this area that obtained its Village AOC back in 1987.
At the end of last year, the INAO validated the transformation of 80 hectares of vines within the area. These plots, which until now have been classified under the Bourgogne or Marsannay Rosé AOCs, are now authorized to produce under the Marsannay AOC, in white, red, or rosé. This decision, confirmed by government decree on 20 March 2020, applies retroactively to the 2019 harvest.
Among the notable changes, it is worth mentioning the transformation of Bourgogne Le Chapitre into Marsannay Le Chapitre. This transformation from a Village appellation into a Bourgogne plus geographical denomination confirms the positioning of this category of the Bourgogne AOC, which is the first step towards identification with the terroir, something very dear to our region.
Work is continuing within the Marsannay management organization to have the first Premier Crus officially recognized in the next two to three years. The dossier, which is currently being examined, is based in particular on a major soil study carried out by Françoise Vannier in 2014, which focused on the analysis of some 21 trenches across the area.
The ambassadors helping promote Bourgogne wines
There are 74 official Bourgogne Wine Ambassadors around the world, combining the two essential qualities of professional expertise and educational excellence.
None of the various markets for Bourgogne wines has been spared the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic. And around the world, people have modified their behavior to protect us all from this threat.
Our 74 official Bourgogne Wines Ambassadors in both France and around the world have redoubled their creative efforts to keep sharing their knowledge of Bourgogne wines with industry professionals and wine lovers alike, whilst ensuring correct hygiene and social distancing measures remain in place.
The Ambassadors include sommeliers, enologists, trainers, and wine school directors, all passionate about the Bourgogne winegrowing region and its values. Their mission is to train different audiences – both professionals and enlightened amateurs – to help boost the image of Bourgogne wines at home and farther afield.
As such, they are available to respond to your needs in a manner that reflects the health precautions taken in their respective countries, using the digital tools on hand. In China, Germany, and the USA, webinars have been hosted on the Zoom platform, while other Ambassadors have been organizing training sessions over Skype featuring input from winegrowers and négociants.
Don’t hesitate to contact them if you’d like to benefit from their expertise.
The Bourgogne Wine Board (BIVB) is particularly attentive to laws regarding data privacy and the new European GDPR legislation.
Your personal data, such as your name and email address etc., are only used by us as strictly necessary and in a confidential manner, respecting your rights to access or correct your data.
If you wish, you can access and correct your data and subscriptions by clicking on the links at the bottom of the email containing this newsletter. Or you can do so in person at BIVB, 12 boulevard Bretonnière, 21200 Beaune.
If you have any questions regarding our commitment to the GDPR and French data privacy law, please click here.
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EVENTS CALENDAR
From 01/07/2020 to 31/08/2020
AUSTRALIA : This summer, two virtual training seminars on Bourgogne wines
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.
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