bourgogne wine

Bourgogne has applied some new math to count its AOCs. They have shed their claim to 100 AOCs and reorganized their appellations to fit within a count of 84.

Everyone loves an underdog. And when the underdog emerges, bruised and battered but nonetheless victorious, these triumphs become powerfully motivational. Take the 2004 UEFA Cup Final, for example. Greece, one of this soccer tournament’s less-favoured teams, faced off against much-fancied hosts Portugal in Lisbon – and won. The victory of the team of ‘Greek Gods’ (as the newspapers soon named them) filled countless sport enthusiasts, myself included, with sentiments of hope and optimism.  

Burgundy is a very dynamic region in a constant state of flux. On one hand it’s a region deeply rooted in tradition. Just take a look at the Fête de la Saint-Vincent tournante – a festival celebrating the patron saint of winemakers – and you clearly see that this is a region with one foot in the past. On the other hand...

With increasingly unpredictable weather in the Côte de Nuits, Matt Walls wonders what the region will look like in 20 years’ time. The past five years in Bourgogne have seen it all. From the hard frost of 2021, to the endless rains of 2024, then the scorching heatwave of 2025. What will the next 20 years bring? I asked some leading winemakers to look ahead and predict what 2045 might look like in the Côte de Nuits and beyond. 

One of the most significant trends happening in Bourgogne today, is a movement towards sustainable, organic and biodynamic viticulture. Due to the warming of temperatures, increase in sunlight and shift in rainy season, there has been less vineyard mildew pressure, drier soil and earlier harvests. This change in climate, combined with the desire for a more ecologically sustainable growing model by Bourgogne producers, has led to the recent trend towards Green Farming.

I am pleased to share my Burgundy wine tour experience with the Wine Scholar Guild, as it was the trip of a lifetime.  My wife and I arrived a couple of days early and enjoyed fine wine and dining in Paris before our quick train trip over to Beaune (via Dijon).  We spent Sunday on our own, touring the Hospices de Beaune, wandering the city streets and having a lovely dinner.

In 2024 Wine Scholar Guild proudly announced the Albert Sheen Memorial Scholarship in memory of our dear friend and dedicated wine traveler, Albert Sheen. The scholarship application invited applicants to discuss the challenges of climate change in Bourgogne. We received a number of truly exceptional submissions and thank all our participants for their in-depth essays and perspectives. The selection committee has selected Marek Zelewski and is pleased to share his winning essay below. Marek has been awarded a seat on our upcoming Bourgogne Masters Immersion taking place in May 2024. Albert would have been honored to witness the positive energy and enthusiasm that this scholarship has ignited. A medium-acidity, off-dry, full-bodied white with aromas of baked yellow apple, starfruit, mango and ripe pineapple, pronounced notes of lemon curd, vanilla and pie crust, paired with elevated alcohol lingering on the palate. While it sounds delicious if one’s looking for a fun wine substitute for a tiki cocktail, hardly anybody would place this Chardonnay on the map anywhere close to Burgundy. However, given the predicted increase in its average temperatures (1), fast forward to 2050 and it could well be a glass of Mâconnais. While certainly not great for those taking blind-testing exams, the consequences of climate change for the French wine industry will be way more far-reaching. 

Decanter’s Andrew Jefford talks with us about Burgundy’s “Terroir Dreamland” or the Côte d’Or.

Timothy Magnus, of Magnus Vinum in Zurich, is a Bourgogne Wines Official Ambassador, a Weinakademiker, and holds the WSET Diploma in Wine & Spirits. He will be teaching the Wine Scholar Guild’s first ever Master-Level Intensive in Beaune in May 2020.

Over the past 10 years, interest in Aligoté has been rising in Bourgogne–and so have prices. Charlie Geoghegan examines the ascendency of this lesser-known white grape. Poor Aligoté. It’s had a difficult few centuries as Bourgogne’s other white grape. Charges levelled against Aligoté include its excessive acidity, unpleasant tartness and tendency to taste rather dilute. Reference books will tell you how much more palatable it becomes with a dash of crème de cassis (blackcurrant liqueur). It’s not a flattering depiction. Thankfully, though, it’s no longer an accurate one.