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.

The Mâconnais is the most southerly area of Bourgogne before one reaches Beaujolais and the Rhône Valley. The area produces some of the greatest value Chardonnay wines in the world but has long been overlooked with much more attention being lavished on its more prestigious northern neighbours in the Côte d’Or. With increasing prices and demand for the best white wines of the Côte d’Or and the elevation of 22 climats within Pouilly-Fuissé to 1er Cru status, there has never been a more opportune time to discover this dynamic region and find out the outstanding values it has to offer.

PRESENTER: TIMOTHY MAGNUS, DIP WSET, WEINAKADEMIKER

An Australian national residing in Switzerland, Timothy has been teaching wine courses for nearly a decade. Timothy spends a week nearly every month in the Bourgogne wine region and has accumulated a true expertise about what is happening in Bourgogne today and which domaines are the stars of tomorrow.

Timothy founded his own company Magnus Vinum several years ago with the specific aim to offer high-end Bourgogne wine education. Additionally, he imports a range of small, quality Bourgogne domaines into Switzerland. Timothy has been teaching about Bourgogne internationally for almost 10 years.

He possesses a deep understanding of the region, its economy, producers and terroirs and is a leading authority on Bourgogne 

Every wine appellation in France has a cahier des charges, a set of regulations that delineates the production zone and specifies viticultural practices and production standards.

In many instances, a single cahier des charges references one zone of production and multiple wine styles within it (e.g. Lirac red, white, and rosé; Rasteau dry red, plus red, white and rosé Vins Doux Naturels). Some single cahiers also incorporate complementary geographic denominations or dénominations géographiques complémentaires (DGCs) such as Languedoc Montpeyroux or Bourgogne Hautes Côte de Nuits. Other times, very different wines can be grouped under one single cahier as is the case for Beaujolais, Beaujolais Supérieur, Beaujolais + Named Commune, and Beaujolais-Villages.

The 1,247 climats of Bourgogne were recognized as UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 2015, a well-deserved honor! In fact, there is no better illustration of the concept of terroir than its pure expression through the climats of Bourgogne.
But wait...what is a climat? How is a climat different from a lieu-dit? This lecture will define the concept, evolution, and name origins of the climats, and explore the 2,000-year-old creative collaboration between nature and humans in Bourgogne.

Presenter: Tanya Morning Star Darling

Tanya Morning Star Darling is the owner of Cellar Muse Wine School in Seattle Washington where she teaches the French, Italian, and Spanish Wine Scholar certification courses, she is proud to have been named French Wine Scholar Instructor of the Year in 2018. Tanya is an approved WSET instructor for L1-L4 curriculums, and is faculty at South Seattle College where she is a professor of Wine History, and has developed many wines of the world curriculums. She is an Official Ambassador of Bourgogne Wines, the Official Ambassador of Orvieto Wines, and works frequently in both France and Italy.

Tanya holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from New York Universitys Tisch School of the Arts, is a Certified Wine Educator, has completed the WSET curriculums through Diploma Level, and has passed the Bourgogne Master, Provence Master, and Champagne Master Levels, all in the top scorer category.
Tanya brings joy into studying to help students find their path to success.

Want to learn more about the Climats of Bourgogne? WSG members enjoy a 30% discount on the book “The Climats and Lieux-dits of the great vineyards of Burgundy" by Sylvain Pitiot & Marie-Hélène Landrieu-Lussigny. Get your coupon code HERE

As a wine region, Burgundy embodies both the past and the future. On the one hand, Grands Crus that have been celebrated for centuries remain in the hands of multi-generational family domaines. On the other hand, outside investment, adjustments to the appellation system, and the realities of climate change (which have necessitated adaptations in viticulture and winemaking) have all combined to bring about change in recent years. This duality lies at the heart of modern Burgundy, and here to sort much of it out for us is acclaimed wine writer and Wine Scholar Guild’s Academic Advisor Andrew Jefford. Below, he takes a look at the numbers that have shaped Burgundy’s recent history, and what that means for its future.

Chablis is very much its own place, part of Burgundy but in some ways quite different. Once frost protection methods were developed, previously precarious viticulture finally became viable. Chablis is now in the capable hands of a bright younger generation, inspiring a gentle evolution in their vineyard and cellars. Let us hope that climate change will not affect the unique style of the world’s most famous Chardonnay.

Presenter: Rosemary George MW

Rosemary George was one of the first women to become a Master of Wine just over 40 years ago, and she has been writing about wine for nearly as long. Her first book, Chablis and the wines of the Yonne was published in 1984; a second book on Chablis appeared 25 years later, with her third book on the subject, Chablis and the Grand Auxerrois, being published in 2019. This latest work includes many of the grandchildren of the wine growers in her very first book.

She also writes extensively about the Languedoc, including her blog www.tastelanguedocblogspot.com and a recent book, Wines of the Languedoc, published in 2018. She is currently researching her 14th book, The Wines of Roussillon, and has also covered New Zealand and Tuscany.

About Rosemary's Latest Book

Chablis has a distinct identity amongst the wines of Burgundy. The gently sloping vineyards of this small, scenic region produce a remarkably diverse range of wines, even though all are made from just one variety – Chardonnay.

As in other parts of France, it was the Romans who introduced vines and the medieval Church which expanded the vineyard. By the twelfth century the wines of Chablis were already being celebrated in poetry. However, over the centuries a considerable amount of everyday wine also found its way via the river Yonne to the cafés of Paris. In its heyday of production towards the end of the nineteenth century the region encompassed 40,000 hectares of vines. But that was before phylloxera and oidium ravaged the vineyards and the railways brought competition from further south to the capital’s wine drinkers.

From a low point of 500 hectares just after the Second World War, the vineyard has now expanded more than tenfold, and quality has increased too. Wines in the appellation’s four categories – grand cru, premier cru, Chablis and Petit Chablis – are created by vignerons keen to work with the terroir to produce the elegant, mineral, long-lived wines for which the region earned its reputation. To this end, ever greater care is being taken in the vineyards and the routine use of chemicals is becoming increasingly uncommon.

The region’s history, unique soil, geography and climate are all covered in detail, but it is Rosemary George’s lively and insightful profiles of those who make the region’s wines that form the body of The wines of Chablis and the Grand Auxerrois. Through the lives of these vignerons – from the lows of disastrous weather to their love of the land – she paints a unique picture of a much-admired region.

WSG members enjoy a 40% discount off the price of book! Get your coupon code HERE

Learn more about Burgundy:

• Bourgogne Master-Level Program
• Bourgogne Wine Study Tours
• Bourgogne Blog Articles

This wine map of Bourgogne has been designed by Wine Scholar Guild to illustrate the French Wine Scholar™ study & certification program.

This map is made available for individuals to use for their own learning and edification. Any use of this map in online or print publications, presentations, apps or any other media is strictly forbidden without obtaining written permission.

This wine map of Bourgogne has been designed by Wine Scholar Guild to illustrate the French Wine Scholar™ study & certification program.

This map is made available for individuals to use for their own learning and edification. Any use of this map in online or print publications, presentations, apps or any other media is strictly forbidden without obtaining written permission.