Bourgogne, France, is one of the editor's favorite wine regions. Of course, there are thousands of people in the world who are as obsessed with the mysterious Burgundy wines as the editor. But why are Burgundy wines so expensive? What are the underrated and cost-effective regions of Burgundy? What are the tips for buying Burgundy wines? Do you know the answers to these questions? For ins and outs, check out the professional answers below.
01
Why are Burgundy wines so expensive?
Burgundy wines are really expensive. You say that bordeaux and Burgundy are arguably on par with the 2 most well-known wine regions in France. But why is there a few dozen dollars of Bordeaux wine everywhere in the country, but Burgundy wine under 100 years has never been seen. Basically more than 200 yuan is good? Why can Burgundy wines be sold so expensive?
There are two main reasons: one is that Burgundy has a poor environment, and the other is that Burgundy's Pinot Noir is expensive to grow. Bordeaux's vineyards exceed 100,000 hectares, and the annual output of a large winery is just a few hundred thousand bottles. Burgundy's vineyards are only 29,500 hectares, and the appellation is mostly small wine farmers, with an annual output of tens of thousands of bottles is almost rare. Moreover, Burgundy was susceptible to frost, and the wine farmers would be wiped out if they were not careful.
In addition, Pinot, the most important grape variety in Burgundy, is known as the "Princess of the Sick" because it loves the cold and cool climate, but it is very fragile, prone to mold, genetic mutations, etc., which require careful care to grow healthily and have a high cost of planting.
02
Do Burgundy wines export more?
To be honest, most of the Burgundy wines are consumed in France, and not much is exported, and even fewer good wines are exported to China.
Burgundy wines can be divided into 4 grades, from lowest to highest: regional appellation, commune/village appellation, premier Cru and grand Cru. There are currently 23 district-level AOCs, 44 village-level AOCs, 640 first-class gardens and 33 grand-class gardens in Burgundy, of which the output of the first-class and special-level gardens recognized as good quality does not exceed 12%, and the output of the special-level gardens does not exceed 2%. The annual production of the entire region is about 200 million bottles, of which 53% are sold in France, 27% are exported to the euro area and 20% are exported outside the euro area. It is conceivable that there are not many Burgundy wines in China, especially good wines.
03
Don't Burgundy wines sell?
Burgundy produces a fascinating array of world-class wines, especially its core appellation, Cote d'Or, which attracts a lot of loyal fans. But compared to global consumer enthusiasm and demand for it, Burgundy's production is only a drop in the ocean.
In the minds of many people, wines from the Burgundy Golden Hills, especially Grand And First Class wines, are sold out every year and must be in accordance with quotas, even if the price is unattainable, it is in short supply. Domaine de La Romanee-Conti and Henri Jayer are too deeply rooted!
But in fact, only a few famous estates have such treatment. As for other wineries, regardless of the quality of their wines, whether in the domestic or international markets, there are sales problems, and even some wineries have been in a state of loss over the past few years. If you encounter a bad year, the quality and quantity of the products are not good, and they are not easy to sell, it will really force some wineries into bankruptcy. The wine farmers of Burgundy are also very difficult.
04
Why are the vineyards of Burgundy all fragmented?
As we all know, the first small vineyards in Burgundy are often co-owned by multiple producers at the same time, some of whom even own only a few rows of vines in a single vineyard. For example, Burgundy's famous Richebourg, with an area of only 8.03 hectares, is jointly owned by 11 producers.
There are two main reasons for this. First, Burgundy is the most complex and difficult wine region in the world, its plots vary greatly, the soil quality is very diverse and complex, it is said that every few hundred meters away there are different geological features, and even the naming of AOC legal appellations here is like cattle hair. Second, after the French Revolution, the property of many large wineries was confiscated and sold in small pieces to small wine farmers. And according to French inheritance law, all children have the same inheritance rights, so each generation of inheritance means that the land is divided again, and the vineyard will only get smaller and smaller.
Today, however, the trend is the opposite: Burgundy's land is notoriously scarce, vineyards are too expensive, small wine farmers cannot afford to buy them, and some even fail to pay inheritance taxes on inheritances. As a result, some large wineries with strong economic strength took the opportunity to continuously acquire vineyards, and the famous Maison Louis Jadot grew by this method.
05
Burgundy many small wine farmers, small means fine?
In our minds, boutique wineries are generally small in scale. Henry Jay owns only a few hectares of vineyards, with an annual production of only 3,000 bottles of the top wines; Domaine Leflaive, the most expensive white wine in Burgundy, has only 23 hectares of vineyards, and the top wines produce only 300 bottles a year. So many small winegrowers in Burgundy, must they be fine when they are small? Do small winegrowers necessarily outperform big winemakers?
In practice, however, the quality of the wine is not directly related to the size of the winery. Not all small wineries can produce good wines, and of course some big winemakers can make very good quality wines. The grapes used by the big winemakers for winemaking range from homegrowers as well as those purchased from growers. Dedicated vintners, who only cooperate with well-known growers, are also very strict about the quality of grapes. Some of the best winemakers in Burgundy include Château Louis Adour, Domaine Bouchard Pere & Fils, Maison Joseph Drouhin, Chanson Pere & Fils, etc.
06
Why is organic farming popular in Burgundy?
Organic cultivation refers to the cultivation method that uses natural raw materials entirely during the growth of the vines, including soil improvement, fertilization and pest control, without the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides (PS: we have also heard of biodynamic methods, in fact, biodynamic methods are higher-level organic cultivation methods). Today, Burgundy's Famous Romani Kande, Lefley, Domaine Leroy and Domaine Anne Gros have long been pioneers and role models for organic cultivation, and other wineries have followed suit.
Organic growers believe that the forces of nature will lead the vines to grow, and the grapes produced will be of better quality and better reflect the terroir of the appellation. This was also easier for the Burgundians, who had pursued the terroir to the extreme, and it was easier to cultivate water. In any case, organically grown wine is still more popular with consumers.
In fact, Burgundy's climate is cold and humid, with a wide variety of pests and diseases that are infested with a wide range of pests, making it not the most suitable appellation for organic farming. However, given that there are many small wineries in the appellation and the scattered vineyard area is not large, organic cultivation does not require particularly much labor and effort. That is to say, the cost of organic cultivation by small wineries in Burgundy is not too high to bear, so there are still many winemakers who bravely join the ranks of organic cultivation.
07
What are the more cost-effective regions in Burgundy?
Some of the legal areas of Burgundy are less well-known but not inferior in quality.
The first to bear the brunt is the Chablis appellation. The authors of The World Atlas of Wine argue that Chablis is the most underrated wine region in the world. The Chardonnay wines produced in this appellation are far from Chardonnay in the Golden Hills of Burgundy, but they are also excellent. However, the price of this excellent white wine is low, taking the ChablisTeca white wine as an example, its price is only half the price of the Corton-Charlemagne white wine (Corton-Charlemagne) in the Golden Hills appellation, and its cost performance is so high that we can imagine.
Another excellent appellation is marsannay in Burgundy's Golden Hills. The village has made great progress in recent years, especially from the best vineyards of Les Longeroies, Clos Salomon, Clos du Roy and La Montagne, which have reached or exceeded the wines of Gevrey Chambertin.
Other cost-effective appellations include Monthelie, Auxey-Duresses, Pernand-Vergelesses and more.
08
What first-class gardens in Burgundy can compete with grand gardens?
In Burgundy, there are indeed some first-class gardens that can be equal to the Grand Garden. The quality of the wines produced by these first-class gardens can be said to be completely inferior to that of the grand garden, and if they are from the hands of famous artists, they may exceed the average level of special garden wines. These outstanding first-class gardens include Les Amoureuses in Chambolle Musigny, Clos Saint Jacques in Gevré-Chambédan, Cros Parantoux and Aux Reignots in Vosne Romanee, and Nuit Saint Georges) in Les Saint Georges.
The above is a first-class vineyard appellation of red wine. Among the white wines, the first-class gardens with terroir quality comparable to the Grand Prix are les Perrieres, Les Genevrieres and Les Charmes in Mersault, and Les Caillerets in Puligny-Montrachet. Chevalier-Montrachet Les Demoiselles and Les Pucelles; Les Grandes Ruchottes, Calerrey and La Romanee in Chassagne-Montrachet.
09
What are the characteristics of the famous villages of Bourgogne Vaughan-Romani, Gevrey-Chamberlain, and Chambord-Musini?
Vaughan-Romanie Village: The most expensive wine village in the world, "whatever Vaughan-Romany produces, it will be extraordinary", here is the top red wine of Burgundy, probably the only drawback is that it is expensive. The red wines produced by the village are full-bodied, full-bodied, elegant and deep, with a perfect balance and great ageing potential.
The village of Gevrey-Chamberbaydane: The village's wines are majestic, strong in structure, excellent in concentration, and the grand structure and elegant aromas make it very attractive. Because of the masculinity of the man, the wine of The Village of Gevrey-Chambedan is known as the "King of Wines"
Chambord-Mussini Village: Chambord-Mussini Village wines are lighter in color, lighter in body, elegant in aroma and have a soft taste like velvet, but with a certain depth of connotation, its essence can be said to be a velvet iron fist. Because the village's wine has a distinctly feminine character, it is also known as the "Queen of Wines".
10
What are the tips for buying Burgundy wines?
The most important thing to buy a Burgundy wine is to have a certain understanding of the local terroir, understand that fame and price are not the most important, quality is, and a good Machane village wine will also overshadow an improperly aged Gevré-Chambédon wine.
For importers, it is of course best to buy directly from the winery. But the problem is that good wineries sell out quickly, and they give priority to their regular customers. Therefore, once you have cooperated with a good winery, do not look around between other wineries, so as not to lose the quota. In addition, small wineries in general are not very good at working directly, because they do not have enough time or manpower to reply to emails on time, let alone deal with cumbersome export documents. In this regard, their products can be purchased through a vintner intermediary, and the established Pion company is one of the most trusted vintner intermediaries in Burgundy.
For wine lovers, buying from a reputable wine importer or retailer is undoubtedly the most reassuring option. Because they can find better products, they can also ensure high standards of transportation and storage conditions.
In addition, it is important to understand the latest local developments, and you can usually look at magazines or well-known wine websites to know today's stars and fashion trends in Burgundy, so as to avoid "entering the pit" as much as possible.
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