What’s in a name? The Bourgogne family explains…

In 2012, on the request of its elected representatives, the Bourgogne Wine Board (BIVB) decided to stop translating the word “Bourgogne”, whatever the country. The aim is to help consumers find their way by ensuring coherence between our wine labels and the name of the region where the wines were created.

Bourgogne wines enjoy a strong global reputation with half of all Bourgogne wines produced being sold at export to around 170 territories. However, the farther the consumer lives from France, the more they struggle to understand our appellation system. They can get their bearings thanks to the wine’s origins, which is the name of this winegrowing region. It is therefore essential to use only one powerful name, a synonym for excellence and the respect for origins: Bourgogne.

Historically, Bourgogne is the only wine-producing region in France whose name is translated into different languages: “Burgundy” for English speakers, “Burgund” for Germans, “Borgogna” in Italian, to name but a few. This dates back to ancient times when the region was established as a crossroads for trade between the north and south and the east and west of Europe, as it still is today.

As such, Bourgogne wine producers and fans find themselves caught up in something of a paradox. The 200 million bottles of Bourgogne wine sold every year have the word “Bourgogne” on their label, either due to their appellation, which might be Bourgogne, Crémant de Bourgogne, Bourgogne Aligoté, and so on, or because they are a “Vin de Bourgogne” or a “Grand Vin de Bourgogne”. But consumers can find them amongst a range referred to Burgundy, Burgund, or Borgogna… Confusing, to say the least.

 

“We felt it necessary to return to our original name, Bourgogne, in order to affirm our true identity, in a unified and collective way,” explains François Labet, President of the BIVB. “I’d say that our appellations are like our forenames, which makes Bourgogne our family name. A name that unites us all with our shared values embracing all the diversity of our wines. You don’t translate a family name!”

 

#BourgogneWines #frenchwine #instawine

#Beaune #Burgundy #BurgundyLovers #Wine #Vin #Bourgogne #France

Laurent Delaunay remarks on the 60th Hospices de Nuits-Saint-Georges Wine Auction

Laurent Delaunay remarks on the 60th Hospices de Nuits-Saint-Georges Wine Auction

“The total outcome and the prices of almost all the cuvées hit records. In my opinion, this is due to three reasons:

– The quality of the 2020 vintage which is probably, according to me, the best at the Hospices in the last 35 years (my oldest tasting at the Hospices dates back from 1985…). I was again with one of the most respected growers of Nuits-Saint-Georges earlier this afternoon and he said that for him, 2020 is the best vintage he has seen in Nuits-St-Georges since he started (he is 57). Jean-Marc Moron, the Hospices winemaker, made great and very consistent wines this year;

– Scarcity of the vintage. 2020 is a low yielding vintage and the number of barrels for sale was small; and,

– Growing reputation, including raising the Hospices de Nuits profile through the buzz we created on social media, (quotes and articles), and sending 2cl micro samples to journalists and buyers helped.”

Laurent goes on to say “As far as Edouard Delaunay is concerned, we finally managed to purchase 13 barrels. This makes us the 2nd buyer of the auction after Albert Bichot who is an historic buyer at the Hospices de Beaune and de Nuits.

Among the cuvées that we purchased, there are 7 barrels of Les Didiers (5 from the Cuvée Fagon and 2 from Cuvée Cabet) making us the main buyer of this emblematic and monopoly Premier Cru of the Hospices de Nuits.

The barrels will be cellared at Château de Charmont for the next 10-12 months before bottling. Christophe Briotet, our cellar master (recently awarded Red Winemaker of the year at the International Wine Challenge) will take care of them with the best possible attention.”

“The demand for burgundy remains strong,” says Liz Palmer, international wine journalist, author and top wine influencer.

#HospicesdeNuitsSaintGeorges #EdouardDelaunay #onlinewineauction #burgundywines #burgundy #bourgogne #vinsdebourgogne #frenchwine #vinsdefrance #vin #winelovers #vinsdefrance #winestagram #NuitsSaintGeorges #wineauction #charityauction #winenews #fineandrare

The 60th Hospices de Nuits-Saint-Georges Wine Auction was an outstanding success!

The 60th Hospices de Nuits-Saint-Georges Wine Auction was an outstanding success! Driven by online marketing and an increase in first-time buyers, registrations up + 20% over 2020.

2021 established a new record with total sales of €1,923,000 and an increase of +19.11% from 2020. Standout bids included:

  • Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Les Saint-Georges Cuvée Georges Faiveley pièce sold for €32,000;
  • The “pièce de charité,” 228L of Nuits-Saint-Georges Premier Cru Les Saint-Georges, sold by subscription for €49,380, another record. Proceeds raised from the sale support the Institut Pasteur.

The sale of the 17 cuvées of the red wine made €1,869,000 (+ 17.51% up from the 2020 auction) and the sale of the cuvée of white wine Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er cru Les Terres Blanches – Cuvée Pierre de Pême generated €54,000, i.e. (+ 125% up from the 2020 auction).

Proceeds from the Hospices de Nuits-Saint-Georges 2021 Wine Auction will support the new Saint Laurent Hospital.

#HospicesdeNuitsSaintGeorges #onlinewineauction #burgundywines #burgundy #Bourgogne #vinsdebourgogne #vinsdefrance #vin #winelovers #EdouardDelaunay #vindefrance #winestagram #NuitsSaintGeorges #WineAuction #auction #charityauction #winenews #winecollectors #wineinvestors #fineandrare #frenchwine

Private Clients and Investors invited to bid at Hospices de Nuits-Saint-Georges Wine Auction on March 14, 2021

This year, for the first time, Burgundian producer Maison Edouard Delaunay is allowing a limited number of private clients and investors the chance to bid at this spring’s 60th Hospices de Nuits Wine Auction which will be held March 14th, 2021.

Since 1961, this “en primeur” sale of 228-litre barrels has been solely for trade buyers, until this year, the négociant will allow a number of private collectors to bid for the first time.

Prospective buyers can purchase a minimum of 24 bottles. They will be welcome (Covid restrictions dependent) to stay at Château de Gilly on Friday, March 12, with a visit to the Maison Delaunay winery on Saturday and then attend a tasting and lunch at the Hospices de Nuits on the day of the auction, Sunday, March 14, 2021.

The wines sold will finish their aging in the cellars of Maison Edouard Delaunay, at Étang Vergy, under the supervision of cellar master Christophe Briotet, recently nominated “best winemaker in the world” by the “International Wine Challenge”.

A Historical Relationship
The historic relationship between Maison Edouard Delaunay and the Hospices de Nuits began long before the first auction in 1961, when Laurent Delaunay’s grandfather bought Hospices de Nuits wines by mutual, exclusive agreement.

The Charity – Hospices de Nuits
Hospices de Nuits consists of a working hospital, a retirement home and one of the most beautiful collections of vineyards of Nuits-Saint-Georges and the Côte de Nuits whose wines are sold at the traditional March auction.

The Hospices de Nuits was founded in 1270 and is historically older than Hospices de Beaune which was founded in 1443. The Hospices de Nuits began offering its wine at auction 60 years ago. Over the centuries the Hospice has been bequeathed numerous vineyards which today comprises of 12.5 hectares. Most of the vineyards are in Nuits-Saint-Georges, covering six parcels of village appellations and nine premier crus, and including Les Didiers.

Laurent Delaunay states: “To bid at the Hospices de Nuits combines the pleasure of buying top wines with the joy of contributing to a great charity.”

For further information, and details of how to sign up and bid https://burgundyauction.wine/

Why has confidence in fine wine increased in 2020?

Despite the headwinds of 2020 – tariffs, Brexit uncertainty and the global pandemic – the wine market has remained robust. Today’s post examines what has changed and offers an explanation as to why we are seeing greater confidence in the market during these exceptional times.

Increased liquidity

One of the key changes this year is an increase in market liquidity, which is reflected in the rising value of bids and offers on the Liv-ex marketplace. The total exposure (total value of bids and offers) reached a new record high of £81 million last week – a £30 million increase this time last year.

In recent months, both bids and offers have been on the rise. The bid to offer ratio (i.e. the total value of bids divided by the total value of offers) currently stands at 0.6. Traditionally, a bid-offer ratio of 0.5 or higher suggests positive sentiment.

A broadening market

Another noticeable difference is that more wines than ever are attracting buying interest, taking market share from the traditional strongholds of Bordeaux and Burgundy. As the chart below shows, the wine market has undergone considerable broadening in the past decade. Bordeaux’s share has halved from its peak in 2010 when it accounted for 95.7% of secondary market trade by value. As its share declined, others shined. Burgundy was the first and main benefactor; its trade share rising from 0.6% in 2010, to a record high of 19.7% in 2019. It has dipped slightly this year to 17.4%.

This year, Italy has been the big winner. Having reached an annual average of 8.8% in 2019, Italy now accounts for 15.3% of fine wine trade. As recently highlighted, the US wine market is also developing at unprecedented rate. USA accounted for just 0.1% of trade in 2010. Year-to-date, it stands at 7%.

And then, there is the Rest of the World – an increasingly diverse category. Up from 0.8% in 2010 to 5.9% in 2020, RoW trade so far in 2020 has been led by trade for Australia (1.8%), Spain (1.4%) and Germany (1%), though wines from Argentina, Austria, Chile, and Portugal to name but a few are seeing more and more activity.

What has changed?

So, why are we seeing such increased confidence in the wine market? One well-documented explanation is that investors are seeking to put their money into safer assets in these uncertain times. Historically, fine wine has offered steady returns and low volatility.  Another explanation is that there are simply more market participants than ever before. The number of wine businesses trading on Liv-ex has increased 15% in 2020 alone. This increase in members reflects a growing trend since the Covid-19 pandemic took hold – businesses are looking for web-based solutions to grow their sales.

One such solution is trading automation. Trading automation makes it easier for merchants to list stock for sale, exposing their diverse inventory to an ever-growing marketplace. Regions that once struggled to find a secondary market have been benefitting from the shift to online sales, particularly as lockdowns have closed much of the physical retail. Through APIs, stockholders have been able to list and advertise various wines to a far greater audience, as merchants have connected their customers to this ever-broadening market. Subsequently, wine merchants and private collectors have been able to find less well-known wines from a greater range of wine regions.

Despite an early swoon as the first lockdown took place, the fine wine market would seem to be in a relatively healthy place today. As a tangible, finite asset, it offers stability in a volatile world. It also of course offers a great deal of pleasure for imbibers who are locked down and deprived of their usual wining and dining! And importantly technology, as in so many sectors, has helped merchants from across the globe, to adapt, making wine more accessible and more exciting to all with an interest in it. Combined, these three things have put the wine market on a firm footing in 2020.

Source: Liv-ex