Tag: UNESCO

The Region of Champagne Takes the Lead on Climate Change

tiffany 053At a time when Paris is hosting the COP 21 talks that could pave the way for an agreement on combating climate change, the Champagne Region is contributing to the international effort through its pioneering commitment to sustainable and responsible wine-growing.

Global warming in the region is a fact: temperatures have increased by close to 1.2°C in 30 years and the blossoming and grape harvest dates have moved forward by a fortnight. “The Champagne Region very quickly grasped that climate change was a priority issue and we were duty-bound to plan ahead”, explains Vincent Perrin, the director general of the Comité Champagne.
The whole Champagne Region began to get involved in the 1980s, implementing solutions to protect the environment (technical specifications, decision-making tools, advice and support).

In 2003, Champagne was the world’s first wine-growing region to calculate its carbon footprint and implement a carbon plan which enabled several focus areas to be selected (sustainable wine-growing, transport and freight, building energy efficiency, responsible procurement and fostering active involvement) and led to truly innovative solutions being developed, such as reducing the weight of Champagne bottles by 7%.

In a decade, the region has managed to cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 15% per bottle shipped, making it one of the few industries to have reduced its emissions in absolute terms.
All of the region’s professionnals are now involved in the initiative.

Moreover, UNESCO’s decision to include the Champagne Slopes, Houses and Cellars on its World Heritage List is a source of encouragement for the efforts made and demonstrates the industry’s ability to preserve its heritage.

“The Champagne houses and growers are more united than ever before around a sustainable wine-growing strategy. Promoting our wines means constantly innovating so that we can pass on our economic and environmental heritage to future generations”, conclude Pascal Férat and Jean-Marie Barillère.

Source: CIVC, France

UNESCO adds Champagne Slopes, Houses and Cellars to World Heritage List

The UNESCO World Heritage Committee has decided to include the Champagne slopes, houses and cellars on its World Heritage List.

The 21 representatives of the state parties to the UNESCO World Heritage Convention unanimously voted in favor of including the Champagne slopes, houses and cellars on the World Heritage List in the Living Cultural Landscapes category. The committee members recognized their ‘Exceptional Universal Value’ and deemed that the protection and management conditions for the proposed property had been fulfilled.

The Association Paysages du Champagne spent eight years putting together and managing the area’s application. President Pierre Cheval said: “Inclusion on the list is a form of recognition but also an undertaking to the world’s nations, so we must ensure that we are worthy of it. We are duty bound to preserve and maintain this landscape, know-how and heritage so that we can pass them on unspoilt to future generations.

The application Milestones include:

2002: Included on France’s tentative list.

2008: The Association Paysages du Champagne was founded.

2009: First submission of the provisional Application to the French Properties Committee and appointment of a rapporteur to steer the Application process.

2010: The French Properties Committee approved the Exceptional Universal Value of the Application.

2011: The French Properties Committee approved the geographical area and comparative analysis.

2012: The French Properties Committee approved the management plan.

January 2014: The Application was selected by France.

Autumn 2014/Spring 2015: ICOMOS and IUCN international experts assess the Application.

Summer 2015: 39th session of the World Heritage Committee in Germany.

July 2015: The Committee approves the Application

 

The three distinct ensembles that have been recognized: the historic hillside vineyards between Hautvillers and Aÿ; the architecture of the Champagne houses on Saint-Nicaise Hill in Reims, and the Avenue de Champagne in Epernay..

The Champagne region can only welcome this global recognition, which in turn will increase in wine tourism.

Will France’s Champagne vineyards be added to UNESCO’s prestigious World Heritage List?

 

The candidacy has been six years in the making and producers will have to wait until July 2014 to hear the decision.

 

The volume of fake champagne sold on the market is said to equal the stock of the real French product. That’s 330 million bottles, according to Jean-Luc Barbier, the director of the Interprofessional Committee of Champagne Wine (CIVC).

 

The competition is particularly unfair since fake bubbly is produced without respecting any of the traditional local rules of Champagne. Fakes rarely cost more than seven Euros, while an authentic Champagne bottle costs between 18 and 200 Euros, and more for exceptional vintages.

 

Champagne is not the first wine-producing region seeking the protection of the UNESCO classification. Five sites are already registered in the World Heritage List: Saint-Emilion, France, the Upper Douro Valley, Portugal, Tokaj Coast, Hungary, Lavaux, Switzerland and Pico Island, Azores.