BURGUNDY, EXPRESSED IN NUMBERS!
If you’re into wine, you’ve definitely heard about (and hopefully tried lots of!) Burgundy. Burgundy is undoubtedly the holy grail of the wine world, a venerable, closely knit pocket of the world that is quintessentially confusing and hard to access, both from a price and quantity perspective.
Even if you go visit the region, it is famously difficult to actually tour any wineries, primarily because things just don’t work that way in Burgundy.
Suffice it to say, I’m fascinated by Burgundy. It’s a part of the wine world that I love, and that I will choose regularly over other areas. It’s simply delicious stuff. It’s also incredibly confusing and pedantic, which makes it the perfect fodder for my wine-obsessed mind! Even before I founded Wineitupanotch, I purchased the book “Wines of Burgundy” by Clive Coates and started trying to memorize appellations and producers (I know, I am definitely a wine geek, lol!).
Now, I recognize that most people will never wish to know Burgundy at this level. Like, never ever. But that having been said, most wine lovers probably wish they knew a little bit more than they currently might know.
It is with this in mind that I was prompted to write this post. You see, I’m studying again - this time for the Certified Specialist of Wine designation - and I came across these facts and thought I would share them for anyone who might benefit from learning some or all these facts. If you’re studying wine formally and/or have completed formal wine studies in the past, you might find the table below to be a nice refresher and test of your knowledge.
Enjoy! xo
Please note that this information, while accurate at the time of writing, could possibly change as time goes on. The information presented below is based on the 2021 Certified Specialist of Wine Study Guide.
BURGUNDY, EXPRESSED IN NUMBERS
# OF DISTINCT MACRO REGIONS IN BURGUNDY
4 (Chablis, Cote d’Or, Cote Chalonnaise and Maconnais)
# OF DISCRETE SUB-REGIONS WITHIN THE COTE D’OR
2 (Cote de Nuits and Cote Beaune)
# OF SEPARATE APPELLATIONS FOR QUALITY WINE IN BURGUNDY
80+
NAME OF THE MAIN APPELLATION THAT COVERS THE ENTIRE REGION OF BURGUNDY (THERE ARE SEVERAL; THIS IS ARGUABLY THE MOST IMPORTANT)
Bourgogne AOC
# OF SMALLER REGIONAL SUB-APPELLATIONS NESTED WITHIN THE REGIONAL BOURGOGNE AOC
14 (for example, Bourgogne Cote d’Or, Bourgogne Tonnerre, Cremant de Bourgogne etc.)
TOTAL # OF GRAND CRU VINEYARDS IN BURGUNDY
33
% OF WINE EXPORTED FROM BURGUNDY THAT IS DRY AND STILL vs. SPARKLING
90% vs. 10%
% OF ALL OF BURGUNDY’S TOTAL ANNUAL OUTPUT THAT IS CHARDONNAY
60%
# OF ACRES IN THE CHABLIS GRAND CRU VINEYARD
254
# OF NAMED GRAND CRU “CLIMATS” (THESE CLIMAT NAMES WILL OFTEN APPEAR ON THE BOTTLE)
7 (Les Clos, Vaudesir, Bougros, Blanchot, Les Preuses, Valmur, and Grenouilles)
APPROX. # OF MILES/KMS BETWEEN CHABLIS AND THE COTE D’OR
80 miles (129 kms)
# OF PRINCIPAL PREMIER CRU VINEYARDS IN CHABLIS
17 (There are actually 40 premier cru vineyards but they are generally grouped into 17 “principal” ones, such as Fourchaume, Vaillons, Vosgros etc.)
# OF GRAND CRU VINEYARDS IN THE COTE D’OR
32
% OF COTE DE NUITS PRODUCTION THAT IS PINOT NOIR
90%
# OF GRAND CRU VINEYARDS IN THE COTE DE NUITS
24
# OF GRAND CRU VINEYARDS IN THE COTE DE BEAUNE
8
# OF GRAND CRU VINEYARDS IN THE COTE DE BEAUNE PRODUCING ONLY WHITE WINE
7
Hopefully, this was a fun read! If you want to learn more and go deeper, let me know because I do plan to keep publishing more Burgundy-related content. Also, if you’re ready to go deep, have a look at these two resources which I really enjoy : Bergman’s Bourgogne and the Vins de Bourgogne site.
As always, wishing you love, peace, light…and of course, good wine!
Until next time…..xoxo