THE CLIMATS OF BURGUNDY INSCRIBED AS UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE
Phoenix Wine Club participated in the celebration on 9 July of the inscription of the Climats and Terroirs of Burgundy as a World Heritage Site. Specializing in the celebrated wines of the Côte d’Or, the Club enables you to discover this remarkable heritage site through wine tours from its headquarters at the Chateau de Saint Germain du Plain.
Tears of joy, congratulations, warm handshakes and embraces, and … singing the ‘hymn of Burgundy’! After 8 years of work and the mobilisation of more than 60,000 people throughout the world, the Climats of Burgundy were inscribed in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites on Saturday 5 July 2015.
It is on the celebrated Road of Great Wines (Route des Grand Crus), along the Côte de Nuits and the Côte de Beaune in the Côte d’Or, that the Climats are revealed. Here are 1 247 vineyards with evocative names such as Chambertin, Romanée-Conti, Clos de Vougeot, Corton, Montrachet, expressing the cultural diversity of Burgundy vineyards. It is also the work of generations of wine-growers, and before them the Cistercian monks and the Dukes of Burgundy, who since the introduction of the first vines by the Romans over 2000 years ago, had patiently constructed the vineyard landscapes, seeking excellence with determination. “What we develop here is much more than wine; what we expose is much more than landscapes: Here is a cultural construction with a very long and rich history, which is distinguished because it is unique and exceptional” declared Aubert de VILLAINES, President of the Association of the Climats of Burgundy, which carried the candidacy for World Heritage status.
This recognition lays the basis for intercultural dialogue with other agricultural terroirs, such as the cafe of Colombia or the safran of India. These productions have in common their link to their origins; they are, like the Climat of Burgundy, historical and cultural.
To celebrate this event, a ‘Paulée des Climats’ was organized on Thursday 9 July in the park of the Chateau de Meursault. The programme included picnics, wine-tasing, musical performances and a great fireworks display. As for all the actors of Burgundy’s world of wine, Phoenix Wine Club was invited to this evening, in which Director Antoine Roméro participated.
Photo : Aubert de VILLAINE and Antoine ROMERO during the evening at Chateau de Meursault.