A serious split has opened up in Burgundy between the generic promotional body, the BIVB (Bureau Interprofessionnel des Vins de Bourgogne), and the Syndicat des Bourgognes, which represents the growers. Relations have been so soured that events planned for yesterday to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the BIVB were cancelled.
The issue is exactly which wines may be labelled with the generic appellation 'Bourgogne', French for Burgundy. As things stand at the moment, this usefully smart-sounding term can be applied to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grown in vineyards in the Côte d'Or, Côte Chalonnaise and Mâconnais and, rather oddly, to Gamay grown in the top Beaujolais Crus.
The Syndicat des Bourgognes is concerned about signs that the BIVB is cosying up to their counterpart generic body in Beaujolais, which would give the BIVB greater powers, and which could, they fear, allow bottlers more flexibility. On Friday they issued a provocative statement entitled 'Luxury liner goes adrift', alerting readers to the possibility that the generic appellations could be diluted. They are specifically concerned that the BIVB seems in favour of 100% Gamay Bourgogne Rouge and that Chardonnay grown in the Beaujolais region could be labelled Bourgogne Blanc, and could be used in Crémant de Bourgogne. They pointed out that as many as 200 ha of Chardonnay have been planted in Beaujolais recently, and that its produce is the equivalent of 20% of all Bourgogne Blanc produced.
In a direct reference to the BIVB's source of funding, the doom-laden statement ends, 'The BIVB liner is heading straight for the iceberg of Beaujolais, risking drowning those who paid for the voyage'.
The BIVB has responded not just by postponing 20th-anniversary celebrations until after the harvest, but also with its own statement alleging that the growers' statement is full of falsehoods and 'profoundly harmful for the image of Burgundy'. Instead of the celebrations, it held a press conference yesterday to explain the 'complex issues' involved.
Strong words indeed.
See Beaujolais and Burgundy thread in members' forum.