At its general assembly on December 19, of the 87 votes cast, 62 were in favour of the project (72%), which is destined to give structure to the region. BIVB president Louis-Fabrice Latour said the project will “affect an entire generation.
“As with any project, there is a level of uncertainty that we would like to reduce as much as possible before we start work. We still have lots to do with all our partners, including the Association for the Climats of Bourgogne, the tourism industry, and the local and regional authorities involved.”
The BIVB explains it is a region-wide project that aims to provide a structure for the tourism offering of the Burgundian wine industry. It will involve a range of wine industry stakeholders and those from the tourism sector, to welcome visitors and provide them with the keys to explore, encouraging them to extend their stay and to return
The project was launched at the end of 2012, after a feasibility study by the region’s board. Despite difficulties linked to the weather in recent years, the Burgundian wine industry says it is ready to face the challenges of the future and to offer “a well-designed welcome with a contemporary approach to everyone who wishes to discover or rediscover the Bourgogne region and its wines, whilst respecting their history and traditions,” as Pierre-Henry Gagey said during the presentation preceding the vote.
“With this decision, you are authorising the BIVB to finish its work on the three ongoing projects in Mâcon, Beaune, and Chablis,” said Louis-Fabrice Latour.
Next steps:
- To define the economic and legal model for each of the Cité des Vins de Bourgogne;
- To select the architects and exhibition designers for the Cités des Vins in Mâcon and Chablis, in order to bring each project to life;
- To work with the city of Beaune on integrating the Cité des Vins into the urban project;
- To design the museographical model of the whole.
The BIVB says the Cité des Vins de Bourgogne is a place where people can find out more about Burgundy wines, with shared content and communication tools, each site also acting as a local showcase. The Climats of the Bourgogne winegrowing region, included on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
