Sales of Burgundy on the up

Sales of Burgundy have outstripped production for the second year running. Unlike a lot of Europe, where overproduction has helped contribute to the wine lake, demand for the 2006 vintage exceeded volume by 15 million bottles, according to the Bureau Interprofessionel des Vins de Bourgogne (BIVB).

The exceptional 2005 vintage partly accounts for this enthusiasm, says the BIVB, as do efforts to improve quality by producers.

Burgundy was, for a time, producing too much wine. This was because at the end of the Nineties the region didn’t have enough to keep consumers happy, so it increased its production just when the world market was declining. Suddenly, it was left with too much stock. However, through managing and promoting their wines, winning new markets and strengthening traditional ones, Burgundian producers now sell their entire production and have brought their stock levels back to normal, says the BIVB.

The UK remains by far the leading export market for wines from Burgundy by volume, accounting for 30%, according to 2006 figures. Volume sales have grown continuously here for the past 10 years and this has mostly been in white wines. In fact, whites now account for four out of every five bottles coming to our shores. The BIVB says this is due to the, ‘Outstanding reputation of the Chablis and Macon appellations, which account for one in two bottles of Burgundy wine shipped to the UK.’

Based on data for the first half of 2007, UK Burgundy sales are up by an average 17% by value while volume sales have increased by around 40% for both whites and reds, especially for the generic appellations.