What is really changing in Burgundy right now?
This was not because anything dramatic was announced, but because almost every speaker — Laurent Delaunay, Co-President of the Bourgogne Wine Board; Michel Barraud, Co-President of the Bourgogne Wine Board; Frédéric Barnier, Co-President of the Technical and Innovation Commission, Bourgogne Wine Board; Boris Champy, Winegrower and Head of the Horizon Hautes-Côtes Project; and Edouard Mognétti, Director of the Cité des Climats et vins de Bourgogne — described a system that is still functioning, yet is no longer behaving in the same way as before.
Les Grands Jours de Bourgogne is one of the region’s key professional events, bringing together over 1,000 exhibitors — including domains, négociants and cooperatives — as well as an international audience, around 60% of whom are from abroad. Rather than being held in a single location, it takes place across multiple sites — from Chablis to the Côte de Nuits, Côte de Beaune and Mâconnais — offering a structured overview of the region through its terroirs.
The key point is simple, but easy to miss if you only look at headlines: Burgundy is not in decline. However, the mechanism that supported its growth for decades is changing.
Laurent Delaunay framed this very clearly by splitting the analysis into two parts: what happens inside the region (production, stocks, and relationships between growers and négociants) and what happens outside (markets, exports, and consumer behaviour). It is precisely in the interaction between these two areas that the change becomes visible.
In terms of production, Burgundy has not suddenly expanded. The vineyard area remains controlled and average production hovers around 1.45 million hectolitres. However, two things have changed.
Firstly, the production structure. Burgundy is no longer a 'red wine region' as many still imagine it to be. Whites now represent around 61–62% of production, Crémant around 12%, and reds around 27–28%. This long-term shift, driven by plantings in the Mâconnais and the Côte Chalonnaise regions, has quietly repositioned Burgundy in line with global demand. As Delaunay noted, 'International trends are whites, sparkling wines... and fresh reds.' Burgundy, almost by default, ticks all three boxes.
Secondly, and more importantly, production has become unstable. Whereas harvests used to be relatively consistent, the last 15 years have seen sharp volatility. 2021 saw the smallest crop in forty years. 2023 was a record year. In 2024, production dropped again to around 1.2 million hectolitres. This is not random variation. It is a new production pattern driven by climate change.
This matters because it forces Burgundy to behave differently economically. In the past, scarcity was structural. Today, it must be managed.
Delaunay pointed out that stocks are now at around 22 months — a level not seen since 2006. While not excessive, these levels are clearly higher than the market has become accustomed to in the past decade. These stocks are not a sign of weakness. They are the result of two plentiful harvests in 2022 and 2023, followed by smaller ones, and they enable the region to stabilise its supply.
However, they also change the balance.
For the first time in a long while, Burgundy is asking not only how much it can produce, but also how much the market can absorb. It is also asking how much the market can absorb.
This is where market data becomes particularly revealing.
In France, overall wine retail is down by around 3.6% in large-scale retail. Burgundy, however, still shows resilience: It recorded a +1.6% increase in volume and a +1% increase in value in 2025. On paper, this looks like strong performance.
However, the details are more interesting than the headline figures.
Growth is not coming from the top end. It is being driven by more affordable wines, such as regional appellations, Mâcon and Petit Chablis. Above all, it is driven by whites. Delaunay was explicit about this: when prices are perceived as reasonable, sales pick up again. The demand is there, but it is selective.
Crémant de Bourgogne follows a similar logic. After two years of stagnation, it returned to growth in 2025 (+1.4% in volume and +1.6% in value), largely due to increased availability. While this is not explosive growth, it is steady and in line with broader consumption trends.
Exports show the same pattern of resilience combined with adjustment.
Overall, French wine exports declined in 2025 (-3.2% in volume and -4.3% in value). By contrast, Burgundy grew in volume (+3.7%) but declined slightly in value (-1.8%). This divergence is significant. It does not indicate a loss of demand, but rather a shift in what is being sold: more regional wines, more white wines and more Crémant at a slightly lower average price.
Breaking this down by market reveals an even more fragmented picture.
The United States, still the number one export destination accounting for around 20% of Burgundy exports, is clearly under pressure. Volume is down by 7.9%, and value by an even greater 15%. The reason is not theoretical. Delaunay linked it directly to the tariffs introduced in the second half of the year. However, importers and retailers only started passing these price increases on to consumers towards the end of 2025, meaning the full impact is only now becoming apparent. “We are really in the middle of that,” he said. This is not a temporary fluctuation — it is structural friction in the most important market.
Canada offers almost the opposite case. It is now the third-largest market for Burgundy wine, having shown strong growth in both volume and value (+15% and +14.3%, respectively). Burgundy has become the leading French wine category there, particularly in Quebec, accounting for 74% of sales. The driving force is clear: white wines, priced at a level that consumers accept and benefiting from long-term market presence and a broader rejection of higher-priced alternatives.
The United Kingdom sits somewhere in between. Volumes are growing (+7%), but value is declining (-9%). This is a classic sign of consumers trading down: Burgundy is selling, but at lower price points, with regional wines gaining market share.
Japan is weakening (-7% in both volume and value), which confirms concerns about mature markets. China, on the other hand, is recovering (with a +10% increase in volume and a +2.5% increase in value), though it is still far from earlier peaks. Then there are the emerging markets: Brazil, for example, is experiencing strong growth (+21% in volume and +26% in value), which is being driven by trade agreements and growing interest in imported wines. India remains very small, at around 30,000 bottles, but is strategically important as tariffs begin to decrease.
This creates not a single global trend, but a mosaic of different dynamics. Burgundy is growing in some markets, adjusting in others and facing structural constraints in key ones.
Delaunay summarised this shift as follows: until now, Burgundy was limited by supply. Going forward, the question is how long the market will continue to absorb its wines at current levels.
This is not a pessimistic statement. It is a realistic one.
Michel Barraud approached the same issue from a different angle: communication. Burgundy has traditionally targeted professionals, relying on knowledge, classification and prestige. However, this model is no longer sufficient. Consumption is declining globally and younger audiences are less engaged. Rather than simplifying the wines themselves, the response is to change how they are presented — making it more direct and relaxed, and bringing it closer to everyday consumption contexts. Campaigns launched in late 2025 reflect this shift, positioning Burgundy as both 'accessible' and 'sparkling', while maintaining its core identity.
Meanwhile, Frédéric Barnier made it clear that producers are under increasing pressure. Climate change is creating volatility in yields and affecting vineyard health. Disease pressure remains high, particularly from mildew and oidium. Dependence on copper is problematic, but there are no immediate alternatives.
A long-term response is required. Programmes to develop resistant varieties by crossing Pinot Noir and Chardonnay with resistant varieties are advancing, but they operate on a 10–15 year timeline. The first registrations are expected around 2035–2037. In parallel, large-scale projects such as 'Resilience 2050' are testing vineyard density, plant material and practices in different sub-regions.
One of the most interesting technical points concerns oxidation in white wines. Burgundy has long struggled with premature oxidation, but has lacked a reliable predictive tool. Barnier described methional, a molecule identified as a marker of oxidation, as acting “like a time bomb”. Its concentration varies from wine to wine and correlates with sensitivity to oxidation. This opens up the possibility of measuring and managing a risk that was previously difficult to control.
Perhaps more importantly, the findings challenge simplistic thinking. Picking earlier does not necessarily reduce the risk of oxidation. Nor does picking later. Wines harvested either too early or too late both exhibit higher levels of this molecule. The implication is clear: precision in harvest timing is critical and assumptions must be re-evaluated.
All of this brings us back to the central point:
Burgundy is not in decline. The region remains structurally strong and well positioned in terms of style, as well as being globally relevant. However, the environment around it has changed. Production is less predictable. Stock levels are higher than before. Markets are more fragmented. Consumers are more selective.
The system still works. But it works differently.
Understanding Burgundy today requires an examination of that difference.