Peter Creasey
Peter Creasey
Legendary winemaker turns global spotlight on Burgundy’s vineyards
VOSNE-ROMANEE (France), Jan 11 — The French winemaker whose prestigious Romanee-Conti is one of the world's most expensive wines has helped put the vineyards of his beloved Burgundy on the global map of cultural landmarks.
Aubert de Villaine, a reserved 76-year-old, took up the mantle to get the Burgundy region's unique wine-growing tradition onto the Unesco World Heritage list.
That effort succeeded in July and led to his being named a 2016 “man of the year” by the monthly French Wine Review.
“Burgundy is unique in the world of wine, it's a model for all of the world's wine-growing territories and for those who want to become like it, like California and New Zealand,” Villaine told AFP in an interview as rare as a bottle of his red wine.
It took eight years to get the “climats” — a term used mainly by professionals — of Burgundy's vineyards the world recognition he feels they deserve.
French Wine Review Man of the Year
. . . . Pete