French Wine Region Bourgogne Should No Longer Be Translated To ‘Burgundy’

Bourgogne stands alone as France’s only wine region with a name translated into different languages. Everyone calls the Loire Valley the Loire Valley, for example. Bordeaux is Bordeaux. But Bourgogne is commonly referred to as “Burgundy” in English — there’s also “Burgund” in German and “Borgogna” in Italian.

In fact, many English-speaking wine consumers might be surprised to learn that Burgundy is a translation, and one that the trade association group Bourgogne Wine Board (BIVB) says is outdated, making a public recommendation over ten years ago that the translation should be abandoned. Why is this even important? A 2022 piece written by Elden Selections, a merchant of small-production estate-bottled Bourgogne wine, hit the nail on the head: “Identity is a hard-won thing, and all the more so when it comes to a historically and culturally significant region like Bourgogne.”

And yet, it is still as common as ever for English-speaking consumers, media, and wine industry professionals to use the term Burgundy instead of Bourgogne (pronunciation from Julien Miquel here.) Even Elden Selections still relies on the term in some of its messaging.

It’s can be confusing when considering that labels from this region officially utilize the term Bourgogne, so when someone identifies a bottle by name, the non-translated rendition is the norm. Think Bourgogne Rouge, or Bourgogne Aligoté, or Crémant de Bourgogne. But people are slow to change something that seems to be working for them. In this case, the change is recognition of a heritage that is inherent in the public love for the product. Without Bourgogne, there is no Bourgogne wine.

“Bourgogne wines enjoy a strong global reputation with half of all Bourgogne wines produced being sold at export to around 170 territories,” according to BIVB. “However, the farther the consumer lives from France, the more they struggle to understand our appellation system.” BIVB suggests that by naming the region exactly what it is, it helps consumers “get their bearings” and understand where these wines are cultivated and crafted. In a region with at 2,000-year-old growing history and dozens of appellations including Premier Cru, Grand Cru, Régionale, and Village there is plenty to learn and absorb.

Why did this translation happen originally? Since the Middle Ages, Bourgogne’s position has made it the stomping ground for commercial travel between Northern Europe and the Mediterranean Basin. It is also situated between the key area of the Rhône Valley and Paris established as a crossroads of trade for many centuries. According to BIVB, the various names stemmed from the wash of languages that did business in and moved through the area. But the name Bourgogne was tied to a powerful kingdom dating back to the 5th century, original Germanic peoples who established themselves in the region after the fall of the western portion of the Roman Empire. So even if it seems we’ve been saying Burgundy for quite some time, be assured that Bourgogne has a longer legacy. Flex your awareness of this heritage and go ahead and try it out!