The Chapitres Since 1934, the Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin
has been celebrating Burgundy, with its gastronomy and its great wines, at the
Château du Clos de Vougeot, in a spirit of hospitality, generosity and human
warmth. It has given to France its finest "table d'hôtes".
The
ethos of the Tastevin Because wine is more than wine, a gift from Heaven and the
fruit of man's work, it expresses the beautiful, the great, and the true. The
words of the Universal language of Brotherhood sing the joy of living and the
happiness of encounters, with a sense of balance and good measure. To raise
one's glass, indeed, but not just to drink it! "He is not good, who strives
not to be better", said saint Bernard. Such is the ethos of the Tastevin.
About
Burgundy Thousands
of people from everywhere in the world and from all walks of life have participated
in the famous Chapitres at the Château du Clos de Vougeot, and discovered beneath
the good humour of Burgundy, the deep meaning of the ceremonies whose aims are
still the same: to make Burgundy - both the region and its wine - more widely
known under the auspices of cheerfulness and optimism. Every season, numerous Chapitres are celebrated there: Spring, Summer,
Autumn ... the Equinox, The Roses, Saint-Vincent, Saint-Hubert... These Chapitres
enable the Confrérie to welcome the most illustrious guests as well as the Chevaliers
du Tastevin with close ties to the soul of Burgundy.
How
does one become a Chevalier du Tastevin ? It
was also necessary for the meetings and ceremonies to be conducted with taste
and decorum, so that statesmen, ambassadors, members of the academies, great
military leaders, artists, men and women of letters, and industrialists should
have no qualms about being present and even making speeches there.
Heads of State, ministers, ambassadors, royalty, Nobel prize-winners or writers,
famous military or business leaders, sport champions, singers or actors, all
have come or will come one evening or an other to the Cistercian cellar to have
the moving experience of going through the "Cercles du Vin".
The Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin is a private club. It may have 10
000 members but it has no desire for a noticeable increase of membership,
so that the quality of reception facilities at the Château du Clos de Vougeot
can be maintained.
Yet, the "Tastevin" does not just receive "anyone" no matter how successful
he or she may be. It appreciates merit as well as talent, it likes to
honour courage, personal endeavour, scientific intelligence, the love of France
and fulfilment of human values.
To become an applicant for membership of the Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin,
one must express a wish to become a member and be presented by two members of
the Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin who have agreed to be sponsors.
