A selection of Burgundy wines

Five years after World War II, in 1950, the founders and animators of the Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin quickly concluded that their success would be incomplete if those Burgundy wines whose sale they promoted were not of the best quality.

The Tastevin stamp
One means of making sure they were, would be to grant a seal of quality if certain conditions were fulfilled. A seal is thus awarded which is a guarantee of quality. The Tastevinage was born: the Tastevin seal was to be for Burgundy wines what the engraver's hallmark is to jewellers.
Since 1950, every year the Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin organises the Tastevinage sessions at the Château du Clos de Vougeot; in so doing, it underlines the role it has played since its foundation, which is to maintain the quality of the great wines of Burgundy.



A difficult examination to promote Burgundy wines
Tastevinage consists of an examination, which enables the stamp of the Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin to be granted to those Burgundies that correspond precisely to their appellation and their vintage. Thus wine lovers will be able to tell those bottles, which, by their honesty, their character and their undoubted quality have deserved this distinction.
The questions, which the jury must answer, are precise: "is this wine worthy of the appellation and the vintage on its label ? Is it genuinely representative? In a word, is it a wine I would be pleased to have in my cellar and proud to serve to a friend? " Fifteen or so wines per table, presented anonymously, that is without the name of the grower or merchant, are put through this hard test for about two hours.
The double objective of Tastevinage is thus attained. - to reward the producer for the quality of the wine he has crafted and to give an additional guarantee to the consumer.