France: 1855 classification seeks UNESCO World Heritage status
France: 1855 classification seeks UNESCO World Heritage status
Jun 17, 2013 6(Decanter) - Bordeaux's oldest wine ranking, the Grands Cru Classés en 1855, is applying for the same UNESCO World Heritage status as the climats of Burgundy, and the cellars of Champagn.
Philippe Castéja, president of the Conseil des Grands Crus Classés en 1855, speaking at the Vinexpo press dinner at Chateau Mouton Rothschild last night, announced that the application was being prepared to coincide with the 150th anniversary of the ranking.
The French ministries of culture and the environment are able to propose two applications for potential inclusion on the UNESCO list each year, with the next round expected in January 2014.
This will be too early for the 1855 application, meaning it will not be in direct competition with the other two leading wine regions in France.
Castéja hopes the application will be submitted in 2015, with possible listing in 2016.
The 1855 ranking concerns 87 chateaux – 60 estates in the Médoc, 26 in Sauternes, and one in the Graves – and dates back to the Paris Exhibition organised in 1855 by Napoléon III/
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