Burgundian Viticulture and Wine Trade

Timeline

1. 1100–1240Côte d'Or hills · BurgundyCistercian and Cluniac monks cleared terraced vineyards on the slopes of the Côte d'Or, introducing systematic pruning and varietal selection, and institutionalizing local Pinot Noir and Chardonnay cultivation traditions.
2. 1241–1250Beaune and Dijon · BurgundyThe Duchy of Burgundy and the Church organized wine exports through the Beaune market; barrelled red wines traveled down the Saône–Rhône to Lyon and Marseille, and overland to Paris and Flanders, forming a 13th-century Western European high-end wine trade network.
3. 1250–1400Côte d'Or, Burgundy · BurgundyMonastic archives and commercial contracts began distinguishing wine quality and prices by different hillside plots; the concept of terroir and appellation reputation took early shape, laying the cultural foundation for the later Burgundy vineyard classification system.