After reaching Beaune and the Côte-d’Or, our fifteenth stop officially began on the morning of Monday, October 28, with a visit to the Cistercian Abbey of Fontenay, located near Montbard. Founded in 1118 by Saint Bernard, closed during the French Revolution, and designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1981, as recalled by the marble inscription on the entrance wall, it is one of the oldest Cistercian Abbeys, established shortly after Cîteaux, the Order’s first monastery.

Sold as national property during the Revolution, Fontenay was purchased in 1820 by Elie de Montgolfier, a descendant of the inventors of the hot air balloon, who transformed it into a paper mill. In the early 20th century, it passed to the Aynard family, who restored it by dismantling the paper mill.

The Abbey church is immense, unfortunately completely bare today, but still able to evoke the atmosphere of its past. The column capitals are carved in a simple style, depicting only reed leaves, following the Cistercian rule that nothing should distract the eye or the concentration of those in prayer.

In the transept stands the magnificent statue of Notre-Dame de Fontenay, created in the late 13th century in classical style, while in the altar area, some sarcophagus lids and tombstones have been gathered.

After visiting the church, we explored the forge built by the monks in the late 12th century, as they extracted iron ore from the surrounding hills. The Fontenay stream, which runs right alongside the building, powered the wheels that drove large hydraulic hammers used to shape white-hot iron. A life-size reproduction still recreates the metallic sound of hammers and anvils today.

Back in Beaune, we visited the Hôtel-Dieu Museum, a former hospital and charity hospice founded in 1443 by the renowned Chancellor of Burgundy, Nicolas Rolin, and his wife, Guigone de Salins. Here, we were welcomed by Chloé Le Brech, who guided us through this perfectly preserved late-Gothic building overlooking Place Carnot, at the historic heart Beaune. A true hospital for the poor, created by the Rolin couple for devotional purposes and to alleviate the city’s misery after the Hundred Years’ War. It was managed by the Hospitaller Sisters of Saint Martha until the 20th century. The reconstructed Grande Salle des Povres, with its 19th-century beds and everyday objects available to the poor, provides insight into how the hospital operated and how patients were cared for. The chapel, courtyards, large kitchen, pharmacy, and other interiors are open to visitors. The museum, directed by Sandrine Allard Saint Albin, also houses the Beaune Altarpiece or The Last Judgement, a masterpiece of Flemish painting by Rogier van der Weyden, commissioned by Chancellor Rolin.

Later, on Monday, October 28, at 2:30 PM, we visited the Cité des Climats et Vins de Bourgogne in Beaune, an ultra-modern museum dedicated to Burgundy’s wine culture and viticulture, accompanied by director Olivier Le Roy.

With interactive and immersive exhibits featuring films, images, 3D maps, children’s workshops, a panoramic terrace, a vineyard planted on the museum’s roof, tasting courses, and sensory experiences, the museum offers a complete understanding of wine and viticulture, Burgundy’s hallmark product, shaped by microclimate, terroir, and centuries-old winemaking expertise. Every Cistercian Abbey in favourable climatic conditions planted vineyards, maintaining and expanding them over time. In France, Cîteaux remained the most renowned wine producer until the French Revolution.

Burgundy’s 1,247 climats, spanning Côte de Beaune and Côte de Nuits, have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2015. The Cité des Climats et Vins oversees three cultural and tourist sites in Burgundy: Chablis, Beaune, and Mâcon.

At 4:00 PM, the conference “Good Rules for Sustainability” began, presided over by Livia Pomodoro – UNESCO Chairholder of “Food Systems for Sustainable Development and Social Inclusion” at the State University of Milan, and coordinated by Claudio Serafini, Director of Organic Cities Network Europe.

“The theme of this meeting – said President Pomodoro, opening the conference – highlights the importance of well-thought-out rules to guide our actions in the wine industry, just as in all food sectors. Today we will have the privilege of hearing leading experts who will share their experiences with us. I am convinced that this debate will lay the foundation for a more sustainable future for our local communities, while encouraging an open dialogue on the solutions that all of us can adopt”.

Anne Caillaud, the Councillor for Culture of Beaune, also conveyed her greetings on behalf of Mayor Alain Suguenot, emphasizing the region, the climate, and sustainability: “All elements that uniquely characterize the Cȏte-d’Or”.

Claudio Serafini, in passing the floor to the speakers, thanked for the guided tour of the Cité: “It was magnificent what the Director showed us, and I strongly felt the passion, the tradition combined with technology, and the empathy that this place is capable of transmitting to visitors”.

In his speech, Olivier Le Roy explained what is meant by climat: “The terroir can be defined as a delimited area where natural, physical, and chemical conditions, geographical location, temperature, and humidity allow the creation of a specific and identifiable wine. Climat is the Burgundy expression for terroir, which characterizes the place, the culture of wine, and the cultivation of the vineyard… The work of man and nature combined produces the wine. The viticulture model practiced in Burgundy is very distinctive, and the definition of climat is an official one that has allowed this region, with its nearly 1250 different climates between Côte de Beaune and Côte de Nuits, to be listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site, taking on an international dimension. Here, the value of work is united with two thousand years of history and human culture. A ‘living’ landscape, a heritage, and an exceptional collection of data that we have put online. This museographic path itself is a unique container of traditions, knowledge, and viticulture practices available to different generations, making it a family-friendly museum, for both adults and children… For these reasons, we feel the importance of the rules passed down by tradition, to which we owe our existence and inclusion on the UNESCO list”.

In this regard, the list includes the historic centre of the city of Dijon and the Climats of Burgundy; the official definition on the World Heritage List is: Climats, terroirs of Burgundy.

We recall that in these years UNESCO has declared the vineyards of the Hungarian region of Tokaj-Hegyalja, the Champagne hills, the Upper Middle Rhine Valley, and for Italy, Langhe Roero Monferrato, Val d’Orcia, and the Prosecco hills of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene, which were visited during our stop in Follina, as World Heritage sites.

Serafini emphasized that: “Climat is a ‘classic’ word and represents the freedom of a territory, the desire for a better life in preserving nature. Wine is not just an object, a bottle, but it is the people who work on it, following a moral inclination and ethical behaviours, in addition to well-defined rules… The first European organic regulation on agricultural products and foodstuffs was issued in 1991 and is now over thirty years old… I believe that rules do not only have an individual dimension but also a collective one, which is also linked to the freedom of choice. Organic rules are primarily based on culture, whereas those of Saint Benedict, which govern monastic communities, are based on faith. In this sense, there is Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si’… Choosing organic means having a deep love for one’s land and a vision for the future. So, let us return to the earth, to respect and protect it, banning pesticides and using biodynamic techniques”.

Serafini then handed the microphone to Aubert Lefas, the managing director of Domaine Lejeune in Pommard, who focused on the transition from traditional to organic viticulture.

“The starting point is precisely respect for nature and animals… It is both a collective and cultural experience, developed through generations and accumulated over the years: this is the essence of my work. We moved from animal traction to tractors, yet the fundamental experience has remained the same. Biodynamics respects nature, and a good winemaker, a good farmer, must know and master their craft… The primary rule is respect for nature: if you go against it, it will rebel. The concept of collective rules is fundamental to combating climate change, and we, the winemakers, are the ones who must create these rules. Unfortunately, money attracts more money, and we have seen this in the transfer of family plots from one generation to another. Respecting old rules is very important, as is avoiding certain individualistic practices… Today, it is difficult to find good cooperative administrators, and some political decisions do not allow the fundamental rules of democracy to fully express themselves. As a result, the collective system of associations suffers the most. Vineyard work is a communal effort, so rules must always be respected for the preservation of both nature and society”.

“Rules are always an indicator of democracy: it is a cultural and moral issue, not just an economic one – stated Claudio Serafini in closing the conference. – Winemakers must be fairly compensated for their work and for the benefits they bring to the landscape. The transition to organic farming is costly, and it must be properly remunerated. It is also a matter of responsibility and the model of society we want for the future”.