After stars for restaurants and keys for hotels, the prestigious French guide Michelin is opening up to the wine sector with the creation of “clusters”, a new classification for vineyards, its director, Gwendal Poullennec, announced on Tuesday.
“We are opening a new chapter to offer lovers of good food a new reference with which to celebrate viticultural talents,” he told the press.
This new distinction will have three levels: one cluster for “high quality” vineyards, two clusters for those considered “excellence” and three for “exceptional” houses.
Also, as with restaurants and hotels, there will be the “recommended” mention for vineyards that do not reach the first level.
To establish this hierarchy, five criteria will be evaluated: the quality of agronomy – a reflection of “the work in the vineyard” -, the technical mastery in the winery, the identity of the wine, its balance, and its constancy over several vintages.
A team of experts from the well-known gastronomic guide will carry out the vineyard visits and evaluations.
This will guarantee “independence,” Poullennec said.
The first evaluations will focus on the Bordeaux and Burgundy sectors.
And they will be announced in 2026 during two different events whose dates have not yet been revealed.
In the coming years, the guide plans to extend the selection to other wine regions in France and the world.
A year after delivering the first Michelin distinctions for hotels, the famous red guide continues to diversify. But, as Poullennec recalled, this foray into the world of wine is not completely new.
Since 1900, the first recommendations of the red guide took into account the quality of the wine served. Starting in 2004, a pictogram highlighted the best wine lists, and in 2019 a sommelier award was created.
In addition, in 2016 the Michelin group acquired the Parker guide, a world reference in wine criticism.
This made it possible to acquire “a complementary skill” for the home teams, Poullennec said.
The Parker guide will continue to exist under its own brand, the group’s CEO Florent Menegaux confirmed in October.
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