Natural and Political Determinants of Wine-Related Geographical Indications in the Cote-d'Or Departement of France

This article presents the construction of a database to study the relationships between the natural caracteristics of vineyard plots (topography, geology, pedology) and the hierarchy of wine-related geographical indications (GIs) in the Cote-d'Or, Bourgogne, France. The data count 67 variables systematically computed for more than 110,000 plots within the 31 municipalities included in the cote de Beaune and cote de Nuits. The usefulness of the data is illustrated by a statistical analysis about the links between the natural characteristics of plots and their position in the GI hierarchy. These relationships are shown to change according to the municipality of the plots. This result indicates the presence of political determinants of GIs, in line with the bargaining that took place in the XXth century when GIs were delineated. The data and predictions obtained, with and without correction of political bias, are available through an interactive map that is also presented.