Michelin launches Grapes rating in Burgundy

Michelin has formally moved into wine, starting in Burgundy with a new one-, two- and three-Grape distinction for estates and producers. The company unveiled the first 2026 Michelin Grape Selection at the Palace of the Dukes of Burgundy in Dijon, now the city hall, according to a Michelin press release published July 7. (michelin.com) Michelin said the rollout marks its first wine selection after decades of rating restaurants and, more recently, hotels. The new system uses a scale that mirrors Michelin’s familiar restaurant-star structure. Michelin said the Burgundy debut recognized 94 estates in total: 9 with Three Grapes, 20 with Two Grapes, 33 with One Grape and 32 more as Selected estates. (guide.michelin.com) ### What exactly is Michelin adding to its guide? Michelin said the Grape distinction is meant to become a reference point for wine production in the way Stars became shorthand for restaurant quality. The company said One, Two and Three Grapes will sit alongside an additional Selected tier for producers chosen for regular review. (michelin.com) The guide’s own definitions track the familiar Michelin hierarchy. Michelin said Three Grapes denotes exceptional producers whose wines can be approached “with complete confidence” regardless of vintage; Two Grapes marks excellent producers noted for quality and consistency; One Grape identifies very good producers making wines of character and style, especially in the best vintages. (michelin.com) ### Why did Michelin start in Burgundy? Burgundy was presented by Michelin as the logical launch point for the project. In its release, Michelin described Burgundy as the place where the modern idea of terroir was born and refined, and said the region’s family-owned estates and long winemaking traditions made it a natural first market. (guide.michelin.com) The July 7 release also tied the inaugural selection to Burgundy’s two signature grapes, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Michelin said the first edition spans estates from the Côte de Nuits, Côte de Beaune and Côte Chalonnaise. (guide.michelin.com) ### How will Michelin judge wine estates? Michelin said the new ratings are based on five universal criteria. Those include quality of agronomy, technical mastery, the identity expressed in the wines, consistency over time and what Michelin described as the emotional impression the wines leave during tasting. (michelin.com) The inspection process differs from Michelin’s anonymous restaurant and hotel model. Michelin said in a February explainer that wine inspectors do not work anonymously; they visit producers officially to evaluate wines at the estate. ### Is this part of a broader Michelin expansion? (michelin.com) Michelin framed Grapes as the next extension of a guide system that already covers restaurants, Bib Gourmand selections and hotel Keys. In a December 2025 article announcing the concept, Michelin said the project would start with Burgundy and Bordeaux. Gwendal Poullennec, international director of the Michelin Guide, said in the Burgundy release that the selection was intended to show that excellence is “not defined solely by the prestige of a name” but also by work in the vineyard and cellar and by the vintner’s personality. (guide.michelin.com 1) (guide.michelin.com 2) ### What comes next after Burgundy? Bordeaux is the next named region in Michelin’s wine rollout. Michelin said in December 2025 that Burgundy and Bordeaux would be the first two regions covered by the Grape project. The Burgundy selection is already live through Michelin’s guide ecosystem, which the company says now operates through its website and app in more than 140 countries. (guide.michelin.com) Michelin has not, in the material reviewed here, announced a public date for the first Bordeaux Grape selection. (guide.michelin.com) (michelin.com)