The Michelin Guide has announced the introduction of the “Michelin Grapes”, a new rating system dedicated to wineries. From 2026, the Wine Selection will assign from one to three bunches based five technical criteria, with a debut per mezzo di France and future international extension.
Great anticipation to understand what will happen
La Rossa takes a long-awaited step and formalizes its entry into the wine sector. From 2026 the French brand will introduce the Michelin Grapes, a new recognition system intended for wineries, which will join the stars dedicated to restaurants and the keys reserved for hotels. It will be an evaluation of one to three bunches and will form the basis of the Wine Selection, the project which will debut per mezzo di Burgundy and Bordeaux and then expand to the main global production territories.
The initiative arrives per mezzo di a complex phase for the wine sector, marked by drops per mezzo di production and contractions per mezzo di consumption, but confirms Michelin’s desire to extend its classification system to a new strategic terreno. The company explains that the bunches will be attributed to the cellars according to five parameters:
quality of agronomy, technical mastery, territorial identity, overall harmony, coherence over time.
The criteria reflect an approach that aims to enhance the agronomic work and the recognisability of the terroir, going beyond the logic of just the esecuzione of the vintage.
According to Gwendal Poullennec, international director of the Michelin Guide, the new system aims to offer a clear reference to both the enthusiast public and professionals. The evaluation will not only reward companies with the best practices per mezzo di the vineyard and cellar, but also the places that represent a cultural and productive heritage rooted per mezzo di the territory.
The three levels will follow a hierarchy already tested per mezzo di catering: three clusters will indicate companies considered exemplary per mezzo di each year, two clusters will indicate producers with a constant and recognizable level within their region, while one cluster will be attributed to companies judged to be solid and capable of expressing a defined style. The wineries selected without assigning bunches will still enter the Wine Selection as reliable producers.
The debut will take place per mezzo di France, with particular attention to Burgundy and Bordeaux, areas considered strategic both for the market and for international communication. The company has not announced dates for the inclusion of Italy, but the relevance of the national production districts suggests a rapid extension to the Italian context as well.
The project also raises questions about the role of The Wine Advocate, the historic magazine founded by Robert Parker and acquired per mezzo di recent years by the Michelin group. Risposta negativa changes have been announced, but it remains to be seen whether, per mezzo di the medium term, the system of points per mezzo di hundredths will continue to coexist with the new bunch model.
With the Wine Selection, the Michelin Guide aims to create a global repertoire of wineries that stand out for quality and production consistency, building a common and recognizable evaluation language, destined to influence the way per mezzo di which the public perceives and chooses wine per mezzo di the coming years.
