If you’re among those who supported “The Classification of Beaujolais,” an enormous thanks once again!
I’ve put together this FAQ to answer some basic questions about the project, its creation, and the usage questions around it. You may have noticed some overt — some might say aggro — copyright and usage information on both print and digital version of the map. So I wanted to provide some answers and a bit more detail.
Who did the mapmaking?
I did. There’s something about the mix of science and art that has drawn me to cartography for a long time, and I studied it at the University of Washington in the early aughts. For this project, I harnessed France’s extraordinary depth of cadastral data, and then did a couple hundred hours of data management and processing. Yes, this is what I do for fun.
Was this sponsored by Inter Beaujolais or other official bodies?
Nope, not at all. In fact, some of my decisions in building the map may not sit so well with the various official trade groups. But then, when have I ever made it my business to make them happy?
There’s one major departure from many Beaujolais maps: It doesn’t show appellation boundaries. Why not?
Because the data I was using was devised prior to the creation of the Beaujolais AC and many of the crus in 1936-37. Indeed, it was devised well before any of the court rulings that framed the crus’ creation, such as the 1923 decision that defined Moulin-à-Vent. The AOCs are remarkable creations, but don’t always align with the earlier understanding of the terroir. Moulin-à-Vent is a good example: Its current expansive boundaries largely were formed thanks to the power of the local growers’ co-op, such that the village of Chénas had many of its best vineyards appropriated.(Historically, “Moulin-à-Vent” defined a much smaller area.)
This isn’t to dismiss the appellation boundaries, as many are very helpful — and you’ll notice the map denotes “cru villages.” But the goal was to depict the state of the art of Beaujolais as it existed during its heyday, and in that era terroir was defined differently.
How do these rankings relate to the plans to create premiers crus in Fleurie, Moulin à Vent and elsewhere?
In fact they largely (but not entirely) overlap! The selection of many of these parcels were based at least in part on similar research. But you’ll find some discrepancies, as with La Madone in Fleurie, which wasn’t considered nearly as important in the 1800s.
Since it will likely be years before these are approved, it didn’t make sense to try and overlay the recent decisions on top of the historic ones.
And how do these relate to the recent soil maps of Beaujolais?
Those are extraordinary — one of the great map tools in the modern wine world! In fact, when you compare those to the cru rankings, you see how much the earlier wine world understood about soil and wine quality. The diversity of soils reflected in those maps mirrors the decisions reflected in this one.
That said, I could have overlayed official geological data on these maps but it was becoming too much data to render in an elegant way.
What does “all rights reserved” mean?
To be fair, it’s a largely obsolete term that is superceded by the copyright notice found on all copies of the map — print and digital — which implies the same rights. However, both mean that the author (i.e., me) retains the sole right to determine who can use the work, and how. No one can reproduce it, distribute it, adapt it, excerpt it, or otherwise share it without express permission.
You mention “personal, non-commercial use.” So, I can’t use it in my wine-related work?
Not at all! In fact it’s very much designed to be used by wine professionals, especially for educational purposes. What that means is that you can’t sell (or resell) it, or rights to it, or use it in a way that would provide direct commercial gain. So, can you use it in a sales presentation? Of course! Can you sell tickets to view it in all its awesomeness? You cannot. Sorry!
Can I put it on my website?
Nope. Sorry! This map is not intended not to be available in a public online space, for reasons explained below. I’m always willing to evaluate specific case-by-case examples, but on balance, it’s meant for private, offline use.
What about other maps that people repost, like the Larmat maps?
Unless they got permission, it’s quite likely they’re violating copyright law! Like, would you post your Kindle text of “Fifty Shades of Grey” on your website? (That question contains multitudes.) In the case of Larmat and other archival maps, it’s unclear when copyright expires/expired but even so, there are limitations on republication. And note the very specific usage limits even on publicly funded maps, like those Beaujolais soil maps. (If you’re really curious about this and can read French, the BnF outlines various rights in exhaustive detail. Same with the Library of Congress.)
But I’m not in the United States.
Copyright and intellectual property protection extends to pretty much every signatory of WTO agreements. If you’re in Pyongyang and planning to sell copies on the street, true, not much I can do about it. (Except applaud you for the audacity, and then query you on how anyone in Pyongyang might possibly afford a bottle of Beaujolais, much less a map.)
Why so tense, guy?
Anyone who wants the full rant about how the internet has degraded copyright and intellectual-property protections is welcome to buy me a beer. But broadly, the protections of copyrighted material has been badly degraded across the internet in general — and the wine industry in particular has a very bad track record of unauthorized reproductions and sharing of source materials, often without attribution. I have, in fact, had to put quotes and citations in my books in ways that make it especially hard to appropriate them without credit.
Why are wine people so bad at this? Beats me. Perhaps because there’s such a tortured relationship between the wine industry and media, and a sense of communal sharing of information among the trade. Which is good, in theory! But it’s also ironic, because this is a product that literally can’t be replicated beyond its finite origins. (Just ask Rudy Kurniawan.) So why should writing and other information about it be subject to any different standards?
tl;dr These are works that were the result of hundreds of hours of work. Respect them the way you’d respect a bottle of Lapierre Cuvée Camille. (But maybe don’t consume them quite as fast!)
Are you planning other regions?
You never know! In fact I did versions of the GIS work for this map to create the maps in THE NEW FRENCH WINE.
If another region with similar rankings appeared, I’d potentially be game. But this is also a very time-consuming hobby. So for now, Beaujolais it is.