🥃 Cassis de Bourgogne

Cassis de Bourgogne is a French geographical indication for blackcurrant cream liqueur (crème de cassis). The berries are grown and macerated, and the liqueur is made, in the eastern part of the Côte-d'Or and Saône-et-Loire departments. The finished drink contains at least 450 g/l of sugar and 15 to 25% vol.

Protected name. The name was listed in Annex III of Regulation (EC) No 110/2008 under "crème de cassis"; the current specification was approved by an order of 1 July 2025. General EU rules for crème de cassis require at least 400 g/l of sugar and 15% vol., so the Burgundy sugar requirement is stricter. No additional wording may accompany the GI name.

Berries and production. The main varieties are Noir de Bourgogne and its pollinator Royal de Naples: at least 250 g of their berries per litre of liqueur; the secondary varieties Blackdown, Andega and Andorine may account for no more than 200 g/l. The berries are macerated in alcohol of agricultural origin for at least three weeks, the infusion has 25% vol. or more, and the sugar is dissolved without heating. Flavourings, blackcurrant buds, raspberries and redcurrants are prohibited.

History. In 1841 the liqueur makers Lagoutte and Joly produced the first 4 hectolitres of blackcurrant liqueur in Dijon, and by 1844 already 250. In 1875 the Côte-d'Or counted 2.3 million bushes. The name "cassis de Bourgogne" is recorded from 1856, and the Noir de Bourgogne variety got its name in the 1920s. The liqueur is linked to Canon Kir, mayor of Dijon, after whom the kir aperitif is named.

Why it matters to you. The GI name guarantees local berries and varieties, but not less sweetness: each litre contains at least 450 g of sugar. A kir made to the IBA recipe needs just 10 ml of the liqueur. This is alcohol of up to 25% vol. The WHO reminds us that there is no safe dose of alcohol.