Thousands of wine lovers have pledged their support to Burgundy's application to become an UNESCO World Heritage Site, which took a step forward after the French Ministry of Ecology and Culture agreed to include the region on the July 2013 listing submission.

While the owners of the region's most prestigious estates, which include Domaine de la Romanee-Conti, Domaine Leflaive and Puligny Montrachet, continue to await a final decision by the World Heritage Committee members, support for the Burgundy application continues to gather apace.

Aubert de Villaine, president of the association behind the UNESCO bid and co-owner of Romanee-Conti, welcomed the backing by around 40,000 supporters. He claimed this recognition is not just an affirmation of the region's fame and the popularity of its wine, but also of the rich cultural history of Burgundy.

He has already indicated that approval will significantly boost tourism, predicting last month that visitor numbers could improve by 30 per cent if the bid is successful. Burgundy is targeting recognition of the climats, or plots for the vines, recognised by UNESCO.

There is nothing particularly revolutionary about this bid. The vines of St Emilion in Bordeaux already number among the 37 French sites which currently enjoy UNESCO status.

Bid support chairman Bernard Pivot is under no illusions that recognition by UNESCO serves a dual purpose - to distinguish universally renowned wines and the unique soil that so many vintners owe their livelihood to.

The UNESCO bid is another example of Burgundy estates working in collaboration with each other for a combined goal - something Louis Latour has been keen to promote recently.

An ongoing project, known as Paysage de Corton, aims to focus estate owners on mutually beneficial goals, such as working to promote biodiversity and vineyard management.