Bordeaux

The Bordeaux region is the most famous wine district in France and is located in the south-west area of ​​the same town in the Gironde department, crossed by the Gironde and Dordogne rivers. The estuary of the River Gironde cuts the territory in two halves, drawing a traditional division of the Appellations Regionales between "left bank" and "right bank". It covers an area of ​​about 100 hectares of vineyard and produces 10% of French wine and 26% of AOC wines. There are 34 names of red wines, 23 white wines and 2 rosé wines. The Bordeaux region borders the Atlantic Ocean and has a maritime climate, with hot summers and mild winters. Its reputation as a great wine-growing region is based on its legendary red wines produced by the Chateaux historians. Viticulture has been practiced on a large scale since the 17th century when Dutch engineers were called to reclaim the marshes of Medoc and Graves. Bordeaux's wines were first made in 1855, at the time of the Second Empire of Louis Napoleon Bonaparte, during the Universal Show. The organizers asked the Chamber of Commerce to create a classification of their wines to be presented at the exhibition. The Chamber of Commerce entrusts the task to the Bordeaux wine brokers. They selected 61 red wines, 60 Medoc and one of the Graves, which were divided into 5 categories corresponding to the crus. Four Premiers Crus Classè are distinguished for the red Bordeaux: Chateau Lafitte, Chateau Latour, Chateau Margaux, Chateau Haut-Brion (in 1971 Chateau Mouton-Rotschind), 14 Seconds crus, 14 Troisième crus, 10 Quatrièmes crus and 18 Cinquième crus. In 1958 the wines of the Saint-Emilion area were divided into: Premier Grand Cru Classes, Grand Cru Classes and Grand Crus. In 1932 a group of Medoc producers, whose wines were not included in the previous classification, obtained their specific legal classification, Cru Bourgeois.The wines are considered a little less noble than the Grands Crus Classè wines, although open as always, some of them are better than the last of the high class. Today they have the right to mention Cru Bourgeois 247 Chateaux. Bordeaux wines are almost always produced by a mixture consisting of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot for reds, and Semillion, Sauvignon and Muscadelle for white wines. On the left bank of the Gironde, where the soil consists mainly of gravel, we find from north to south the districts of: Haut-medoc, Medoc, St. Estèphe, Pauillac, St. Julien, Listrac-Médoc, Moulis and Margeaux. Here the produced wines have a higher percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon and are classed with aromas of purple, cassis, coffee and spices. On the right bank (composed mainly of clay), known as the Libournas district, there are the denominations of St Emilion and Pomerol. Here is the merlot to dominate and the wines are velvety with very soft tannins. The wonderful Petrus and Cheval Blanc are produced in this area. To the south of Bordeaux we find the area of ​​the Graves, Cerons, Sauternes and Barsac. The area is famous for its sweet meditation and dessert wines obtained from Sauvignon, Semillion and Muscadelle grapes. The grapes are harvested after being affected by the noble mold, which is formed only in particular mesoclimatic conditions. In some vintages the noble mold may not arrive, and then some houses, like the famous Chateau d'Yquem, decide not to produce their Sauternes but use the grapes to make a dry white wine. In this district, in the Pessac area, we find the fifth premier cru Classè, the Chateau Haut-Brion. Bourg and Blaye district between the right bank of the river and the border of the department of Charente-Maritime, where 95% of its production is made of red wines. The Entre-Deux-Mers district is located between the Dordogne and Garonne within the Gironde department. It is the largest district in the Bordeaux region and produces dry white and red wines with excellent value for money.