As I’ve said before about France, its systems have been copied around the world. This is particularly true for red wine in Bordeaux. Not all red wine in Bordeaux is high quality, which is reflective of the different choices available to winemakers, many of which will affect the final price.
Grape Selection
If you don’t take into [...]
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Bordeaux vineyards are usually densely planted with vines trained low to the ground to benefit from reflected heat off the gravel soil below. The elite Chateaux keep their vines at a high age by carefully planning their planting cycles. Machine harvesting is widely used now in Bordeaux. The exception to this is the botrytized sweet [...]
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Almost every single red wine produced in Bordeaux is a blend of several grape varieties. This is in part because of the varying climate. Different grapes react differently to changes in weather: some may have thick skins that are more resistant to rot, while some others might ripen earlier or later in the season. The [...]
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Close to the rivers of Bordeaux, there is a band of alluvial soil, which is much too rich in nutrients to produce great wine. Only the lowest appellations are grown here. The best wine from bordeaux is grown on gravel, overlying a subsoil of marl, which allows water to drain through, giving the vines that [...]
Continue reading about Bordeaux Soil and Topography
Bordeaux is located at 45° latitude, which is fairly far north for wine growing. During the ripening season, the grapes receive a great deal of sunshine. The relatively cold climate is moderated somewhat by the maritime climate. Because of this, frost is normally not an issue. The area is also prone to high humidity due [...]
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In Bordeaux, vineyards are known by estate, or Chateau. The word in this case does not refer to an actual castle, although there are a few famous vineyards that do have an actual castle somewhere on the premises, and there will often be a picture of one on the label. The Chateau name is more [...]
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Bordeaux is one of the oldest wine regions in the world. It was an important town during Roman times, and became known for producing excellent wines in the Middle Ages. In the 18th century, the style of Bordeaux wines as we know them today was shipped as contraband to England, and called “New French Claret.”
While [...]
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As you might have noticed so far in this blog, and in general, France gets talked about a lot when it comes to wine. The Italians might have some issues with this, but the basic reason for that is that all of winemaking is mostly based on the French system. Almost every style of wine [...]
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In addition to the quality wines, France also has two classes of Table wine,: Vins de Pays, and Vins de Table.
Vins de Pays represents about 20 percent France’s wine production. It comes primarily from the areas bordering Belgium, Spain, and Italy. There are 4 important areas:
Vin de Pays d’Oc. This is the most important area, [...]
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French laws divide wines into two different categories of quality wine: Appelation d’Origine Contrôlée and Vins Délimités de Qualité Supérieure.
Appelation d’Origine Contrôlée:
This designation is abbreviated AC or AOC, and it refers to a specific area within a wine region. Every major wine region in France handles its AC laws a bit differently, which can make [...]
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