French Wine Regions

Bordeaux Wine Region

2007-03-29T19:59:00.000-07:00

The Bordeaux region of France is the second largest wine-growing area in the world with 284,320 acres under vine, 57 appellations, 9,000 wine-producing châteaux, and 13,000 grape growers. Only the Languedoc wine region with 617,750 acres under vine is larger.

With an annual production of over 700 million bottles Bordeaux produces everything from large quantities of everyday table wine, to the most expensive and prestigious wines in the world. Yet while the reputation of Bordeaux is based upon a few prestigious red and sweet white Sauternes, Bordeaux also produces white wines, rosé wines, and even the sparkling Crémant de Bordeaux.

The major reason for the success of winemaking in the Bordeaux region is the excellent environment for growing vines. The geological foundation of the region is limestone, leading to a soil structure that is heavy in calcium. With the natural paths of the Garonne and the Dordogne rivers to irrigate the land, and an oceanic climate that provides humidity to the atmosphere, an almost perfect environment is created in which grapes can, and do, flourish.

Bordeaux Grapes

Red Bordeaux, which is traditionally known as claret in the United Kingdom, is generally made from a blend of grapes. Permitted grapes are Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec, and Carmenere although the Malbec is very seldom used and Carmenere is now virtually absent in Bordeaux, excluding incorrectly labeled Merlot grapes. White Bordeaux, including the sweet Sauternes, is made from Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, and Muscadelle.

As a very broad generalization, Cabernet Sauvignon dominates the blend in red wines produced in the Médoc. Merlot tends to predominate in Saint Emilion and Pomerol.
In California, red or white wines that use the same grapes as Bordeaux are called Meritage wines.

Bordeaux Wine Region Classification

The Bordeaux wine region is divided into subregions including Saint-Émilion, Pomerol, Médoc, and Graves. In 1855, a classification system, known as The Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855, ranked the wines into five categories according to price. The first growth red wines (four from Médoc and one, Château Haut-Brion, from Graves), are among the most expensive wines in the world.

Bordeaux Wine Region

French Wine Regions - Alsace

2007-02-10T07:14:00.000-08:00

The French Wine Region of Alsace is situated in the northeast of France. It is bordered on the west by the Vosges and on the east by the Rhine which separates it from Germany.

Alsace region had a chaotic shared history between France and Germany. It put the region at the heart of Europe. Strasbourg, the main city of the Alsace region, hosts the European parliament.

Alsace is a lovely French wine region with green hills and medieval villages. The Alsace wine region is one of the most beautiful wine areas in the world!

Alsace wine regions is like a small kingdom unto itself. It has embraced aspects of both French and German cultures. This is not surprising, as the region has changed hands four times in the past few hundred years. Since World War II, however, Alsace has remained French, yet many aspects of winemaking remain German, including the style of bottles used and much of the wine terminology.

You'll enjoy learning more about French Wine Regions.

French Wine Regions

2007-02-08T12:21:00.000-08:00

Welcome to French Wine Regions - great things to know about the wines, the tours, the pictures and more of the wine regions in France.

There are, as you probably know, eight major, distinct wine-producing regions in France. The country side and vineyards where they grow the grapes are quaint and beautiful. The people who produce these famous French wines are very warm, lovely people. Tours of the French wine regions are very popular.

I want to talk about each wine region separately, so I'll post a message about each one soon. Talk to you soon. Your guide to French wines, Greg Purnell