The Wines & Vineyards of Bordeaux, France

When the Bordeaux is mentioned, most people automatically think of wine (and rightfully so.) Bordeaux wines have earned worldwide reputations for being a little extra special. I Bordeaux wines more than wines from other regions because of the flavor that is embodied in each bottle.

Wine from Bordeaux is famous for its rich flavor, beautiful coloring, and prestige. By French law, any wine called that hails a regions name (such as Bordeaux,) must actually be produced in the region. Luckily, with over 10,000 producers using grapes from over 13,000 growers in the Bordeaux region alone, there is no shortage of Bordeaux wine.

Within the Bordeaux region, there are many winemakers that offer winetasting tours. When visiting each of these sub-regions, it's a good idea to check ahead of time in order to get the chance to visit wineries and vineyards that offer winetasting tours as this is the best way to experience the wine of Bordeaux. Below are the major wine sub-regions of Bordeaux and what each area offers to the wine world.

The Médoc wine region is located in the northern part of Bordeaux. Médoc, located in the département of Gironde, is known for its full, fruity, red Bordeaux wines. It is divided into two parts with Haut-Médoc in the south and the northern part which is simply referred to as Médoc. Some of my favorite Bordeaux wines come from the Médoc region. These wines include Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Blanc, and Merlot. If you’ve ever been in the Médoc region, you would also know that this region is famous for its wonderful Roquefort cheese.

Saint-Émilion is the oldest wine region of Bordeaux as vineyards were being planted here as early as the second century. This area is home to beautiful architecture and beautiful rolling land. Although, Saint-Émilion is the oldest wine region in Bordeaux, it wasn’t officially added to the Bordeaux wine classification until 1955. Saint-Émilion is famous for its beautiful convent cloister as well as its delicately flavored Reblochon cheese.

Although Pomerol is the smallest wine region of Bordeaux, it is actually one of the most important. There aren’t many wine “big wigs” in the Pomerol region, but the wine from Pomerol is strong and full-bodied. The wine-making in Pomerol is mainly a family business and there are no formal rankings for wines from this region as in other parts of Bordeaux, but the wine is no less worthy of its pricing. Wines here are high in quality and thus sold at similar prices as other wines from Bordeaux. There are also many vineyards in the Pomerol area that offer winetasting which allows for an unforgettable experience.

Graves is also one of the oldest wine-making areas of Bordeaux. The Graves name hails from the large amount of gravel in the soil composition. This region is actually famous for this! Because of the gravel, the grapes here often ripen more quickly than the grapes in other regions of Bordeaux. Why? You may be surprised that it's not actually the minerals in the soil that does this -- it's that the sun reflects off the gravel onto the underside of the grape vine allowing sunlight to the whole plant. This makes for some fantastic wine which can be experienced by simply buying a bottle or by going winetasting at one of the several wineries in this area. Another reason that Graves is such a famous region in Bordeaux that the area produces all three of the major Bordeaux wines.

Within the Graves region is the Sauternes sub-region which has to be mentioned. Sauternes is known for producing dry white wines and sweet white wines. This is refreshing change to the massive amounts of red wines produced in Bordeaux. Sauternes wines are made from grapes with noble rot. Noble rot causes grapes to have a slight raisin effect which makes the wines of Sauternes very rich in flavor. Since there are many different soil types in Sauternes, each winery creates a distinct wine.

With the amazing popularity of wines from Bordeaux, it’s almost a sin to pass through Bordeaux without visiting a winery or at least picking up a bottle of wine at a shop. For wine-lovers, a wine tour is almost required. For those who aren’t too into wine, Bordeaux is famous for many other gastronomic favorites such as Roquefort cheese, honey, and foie gras. The scenery of Bordeaux is unbeatable, too!