The majority of the world might remain in lockdown amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, but for some industries life must continue as normal, such as for ‘fine wine’. Whilst the rest of the world locks down, in Bordeaux – the fine wine capital of the world – producers are hard at work preparing their crops for the next season.

Geography

A port city on the Garonne River in southwestern France, Bordeaux is renowned globally for its famous wine-growing regions. A river runs directly through the region, and on the West side sits Gironde and Garonne. Typically, these regions are known for wines such as Sauvignon. On the East side of the river nestles Dordogne, known primarily for Merlot.

In total, Bordeaux has 57 grape-growing regions making it the biggest wine producer in France. Originally made famous for its popularity with kings, nowadays, Bordeaux and its chateaus are popular tourist attractions.

The Wines

As one of the biggest wine-makers in the world, you might expect Bordeaux to produce a diverse range of different type of wines. However, more than 90% of the wine produced here is actually red, with the region specifically producing Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec and Carménère.

Having said this, in 2019 Bordeaux’s regulatory body approved four additional dark grape varieties to add to the list: Marselan, Touriga Nacional, Castets, and Arinarnoa.

Bordeaux’s First Growth wines (the term for a wine made specifically made in Bordeaux) are made by blending 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Cabernet Franc and 15% Merlot. In contrast, the White Bordeaux is made from Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc and Muscadelle. 

The History

Bordeaux’s wine-making history stretches back over many centuries. In 1855, the Association of Bordeaux Wine Merchants established official classification and certification of the wines after Emperor Napoleon III requested that they do so.

Ranking the wines from First Growths to Fifth Growths, the merchants evaluated market prices based on an evaluation of the previous years. They noticed that red wines which made the list came from the Médoc region, except for one: Château Haut-Brion from Graves.

Since this original classification in 1855, there have only been two changes. In 1856, Château Cantemerle was added as a Fifth Growth and in 1973, Château Mouton Rothschild was promoted from Second Growth to the elite First Growth classification. The latter change is a wine much loved and highly ranked by Charles Winn and its customers.

Château Margaux

Global flavour

It didn’t take long for the popularity of Bordeaux wine to grow all over the world. After King Henry II’s marriage to Eleanor of Aquitaine in 1152, an interest in wine from the Bordeaux region was prompted in England.

The marriage established the province of Aquitaine within France and England, and a new dark rosé wine was created, called ‘Claret’. This wine soon became the most common wine to be exported to Britain.

After the battle of Castillion in 1453, the Aquitaine region returned to the French. Since then, the word ‘Claret’ became anglicised and is still widely used today, due to the global popularity of the wine.

The exterior of the château