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The Bordeaux region is the most important wine producing region in France and in the world. Bordeaux has about 7,000 chateaux!

Bordeaux wine information
Find all the information on Bordeaux wine region in one page

Bordeaux wine making / Bordeaux history
Vineyards, soil, wine production, grapes in Bordeaux

Wine classification in Bordeaux
Grands Crus Classés (Great Growths) - Saint Emilion - Graves - Crus Bourgeois

Grapes in Bordeaux:

Merlot (50%)
Cabernet-Sauvignon (26%)
Cabernet-Franc (10%)
Sémillon (8%)
Sauvignon (4%)

Wines from Bordeaux
21 appellations in Bordeaux:

The most visited Bordeaux wines are:
1: Saint Emilion
2: Médoc
3: Margaux  

Bordeaux Wine Information

Bordeaux is probably the most well-know wine region in France. Bordeaux counts for one third of the good quality french wine (AOC, crus bourgeois, crus classés).

The wines are so good there that a Bordeaux ranking is needed to classify the best of the best. Some of them are universal: Margaux, Yquem, Pétrus, Cheval Blanc, Haut Brion and all the others. Bordeaux has about 7,000 chateaux !

Wine making in Bordeaux

Bordeaux is one of the most important wine producing regions in the world. One third of the good quality wine in France is coming from Bordeaux.

Wine production in Bordeaux:
Bordeaux is 57 appellations, about 7,000 wine-producing châteaux, and 13,000 wine growers. The large diversity of Bordeaux suggests an equal diversity of soil.

Wine Grapes in Bordeaux:
Most of the grapes grown in the Bordeaux region for red wine are Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc which give vigour, tannin and good keeping qualities, and Merlot which brings softness and suppleness. Merlot is the most planted grape in Bordeaux, covering 50% of the wine region (see chart below)White wines are elaborated mostly from Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon, and sometimes also with Muscadelle.  

Geography of the Bordeaux region

Bordeaux is near the Atlantic coast, in the south west of France. The Bordeaux wine region covers Gironde, an administrative department ( also a river) of the Aquitaine region.

Bordeaux wine takes its name from the region's main city. However you cannot find vineyards in the city itself, the vineyards start at the boundaries of Bordeaux.

The Bordeaux wine region wide spreads 60 miles around the city on the biggest estuary in Europe along 3 rivers (Gironde, Garonne, Dordogne) creating the appropriate setting for wine.

The climate in Bordeaux is generally temperate with a short winter and a high degree of humidity generated by the close proximity of the Atlantic Ocean.

Bordeaux wine history

Wine has been grown in Bordeaux for two thousand years. Most probably vines grew there before the arrival of the Roman in 56 before J.C.. The poet Ausonius wrote about it, a château still bare his name, the "Château Ausone".

At the beginning of the second millennium the Bordeaux region was under English domination. Hundred of boats loaded with barrels of "Claret" left for England. The "Claret" was a light red wine which Englishmen loved, the word is still used to refer to Red Bordeaux

Other regions: Alsace - Burgundy - Champagne - Loire - Provence - Cote Du Rhone - Languedoc - South West - Corsica