Beautiful Bordeaux!

Despite the explosion of New World wines out there, no one country or region has managed to snatch the title of "World's Most Emminent Wine Region" that Bordeaux holds tightly in its grasp. It is the red wines of Bordeaux, (formerly called "Claret" by the poms for centuries), that have set the standards for quality wine the world over.

That's not to say that all of them are exciting ... there are the vin ordinaires for the princely sum of a few euros, and only the backpackers are thankful for those ... But the true Bordeaux red rewards those with patience, and offers a challenge not for the faint-hearted. Opening these wines too early is a waste, as is opening them in the middle of their maturity, or too late.

Big Bordeaux are tannic and tight for the first 5 or 6 years, holding back the blackcurrant or plum flavours of the signature Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot. Then strangely, they seem to slump - becoming flat and lifeless for the next few years, before taking on a new depth of complexity, aromas and fruit.

Probably Bordeaux' biggest enemy is itself. It's out of control in terms of ... err, control.

In an area of 123,000ha under vine, there are 10,200 growers, 35,000 Chateaux, 400 Distributors and 100 Brokers. One out of every six people in Bordeaux work in the wine industry.

Stats (at time of my visit - late 2006) held that 790,000 bottles are produced every year to reach a market value of €3,000,000,000. 90% of these are red - Merlot, Cab Franc, Cab Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, and 10% white - Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc, Muscadelle, Ugni Blanc, Colombard.

Harvest in Bordeaux is determined by chemical analysis. What they're looking for from grapes is 220 g/ltr sugar, 12.5 Baume - min level as per AOC. Bordeaux reds must be fermented dry, and the use of tartaric acid addition is prohibited.

There are a whopping 57 appellations within this region, telling growers what to grow, how to grow it, how much to grow ...

In 2007, a new appellation "Côtes de Bordeaux" was introduced. This encompasses an area of the right bank of the Garonne river, from Saint Maixant and Cadillac to the city of Bordeaux, and in short paves the way for lower value wines to use oak chips during production. All these sub-regions are located on the right bank, and all currently produce easy-gowing, fruit-driven, primarily Merlot-based wines, 85% of which are reportedly consumed locally.

Bordeaux wines reflect terroir

They're not allowed to irrigate in Bordeaux. Underground water supplies keep them alive, but also provide sediment to feed the vines - which helps the grapes and resulting wines take on the characters of the soils, which are actually quite poor.

Bordeaux wines are named after their location. So you won't see the names of the grapes used in a wine on the label.

They divide the Bordeaux region between the left and right banks of the Gironde Estuary, which continues divided between the Garonne and Dordogne tributaries.

On the hilly right bank the soil is primarily clay and limestone - suitable for fruit-forward, lower tannin Merlot. These cooler soils slow down the ripening stage (avoiding August heat and rain), and budburst (avoiding April frosts).

The right bank encompasses Côtes de Blaye and Bourg to the north, and St Emilion, Pomerol, Lalande-de-Pomerol, Fronsac, Canon-Fronsac, Côtes de Castillon and Francs divided from Entre-deux-Mers by the Dordogne.

The left bank is more sandy, and has pebbles to absorb heat during the day, for distribution during the nights. It is a continuation of the sedimentary Acquitaine Basin; lowlands boundaried by Gironde Arch, the Pyrenean mountain chain, and the Bay of Biscal. This is big, tannic Cabernet Sauvignon territory, producing wines with pronounced blackcurrant and cassis flavours.

The left bank is home to five major communes of Saint-Estephe, Pauillac, Saint-Julien, Margaux and Graves. Located here are the five esteemed First Growth Chateaux: Chateau Latour, Chateau Lafite-Rothschild, Chateau Mouton-Rothschild, Chateau Margaux and Chateau Haut-Brion. Further north we find the Médoc, and in the hinterland we find the Haut-Médoc. Alas, poor Médoc doesn't get a mention on Grand Cru labels, however Haut-Médoc does.

I must add here that the above is not an exhaustive list of all vignobles Bordelais but quite frankly this page is getting too long, and I haven't talked about Cellar Door visiting yet ... such is the complexity of Bordeaux!

Visiting Cellar Door

After my dissappointing visit to Provence, Bordeaux was a breath of fresh air in terms of wine tourism. This surprised me, as if any French wine region has earned the right to rest on its laurels and remain aloof, it would have to be Bordeaux.

The city of Bordeaux is a wanderer's paradise.

Ride the huge ferris wheel on Esplanade des Quinconces for a great aerial view of the city, and yes, the walk to Palais Gallien is worth the look at the Roman ruins which once stood well beyond the boundaries of the city.

For a quick lesson in class distinction, walk the entire length of Europe's longest shopping strip, Rue St Catherine, from Place de la Comedie to Place de la Victoire.

Anyway ... back to those vineyards. I booked bus tours of Côtes de Blaye and Bourg, Medoc and St Emillion. Our tour guides were very knowledgeable (although displayed almost venemous bias against New World wine countries), and although I spent most of the tour itching to get out of the bus, inside it was very comfortable.

Without a doubt, the tour to St Emilion was my favourite. Not only do you stop to view vineyards, but the tour also takes you on a walk through the township, including an inside guided tour of the church and the quarters of the Saint himself.

The church is carved into a sandstone cliff, meaning you actually go underground. I was fascinated by the discovery of evidence of a link between christianity and the horoscope; with zodiac symbols carved into the walls and cieling of the magnificent underground cathedral.

Also easily viewed are the crypts housing the remains of church elders through the ages ... some of the bones still on show ... gruesome, but interesting!

Whilst in Bordeaux, I attended wine-tasting education at the L’Ecole du vin du CIVB Wine School opposite the tourism office. Details of classes are available at reception, and in most cases you'll find they will fit you into a class that interests you.

Even if you don't want to sit in on a class (but why wouldn't you!?), the stained-glass windows on the ground floor are worth a look.

A personal highlight for me during my touring of Bordeaux's wine regions was visiting Château Prieuré-Lichine in Margaux. If the emphasis is lost on you, then you don't know who Alex Lichine was. I won't repeat what Wikipedia can already tell you, so have a look there for information on him. One of my very first wine books in my collection was his Encyclopedia of Wines & Spirits.

I was ecstatic to learn that he is buried right out there in the vineyards he poured himself into. No, they wouldn't show me exactly ...