The region - BORDEAUX - le Bordelais terrior
Situated in southwest France and located halfway between the North pole and the equator, the
Bordeaux wine region stretches from the Atlantic Ocean along the Gironde Estuary and follows
the Dordogne and Gironde rivers inland being over 200 kilometres. Presently 120,000 hectares
are in vines making it the second biggest wine region in the world behind the Languedoc.
Over 700 million bottles of Bordeaux wine are produced every year, ranging from large quantities
of everyday table wine, to the most expensive and prestigious wines in the world with one third
of all the good quality wine in France coming from the region. Bordeaux wine is made in 9,000
wineries called “châteaux” from the grapes of 13,000 grape growers. There are 57 appellations
of Bordeaux wine.
The soil of Bordeaux come from limestone geographical structures and are heavy in calcium.
The is composed of gravel, sandy stone, and clay. The region's best vineyards are located on
the well drained gravel soils that are frequently found near the Gironde river.
Most of the grapes grown in the Bordeaux region are for red wine being Cabernet Sauvignon and
Merlot along with some Cabernet Franc. Merlot is the most planted grape in Bordeaux, covering
50% of the wine region. Bordeaux white wine grapes make up less than 10% of vines and are
Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon, along with some Muscadelle.
Wineries all over the world aspire to making wines in a Bordeaux style with a special blend
of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, but what they do not have is the magical
ingredient; the terrior. So come and savour the wine in its own environment; the Bordeaux
wine region.
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