Monthly Specials September

Bordeaux – one of the most famous wine regions in the world

Often when I think of the ideal vineyard my mind conjures up rugged, sun-baked mountain sides (think Andes or Pyrenees) with stone terraces and vines running horizontally , or pretty rows of vines running directly up the hill to a woodland brow (Burgundy, Alsace, Eden Valley).

With Bordeaux though, one of the largest and most important quality wine regions in the world, you will be hard pressed to find such a scene. The Médoc peninsular, which extends north from Bordeaux city, flanked by the Gironde estuary and the Atlantic ocean, reaches a derisory 45m above sea level at its peak the highest point of the more picturesque Saint-Emilion barely reaches 100m. Although the region enjoys sun and some warm weather it is dominated by its maritime climate, keeping it cooler in summer and warmer in winter than more continental vineyard regions.

In fact, it is Bordeaux’s lack of dramatic landscape and extremes of weather that made it the Goldilocks of all wine regions, with everything required in terms of rainfall, sunshine, soils and proximity to a major city to make it just right. With the chief grape varieties of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc so widely exported and planted around the world there is still no other place that can replicate the conditions that make Bordeaux capable of producing such scintillating, flavourful, rich yet elegant wines, be they white or red.

And what a city Bordeaux has become! Former prime minister Alain Jupé became mayor of Bordeaux after leaving office and set about transforming the fortunes of France’s 4^th largest city. It is now a radiant beauty set on the banks of the Garonne river and an excellent destination for a ‘city break with added benefits’ as both the city and surrounding vineyards make a compelling offer.