1. Bordeaux is big   Bordeaux is almost four times the size of Burgundy and represents 14% of total French wine production. There are 103,200 hectares of vines over 65 different appellations. It is the largest PDO vineyard of France and represents over 1/4 of the AOP vineyard area in France.

Bordeaux, the capital of France’s Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, is synonymous with world-class wine, stunning architecture, and a rich cultural heritage. While many know it as the home of some of the most prestigious vineyards in the world, there’s much more to this historic city and its surrounding region than meets the eye. Its history is deeply intertwined with royalty, international trade, and even egg yolks! Here are five fascinating facts about Bordeaux that might just surprise you.

  Following on from The Wine Scholar Guild’s excellent October Bordeaux wine tour, our locally based Tour Manager, Sarah, is continuing her series of articles about travel tips to Bordeaux. This third blog looks at some of Bordeaux’s top wine-shops. Unlike many other wine regions in the world, the top Bordeaux Châteaux are often not the best place to purchase their wines: they sell mostly through the Place de Bordeaux’s wine négociants and although the Châteaux do sometimes keep back a small percentage of their wines for over the counter sales, this may not be the best place to find good prices and older vintages. So, for these wines, do look at the following wine shops.

There have been moments in my career as a professional winophile where I’ve realized I haven’t retained a bit of information that perhaps I should have learned in grade school had I been paying attention. Everyone needs a refresher once in a while and this series of blog posts aims to fill in possible gaps of knowledge that your grade-school mind may not have realized you would use in your fabulous wine career. Estuary is a term that surfaces a lot when talking about Bordeaux. Though it is often used interchangeably with the word “river,” estuary has a very specific meaning.

Summary:  Beyond Sauternes and Barsac there are eight AOPs for Sweet Bordeaux that frame the Garonne river. Although these AOPs are neighbors, their climatic and geologic nuances result in a complex range of expressions and wine styles from Semillon, Sauvignon, and Muscadelle. Deborah will be presenting the following wines/AOPs geographically starting with the Moelleux which can be

Summary:  Bordeaux is the largest AOC quality wine region in France, and is home to some of the best known names in the world of wine. Its oceanic climate allows the grapes a long, slow growing season that delivers complexity of flavours and long ageing potential in bottle, but also poses challenges in terms of keeping the grapes healthy during the season.

Summary Justin catches up with Bordeaux expert and resident Wendy Narby to discuss the ways the region is reinventing itself past the traditional Cabernet/Merlot blends that have made it so famous. Learn how producers are pushing the boundaries of our expectations in Bordeaux, in a quest to stay relevant to a new generation of enthused wine drinkers seeking quality, value and authenticity. Find out more about our Backroads Bordeaux trip

Summary Sweet Bordeaux wines are undoubtedly some of the finest in the world, but have been chronically unfashionable for a really long time. In this interview we catch up with Wendy Narby who sheds some light on what the future holds for these outstanding wines, and the innovative ways in which producers are evolving their business models to ensure their survival and how they are thriving into the future. About the

Summary:  Bordeaux may serve as a general model for fine-wine regions worldwide, but one Bordeaux institution is little imitated elsewhere: its property classifications.  How and why did these come into being?  How do they differ from one another?  Is it better to leave an original classification unchanged since inception, as the 1855 classification of the

Watch Here You can watch this video in our community space here Summary In this month's Icon Wine Tasting, we're focussed on Left Bank Bordeaux, which of course means taking a look at 1st growth Bordeaux. These wines have been the undisupted champions of the region since long before they were officially classified in

Watch Here You can find this video in our community space here Summary What comes to your mind when you think about Bordeaux? Is it carefully manicured fairytale Chateaux of the left bank? The 1855 classification? The First Growths? These prestigious wines garner much of the attention, but only

Summary:  The system of buying, selling and trading Bordeaux wines through a virtual marketplace known as La Place is unusual and by turns both frustrating and effective. But how does it work, how is it changing today, and what about it is attracting more and more international wines in recent years? Presenter: Jane Anson Jane Anson has lived in Bordeaux since 2003. She is author of Inside Bordeaux (BB&R Publishing 2020, called a ‘category buster’ by Wine

Summary: It's time to shine a light on the dry white wines of Bordeaux. Often overshadowed by the region’s famous reds, these wines deserve more attention. From the polished, subtly oaked Sémillon and Sauvignon blends of Graves to the fresh and vibrant Sauvignon Blancs of Entre-Deux-Mers - and beyond - there is so much to discover.  French Programs Director