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Côtes de Bourg is an ''
Historians date the first vineyards from the 2nd century AD, when the Roman occupants planted the first “Vitis Biturica”. They understood that the combination of rich soil, climate and exposition of the east bank were ideal for cultivating the grape. Until the 9th century, the wine trade operated alongside the tin trade which in turn complemented quarrying. Nowadays, the area has many abandoned limestone quarries that provided stone for building the city of Bordeaux. All of this makes up the history of the growth of winemaking in the area since the appellation has a range of gravel, alluvium, clay and limestone soils.E. McCarthy & M. Ewing-Mulligan ''"French Wine for Dummies"'' pg 64-65 Wiley Publishing 2001
Red Côtes de Bourg are garnet in colour and are predominantly based on the
The vine has been established in le Bourgeais for centuries and the current varieties have been selected because of their performance in relation to the soil. The Côtes de Bourg are characterized by the diversity and richness of their soils.
Although the Côtes de Bourg is composed of mainly clay and limestone soils, their make-up is so rich that there is a veritable mosaic of sand and gravel in the area around Pugnac. Three types are predominant. Firstly, the Sienna-red Quaternary alluvium that is quite specific to the region and situated more on the heights: Merlot and Malbec are widely cultivated. Merlot and Cabernet are planted on clay and sandy gravel soils while Merlot is also grown on the widespread areas of clay and limestone.
The Atlantic Ocean plays an important role in the temperate climate of le Bourgeais and this accentuates the expression of terroir, aided by the regulation of temperatures by the effects of the Gironde estuary. According to scientists, especially Jean Duteau, the Côtes de Bourg benefits from 10% additional sunlight, 1° to 2° less extreme temperatures and a 10% to 25% lower rainfall depending on the year, in comparison with Bordeaux.
Image:bourgVille.jpg, Bourg sur Gironde
Image:Bourg_mausolee.jpg, Bourg mausolee
Image:Chateau_cotes_bourg3.jpg, Bourg Chateau
Image:VignobleCotesDeBourg.jpg, Bourg vineyard
Côtes de Bourg is an ''Appellation d'origine contrôlée
An appellation is a legally defined and protected geographical indication primarily used to identify where the grapes for a wine were grown, although other types of food often have appellations as well. Restrictions other than geographical bo ...
'' (AOC) for Bordeaux wine
Bordeaux wine ( oc, vin de Bordèu, french: vin de Bordeaux) is produced in the Bordeaux region of southwest France, around the city of Bordeaux, on the Garonne River. To the north of the city the Dordogne River joins the Garonne forming the b ...
situated around the small town of Bourg-sur-Gironde
Bourg (; oc, Borg), also informally known as ''Bourg-sur-Gironde'', is a commune in the Gironde department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France. It is part of the Côtes de Bourg wine region. Bourg originated as a fortified villa built ...
near Bordeaux
Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture ...
, France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...
. The first vineyard
A vineyard (; also ) is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice. The science, practice and study of vineyard production is known as viticulture. Vine ...
s in the area were founded by the Romans. In the Middle Ages, Bourg was a major port for wine and the vineyards developed at the same tempo as the estuary traffic. The Côtes de Bourg appellation, in the north of the patchwork of Bordeaux wines, took its first steps on the east bank of the Gironde. At the time, the inhabitants of Bourg were fishermen, sailors or winemakers and the latter benefited from the perfect combination of a commercially minded town and a soil made for the vine.
History
Historians date the first vineyards from the 2nd century AD, when the Roman occupants planted the first “Vitis Biturica”. They understood that the combination of rich soil, climate and exposition of the east bank were ideal for cultivating the grape. Until the 9th century, the wine trade operated alongside the tin trade which in turn complemented quarrying. Nowadays, the area has many abandoned limestone quarries that provided stone for building the city of Bordeaux. All of this makes up the history of the growth of winemaking in the area since the appellation has a range of gravel, alluvium, clay and limestone soils.E. McCarthy & M. Ewing-Mulligan ''"French Wine for Dummies"'' pg 64-65 Wiley Publishing 2001
Geography
Bourg is located north-west ofBordeaux
Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture ...
, at the confluence of the rivers Dordogne and Garrone with an average altitude of 20 m above sea level.
Wine
Red Côtes de Bourg are garnet in colour and are predominantly based on the Merlot
Merlot is a dark blue–colored wine grape variety, that is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines. The name ''Merlot'' is thought to be a diminutive of ''merle'', the French name for the blackbird, probably a reference to t ...
grape, blended with smaller quantities of Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon () is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates from Australia and British Columbia, Canada to Leban ...
and Cabernet Franc
Cabernet Franc is one of the major black grape varieties worldwide. It is principally grown for blending with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in the Bordeaux style, but can also be vinified alone, as in the Loire's Chinon. In addition to being use ...
. Some Chateaux still use Malbec
Malbec () is a purple grape variety used in making red wine. The grapes tend to have an inky dark color and robust tannins, and are known as one of the six grapes allowed in the blend of red Bordeaux wine. In France, plantations of Malbec are n ...
as part of the blend.
A small amount of white wine is made from Semillon, Sauvignon blanc
is a green-skinned grape variety that originates from the Bordeaux region of France. The grape most likely gets its name from the French words ''sauvage'' ("wild") and ''blanc'' ("white") due to its early origins as an indigenous grape in ...
, Muscadelle
Muscadelle is a white wine grape variety. It has a simple aroma of grape juice and raisins like grapes of the Muscat family of grapes, but it is unrelated.
DNA analysis has indicated that Muscadelle is a cross between Gouais blanc and an unide ...
, Merlot blanc, Ugni blanc
Trebbiano is an Italian wine grape, one of the most widely planted grape varieties in the world. It gives good yields, but tends to yield undistinguished wine. It can be fresh and fruity, but does not keep long. Also known as ugni blanc, it ...
and Colombard
Colombard (also known as French Colombard in North America) is a white French wine grape variety that is the offspring of Chenin blanc and Gouais blanc.winepros.com.au. This makes the grape the sibling of the Armagnac Meslier-Saint-Françoi ...
grapes.P. Saunders ''Wine Label Language'' pgs 63 Firefly Books 2004 There are around 200 Chateaux producers in the appellation.
Terroir
The vine has been established in le Bourgeais for centuries and the current varieties have been selected because of their performance in relation to the soil. The Côtes de Bourg are characterized by the diversity and richness of their soils.
Although the Côtes de Bourg is composed of mainly clay and limestone soils, their make-up is so rich that there is a veritable mosaic of sand and gravel in the area around Pugnac. Three types are predominant. Firstly, the Sienna-red Quaternary alluvium that is quite specific to the region and situated more on the heights: Merlot and Malbec are widely cultivated. Merlot and Cabernet are planted on clay and sandy gravel soils while Merlot is also grown on the widespread areas of clay and limestone.
The Atlantic Ocean plays an important role in the temperate climate of le Bourgeais and this accentuates the expression of terroir, aided by the regulation of temperatures by the effects of the Gironde estuary. According to scientists, especially Jean Duteau, the Côtes de Bourg benefits from 10% additional sunlight, 1° to 2° less extreme temperatures and a 10% to 25% lower rainfall depending on the year, in comparison with Bordeaux.
Gallery
References
External links
*http://www.cotes-de-bourg.com Maison du vin Bourg *https://web.archive.org/web/20080711053711/http://www.mairie-bourg-gironde.fr/ *https://web.archive.org/web/20080704165256/http://bourg-sur-gironde.com/ {{DEFAULTSORT:Cotes De Bourg Bordeaux AOCs