In the

Bordeaux wine Bordeaux wine (; ) 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 broad estuary called the Gironde; the Gi ...

region there are seven regional '' Appellations d'origine contrôlée'' (AOCs) that may be used throughout the

Gironde Gironde ( , US usually , ; , ) is the largest department in the southwestern French region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. Named after the Gironde estuary, a major waterway, its prefecture is Bordeaux. In 2019, it had a population of 1,623,749.

department. These are Bordeaux Rouge AOC, Bordeaux Supérieur Rouge, Bordeaux Clairet, Bordeaux Rosé, Bordeaux Blanc, a dry white, Bordeaux Supérieur Blanc, a sweet white, and ''Crémant de Bordeaux'', a sparkling méthode traditionnelle wine. The regional appellations together form the largest world-class wine vineyard, making up more than half of the production of the prestigious Bordeaux wine region, and representing more than 55% of all Bordeaux wines consumed in the world.

Bordeaux AOC

Wine style

The entry-level Bordeaux AOC reds are fruity and easy-to-drink, and meant for early consumption rather than cellaring. More ambitious reds are usually sold as Bordeaux Supérieur AOC. Notable exceptions to the general rule of Bordeaux AOC as simpler wines are some dry white wines produced in Médoc and Sauternes, where the production of red and sweet wines dominate. In difference from most of Graves, these areas are not allowed to use any other designation than Bordeaux Blanc AOC for dry white wines. Thus, some very ambitious and expensive dry white wines, such as Château Margaux's ''Pavillon Blanc'' and Château d'Yquem's ''"Y"'' have to be classified as "simple" Bordeaux Blancs. All

rosé A rosé () is a type of wine that incorporates some of the wine color, color from the grape skins, but not enough to qualify it as a red wine. It may be the oldest known type of wine, as it is the most straightforward to make with the Macerati ...

and clairet wines are produced under regional appellations.

Production and area

The vineyard area devoted to the production of Bordeaux AOC wines is approximately , of which are used for red wineBordeaux.com: Bordeaux and Bordeaux Supérieur: Appellations: Bordeaux
, accessed on 1 October 2008 and for white wine.Bordeaux.com: Dry white wine: Appellations: Bordeaux
, accessed on 1 October 2008 Average yearly production is 3,300,000 hectolitres, corresponding to approximately 431 million 75 cl bottles, with 2,300,100 hectolitres of red wine and 304,000 hectolitres of white wine. The maximal authorized yield for Bordeaux AOC is 55 hectoliter per hectare, and the alcohol level of the wine must be between 10 and 13 volume percent. Dry white Bordeaux may not have more than 4 grams per litre of

residual sugar The subjective sweetness of a wine is determined by the interaction of several factors, including the amount of sugar in the wine, but also the relative levels of alcohol, acids, and tannins. Sugars and alcohol enhance a wine's sweetness, while ...

Grape varieties

For red wines, the most planted grape varietals are

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 , the French name for the blackbird, probably a reference to the color ...

and

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 Lebano ...

. As most regional Bordeaux AOC wines are produced on the Right Bank,

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 (wine), Bordeaux style, but can also be vinified alone, as in the Loire (wine), Loire's C ...

is often found in the blend. Winemakers are using more and more

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 ...

, but

Petit Verdot Petit Verdot is a variety of red wine grape, principally used in classic Bordeaux blends. It ripens much later than the other varieties in Bordeaux, often too late, so it fell out of favour in its home region. When it does ripen it adds tannin, ...

is not often seen. For white wines,

Sauvignon blanc Sauvignon blanc () is a green-skinned grape variety that originates from the city of Bordeaux in France. The grape most likely gets its name from the French words ''sauvage'' ("wild") and ''blanc'' ("white") due to its early origins as an ind ...

and

Sémillon Sémillon () is a golden-skinned grape used to make dry and sweet white wines, mostly in French wine, France and Australian wine, Australia. Its thin skin and susceptibility to Botrytis cinerea, botrytis make it dominate the sweet wine region S ...

each represent 42% of the vineyard surface and Muscadelle 9%.

Bordeaux Supérieur Rouge AOC

The Bordeaux Supérieur appellation covers the same geographic area as Bordeaux AOC. However, the wine in this appellation is often produced by single parcels of older vines. Moreover, Bordeaux Supérieur wines must be aged for at least nine months before they can be sold. Just like regular Bordeaux these are blends, with the reds being predominantly

and

with smaller amounts of

and even some Carmenere, such as at Château Damase. For the white wines,

Sauvignon Blanc Sauvignon blanc () is a green-skinned grape variety that originates from the city of Bordeaux in France. The grape most likely gets its name from the French words ''sauvage'' ("wild") and ''blanc'' ("white") due to its early origins as an ind ...

and Semillon are favored with smaller amounts of Muscadelle,

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 Sauvignon Gris. Under the strict guidelines of French appellation law for a Bordeaux to be classified as Supérieur it must come from a vineyard that is planted more densely. There must be 4,500 plants per hectare with a distance of 2.2 meters between rows, compared to 4,000 plants per hectare with a distance of 2.5 meters between rows for regular Bordeaux. This higher density makes it harder for the plants to survive creating stronger deeper roots, and healthier vines for the ones that do. The regulations also stipulate a lower yield, about 10 percent lower per hectare, which allows each vine to maximize the nutrients received by the grapes that have not been pruned. The grapes must also be picked riper at harvest with higher natural sugar levels resulting in 10 percent natural alcohol level -- a slight bit higher than the 9.5 percent for regular Bordeaux. Bordeaux Supérieur can be found anywhere in Bordeaux, but is biased towards the area north of

Saint-Émilion Saint-Émilion (; Gascon dialect, Gascon: ''Sent Milion'') is a Communes of France, commune in the Gironde department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in Southwestern France. In the heart of the country of Libournais (the area around Libourne), in a regio ...

and Pomerol. The result of these differences usually creates a superior wine with a richer and more complex flavor.Bordeaux Superieur
From Vinovin Online, Retrieved April 17, 2015

Production and surface

Yearly production: 489,230 hectolitresBordeaux.com: Bordeaux and Bordeaux Supérieur: Appellations: Bordeaux Supérieur
, accessed on 7 November 2010 Surface :

Bordeaux Clairet AOC

Bordeaux clairet is a generic AOC for the Bordeaux defined as ''" clairet"''. All other appellations in the Bordeaux region, including the most prestigious ones, are entitled to produce under this AOC. Bordeaux clairet is a wine which can either be described as a dark

rosé wine A rosé () is a type of wine that incorporates some of the color from the grape skins, but not enough to qualify it as a red wine. It may be the oldest known type of wine, as it is the most straightforward to make with the skin contact method ...

or a light-coloured

red wine Red wine is a type of wine made from dark-colored grape varieties - (red grapes.) The color of the wine can range from intense violet, typical of young wines, through to brick red for mature wines and brown for older red wines. The juice fro ...

. As there is also a more commonly used ''Bordeaux rosé'' designation, Bordeaux clairet is not simply any rosé from Bordeaux. Bordeaux clairet wines are similar in colour to the wines which were shipped from

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( ; ; Gascon language, Gascon ; ) is a city on the river Garonne in the Gironde Departments of France, department, southwestern France. A port city, it is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the Prefectures in F ...

to England during the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

, known as ''French Claret''. These wines established the fame of Bordeaux as a wine-making region, and led to the (primarily English) practice of referring to Bordeaux as " claret". They are refreshing wines, appreciated because they can be easily enjoyed with picnics or exotic food.

Production and surface

Yearly production is 52,000 hectolitres from 925

hectare The hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100-metre sides (1 hm2), that is, square metres (), and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. ...

s of vineyard surface.Bordeaux.com: Bordeaux and Bordeaux Supérieur: Appellations: Bordeaux Clairet
, accessed on 5 October 2008 Maximum authorized yield is 55 hectolitres per hectare.

Grape varieties

The authorized grape varieties are the same as red Bordeaux AOC although Merlot is the most common of this AOC.

Summary of characteristics

Production requirements and statistics for the various regional AOCs are as follows:

References

{{reflist, 2

Bordeaux AOC

Wine style

Production and area

Grape varieties

Bordeaux Supérieur Rouge AOC

Production and surface

Bordeaux Clairet AOC

Production and surface

Grape varieties

Summary of characteristics

References

See also