Bordeaux - The Region

For many people, the very name Bordeaux conjures up images of grand chateaux and equally grand wines. On a Grape Escape to Bordeaux, you can taste these wines and visit these chateaux; however the region offers much more besides.

At the heart of the region is the vibrant riverside city of Bordeaux. In recent years the city has undergone something of a transformation and the historic buildings have been restored, returning the centre to its former glory. Works on the dockside, so important in the wine trade in former centuries, are also near completion and an ultra modern tram system provides an efficient transport network around the city centre. There is also a superb wine museum which is well worth a visit.

Outside the city, the premium wine regions spread out in almost all directions. Heading north toward the estuary of the Gironde is the Medoc, home to the most famous chateaux of Bordeaux including Margaux, Lafite, Latour and Mouton Rothschild.

To the east, heading up the Dordogne river is the beautiful historic town of St Emilion (classified as a UNESCO world heritage site) with its vineyards and the equally prestigious appellation of Pomerol. To the south of the city are the vineyards of the Graves and beyond these, the rolling slopes of Sauternes.

Bordeaux - The Wines

The Bordeaux region produces such a diversity of wines that there is certain to be a wine to suit most drinkers. In the Medoc, the grand wines of St Estephe, Pauillac, St Julien and Margaux are dominated by the power of the Cabernet Sauvignon grape variety while the vineyards of Pomerol and St Emilion produce softer wines dominated by the richness of the Merlot. In the Graves they produce quality red wines based on Cabernet and Merlot and premium dry white wines based on Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc. In Sauternes, it is the noble rot, Botrytis Cinerea, that afflicts the Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc grapes to produce the intense sweet wines of this appellation.