Bordeaux and Bordeaux Supérieurs
AOC Bordeaux, 39023 hectares
AOC Bordeaux Supérieur, 9215 hectares
AOC Bordeaux Clairet et Rosé, 1611 hectares

The five Côtes de Bordeaux
AOC Premières Côtes de Blaye, 3034 hectares
AOC Premières Côtes de Bordeaux, 3765 hectares
AOC Côte de Bourg, 2925 hectares
AOC Côte de Castillon, 471 hectares
AOC Côte de Francs, 446 hectares
AOC Graves de Vayres, 9050 hectares

Saint-Emilion, Pomerol and Fronsac
AOC Canon-Fronsac, 302 hectares
AOC Fronsac, 824 hectares
AOC Lalande-de-Pommerol, 1111 hectares
AOC Lussac-Saint-Emilion, 1428 hectares
AOC Montagne Saint-Emilion, 1565 hectares
AOC Pommerol, 784 hectares
AOC Puisseguin-Saint-Emilion, 736 hectares
AOC Saint – Emilion, 2048 hectares
AOC Saint – Emilion Grand Cru, 3421 hectares
AOC Saint-Georges Saint-Emilion, 172 hectares

Médoc and Graves
AOC Haut-Médoc, 4822 hectares
AOC Listrac-Médoc, 644 hectares
AOC Moulis, 557 hectares
AOC Margaux, 1355 hectares
AOC Médoc, 4822 hectares
AOC Pauillac, 1229 hectares
AOC Saint-Estèphe, 906 hectares
AOC Saint-Julien, 3237 hectares
AOC Graves, 1040 hectares
AOC Pessac-Léognan, 302 hectares

Golden Wines
AOC Barsac, 601 hectares
AOC Bordeaux Supérieurs, 43 hectares
AOC Cadillac, 221 hectares
AOC Cérons, 73 hectares
AOC Côtes de Bordeaux-Saint-Macaire, 60 hectares
AOC Graves Supérieurs, 465 hectares
AOC Loupiac, 387 hectares
AOC Premières Côtes de Bordeaux, 387 hectares
AOC Sainte-Croix-du-Mont, 465 hectares
AOC Sainte-Foy Bordeaux, 41 hectares
AOC Sauternes, 1639 hectares

Dry White Wines
AOC Bordeaux, 9050 hectares
AOC Côtes de Blaye, 120 hectares
AOC Côtes de bourg, 1819 hectares
AOC Entre-Deux-Mers, 939 hectares
AOC Graves, 147 hectares
AOC Graves de Vayres, 280 hectares
AOC Pressac-Léogan, 98 hectares
AOC Crémant de Bordeaux, 39023 hectares

The classification of the different wine growing areas of Bordeaux is a unique feature of the region. A large number of subjective criteria determine the classification of the wines. Despite attracting criticism over the years, the Bordeaux wine classifications are still in place, ranking wines within sub-regions, and even within appellations. The oldest classifications are those of the Médoc and Sauterne wines, which were established by wine industry brokers at the 1855 World Fair. These rankings are still in use today, being subject only to a minor revision in 1973.

The Bordeaux region has a temperate oceanic climate, with warm temperatures maintained and regulated by:

- the influence of the Gulf Stream, an ocean current that has the effect of warming and moderating the temperatures in the region
- the presence of numerous rivers and the Gironde Estuary
- the Landes forest that shields the region from westerly winds

In sum, the climate in Bordeaux offers exactly the required conditions for excellent winegrowing: summers that are hot and sunny, autumns that remain warm, rarely freezing winters and a relatively humid springtime.

The Soil
Bordeaux is fortunate to have a variety of soils that lend themselves particularly well to winegrowing. The soil on the west bank of the Garonne and the Gironde Estuary is principally made up of gravel of varying coarseness, resulting from the erosion of the Pyrenees and then transported by the Garonne. These gravels (including pebbles, grit or sand) not only act as filters, but also serve to retain heat, which aids in the maturing of the grapes.

Between the Garonne and the Dordogne, the soil is composed largely of clay and chalk.

On the east bank of the Dordogne, the soil is varied in its composition and can include clay, chalk, sand and gravel. As it is made up of relatively fine particles, the soil in this region captures and retains rainwater. Vineyards in this reason are generally found on hillsides, benefitting from good drainage potential, and their soil tends to release excess water, meaning the vines receive a regular supply of water.

RED WINES
The premier red wine varietals are: Merlot, the most common varietal in the region, and Cabernet Sauvignon, the quintessential Bordeaux wine. The less well-known red varietals include Cabernet Franc, Carmenère, Malbec and Petit Verdot.

Merlot
This varietal originates from the Bordeaux region, and is also known as Crebutet, Bigney, Vitraille, Plant Médoc, Bordeleza Belcha (in the Basque region), Bidailhe and Sémillon (or Sémilhon) Rouge. Merlot grapes are used in the majority of Bordeaux wines, as well as Bergerac, Pécharmant, Côtes de Duras, Buzet, Côtes de la Malepère, Côtes du Marmandais, Côtes du Brulhois, Cahors, Pineau des Charentes, and many other wines from the South of France.

Flavours of cherry, leather, spices, strawberry jam, blackberry, game, plum, sloe, prune, liquorice, truffle and violet.

Cabernet Sauvignon
Likely to have originated from Gironde. Also known as Petit bouchet in Saint Emilion, Pomerol in Gironde, Lafite, (Petite) Vidure, Cabernet à Tort in Languedoc and Provence. This varietal is used in the wines of Médoc, Graves, Saint Emilion, Bergerac, Pécharmant, Côtes de Duras, Buzet, Côtes de Provence, Coteaux des Baux and Coteaux d'Aix, among others, producing a very deeply coloured, tannic wine.

Flavours of ripe blackcurrant, blackcurrant leaf, dark chocolate, fern, smoke, blackberry, green pepper, liquorice, tobacco, truffles, vanilla, violet and wood.

Cabernet Franc
Originating from the département of Gironde, this varietal is also known as Bouchet in Gironde, Breton, Gros Bouchet, Bouchy in Madiran and Tursan, Acheria in the Pyrenees and Noir Dur in the Orléans region. Cabernet Franc grapes can be found in Médoc, Graves, Saint Emilion, Bergerac, Pécharmant, Côtes de Duras, Buzet, Madiran Irouléguy, Béarn, Côtes du Marmandais, Côtes du Brulhois, Bourgueil, Saint Nicolas de Bourgueil, Chinon, Saumur, Saumur-Champigny, Touraine, Coteaux du Loir, Anjou, Rosé de Loire, Rosé d'Anjou, Cabernet d'Anjou, Cabernet de Saumur, Orléans-Cléry, Cheverny, Coteaux du Vendômois, Coteaux d'Ancenis, Vins du Thouarsais, Vins du haut Poitou and Côtes de la Malepère.

Flavours of cocoa, blackcurrant (sometimes accompanied by a vegetal note of blackberry bush), quince, ivy leaf, fern, strawberry, rasberry, ground pepper, green pepper, wood and violet.

Carmenère
One of the oldest Bordeaux varietals, originating from Médoc, and rarely found elsewhere in France. In Chile, however, approximately 7% of red wine produced uses this varietal. Also known as Carmeneyre, Bouton Blanc, Carmenelle, Cabernelle, Carbonet, Grande Vidure (ou Viduire) in Médoc and Carbouet in Graves. This grape can be found in the following appellations: Bordeaux, Crémant de Bordeaux, Graves de Vayres, Haut Médoc, Margaux, Médoc, Moulis, Pauillac, Pessac-Léognan, Premières Côtes de Bordeaux, Saint Emilion, Saint Emilion Grand Cru, Saint Estèphe and Saint Julien.

Malbec
Likely to have originated from Quercy, this varietal is also known as Côt, Auxerrois in the South West of France (not to be confused with the Alsatian varietal) and Pressac in Gironde. This grape is used in the wines of Bordeaux, Médoc, Graves, Saint Emilion, Pomerol, Côtes de Bordeaux, Fronsac, Sainte Foix, Bourgeais, Bergerac, Pécharmant, Côtes de Duras, Côtes du Buzet, Cahors, Fronton-Villaudric, Touraine, Rosé d'Anjou, Valençay, Côtes de la Malepère, Cabardès and Vins de Marcillac. This grape produces a very fruity, colourful wine, rich in tannins, that can be drank quickly. Often used to make rosé wines.

Flavours of leather and jasmine, among others.

Petit Verdot
Originating from Bordeaux, this grape varietal is also known as Verdau, or Lambrusquet in the Pyrenees. Used in a large number of Bordeaux appellations, including Graves de Vayres, Haut Médoc, Listrac-Médoc, Margaux, Médoc, Moulis, Pauillac, Pessac-Léognan, Premières Côtes de Bordeaux, Saint Estèphe and Saint Julien. Classed as recommended in Bouches du Rhône, Dordogne, Gironde, Lot et Garonne, the Pyrénées and Languedoc-Roussillon.

Flavours of liquorice, among others.

WHITE WINES
The premier white wine varietals are Sémillon, Sauvignon and Muscadelle. Three other varietals are also used but to a lesser extent: Colombard, Merlot Blanc and Ugni Blanc.

Sémillon
Originating from the Sauternes region in Gironde, this grape is used in the wines of Sauternes, Barsac, Sainte Croix du Mont, Loupiac, Cérons, Entre Deux Mers, Bergerac, Monbazillac, Montravel, Côtes de Duras, Côtes du Buzet, Côtes de Provence, Les Baux de Provence and Coteaux d'Aix. This varietal is very often associated with Sauvignon.

Flavours of toasted almond, angelica, fresh butter, cinnamon, citron, candied fruit, lily, honey, toasted hazelnut, fresh walnut, green apple, vanilla.

Sauvignon
Also known as Sauternes, Blanc Fumé in Nièvre, Ahumat in Béarn or Fié in Poitou (in the case of Sauvignon Gris). This typically Bordelais grape varietal is used in the wines of Sauternes, Barsac, Loupiac, Sainte Croix du Mont, Bergerac, Monbazillac, Pouilly Fumé, Blanc Fumé de Pouilly, Sancerre, Menetou-Salon, Quincy, Reuilly, Valençay, Vin du Haut Poitou, Saint Bris, Cassis and Bandol. In Sauternes, this grape is used to make excellent sweet white wines, while in other regions it produces a dry white wine that is very fragrant and very fine, elegant, balanced, archetypal and quite alcoholic!

Flavours of apricot, acacia, bitter almond, pineapple, rosewood, blackcurrant, blackcurrant buds, blackcurrant leaves, box, mushroom, lemon, quince, leather, spices, fennel, acacia flower, orange tree flower, freshly cut grass, fern, passion fruit, exotic fruit, broom, iris, mango, fresh mint, honey, narcissus, musky tones, a slight note of freshly cut leaves, orange, straw, grapefruit, gun flint (in the case of Sancerre), cooked leek, green pepper, fresh apple, flint, wood, violet and citrus fruit zest.

Muscadelle
Originating from Dordogne, this varietal is used to make Sauternes, Barsac, Entre Deux Mers, Bergerac, Monbazillac, Gaillac and Buzet. Muscadelle has a distinct flavour, redolent of Muscat, but slightly more discrete. It is very rare to find a wine made from this varietal of grape alone.

Flavours of acacia and honeysuckle, with a musky note.

Colombard
One of the oldest varietals from Charentes, this grape is also known as Bon Blanc or Queue Tendre in Vendée. Used in a number of Bordeaux appellations, such as Bordeaux, Blaye, Côtes de Blaye, Côtes de Bourg, Crémant de Bordeaux, Entre Deux Mers, Entre Deux Mers-Haut Benauge, Premières Côtes de Blaye and Sainte Foy-Bordeaux, as well as the appellation Pineau des Charentes.

Flavours of citrus fruit, box, lemon, exotic fruit, grapefruit, peach, rhubarb, sweat.

Ugni Blanc
Originating from Tuscany, this varietal can also be called Trebbiano, Saint Emilion in Charentes, Roussan in Nice (under the Bellet appellation), or Rossola Bianca in Corsica. Used in the following wines: Bordeaux, Entre Deux Mers, Sainte Foix-Bordeaux, Coteaux du Languedoc, Bandol, Côtes de Provence, Cassis, Palette, Coteaux d'Aix, Les Baux de Provence, Côtes du Rhône, Côtes du Ventoux, Côtes du Luberon, Coteaux Varois, Coteaux de Pierrevert and Vins de Pays des Sables du Golfe du Lion, as well as being used to make Armagnac and Cognac.

The "Maisons de Bordeaux" are a group of industrial and commercial companies responsible for the production of almost 70% of the 57 appellations of wine in the Bordeaux region. This has been the case for almost 800 years, which underlines the importance of wine production to the local economy of this region.

The main role of the Bordeaux wine trade is to regulate the market – in other words, to ensure customer loyalty by regularly offering products at a price and quality that meets their needs. Bordeaux has always been fortunate enough to have a strong and very diversified trade. This explains why Bordeaux wines are well-recognised and enjoyed by consumers around the world.

History of the Bordeaux wine trade
As early as the 11th century, a group of Bordeaux merchants exported their wine to England. Increased commerce with northern Europe coincided with the arrival of Dutch merchants in the 17th century. They were followed by German and Irish wine merchants in the 18th century. The development of triangular trade with the New World made it possible to sell wine in the West Indies and North America. The shippers bought nearly all their wine in bulk (in barrels) and then aged it for 1-2 years in their cellars. At this point, the shippers either bottled the wine, adding their name to that of the château, or exported it in barrels to other wine merchants (particularly in Great Britain) who took care of bottling and labelling. At this time, shippers were decidedly responsible for most of a wine's added value.

Wine Trading Houses
Today, around 400 wine trading houses throughout the Bordeaux region are responsible for 70% of all sales of Bordeaux wine. This sector is nevertheless very concentrated since forty firms are responsible for more than 80% of the Bordeaux trade's total turnover.

2003 turnover: 3.3 billion euros, of which one billion was from exports to more than 160 countries.

The Bordeaux wine trade consists of extremely diverse firms in terms of size, capital, range of products, and type of clientele.
- 15 firms have an annual turnover of more than 50 million euros (57% of total turnover)
- 18 firms have an annual turnover of 20-50 millions euros (21% of total turnover)
- 11 firms have an annual turnover of 10-20 millions euros (6% of total turnover)
Forty-four firms have a combined turnover of 2.1 billion euros, accounting for 84% of the total figure for all shippers in Gironde.

Often originally established to sell wine from their private vineyard holdings, many businesses are family owned (especially in the Libourne area, but also in Bordeaux). Other firms are subsidiaries of large French or international wine and spirits groups (Pernod Ricard, Castel, Bernard Taillan, Diageo etc.). Still other firms are owned by private individuals whose capital is shared with French or foreign companies.

There are also a large number of small shippers who are uniquely involved with buying and selling i.e. they do not produce wine in any way. Called "négociants en chambre" or "négociants sans magasin", these operators do not hold stocks, and their job consists of finding customers for wines that they ship directly from the estate.

In 2002, 6 million hectolitres of Bordeaux wine were produced, a turnover of 3.2 billion euros. 63% of wine produced in the region was sold within France, and 37% was exported.

Sales to French hypermarkets and supermarkets were responsible for 43% of total domestic sales, while 35% of sales were to the restaurant industry and 22% went through other channels of distribution. In 2002, the domestic market was worth 2 billion euros.

Sales within Europe were responsible for 71% of total foreign sales in 2002, with the remaining 29% of foreign sales going to countries outside of Europe. The foreign market was worth 1.2 billion euros in 2002.

Sources: Comité Interprofessionnel du Vin de Bordeaux / Union des Maisons de Bordeaux / INAO / Onivins / Sopexa

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