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France

Bordeaux

110 000 ha under vine

Soils
Gravel terraces on the left bank, clay-limestone on the right, marl and sand between the rivers
Climate
Oceanic — Gulf Stream warmth, the Landes forest's shelter, harvest rain the eternal gamble

On the map

Bordeaux — 110 000 haLanguedoc — 220 000 haSicily — 98 000 haVeneto — 96 000 haPuglia — 87 000 haSouthern Rhône — 66 000 haRioja — 66 000 haTuscany — 60 000 haLoire Valley — 57 000 haEmilia-Romagna — 50 000 haKakheti — 48 000 haSouth-West France — 45 000 haPiedmont — 43 000 haDouro — 43 000 haChampagne — 34 000 haAbruzzo — 33 000 haUtiel-Requena — 32 000 haBurgundy — 29 500 haProvence — 27 000 haSardinia — 27 000 haFriuli — 25 000 haRibera del Duero — 25 000 haPenedès — 25 000 haPfalz — 23 000 haCampania — 23 000 haAlentejo — 22 000 haMinho — 21 000 haRueda — 20 000 haDão — 20 000 haMarche — 16 000 haAlsace — 15 600 haBeaujolais — 13 500 haBurgenland — 13 000 haUmbria — 12 000 haCalabria — 9 000 haMosel — 8 800 haDalmatia — 8 000 haJerez — 7 000 haCyprus — 7 000 haAttica — 6 500 haFranken — 6 100 haCorsica — 6 000 haTokaj — 5 800 haAlto Adige — 5 600 haValais — 4 800 haNorthern Rhône — 4 400 haRías Baixas — 4 300 haNahe — 4 200 haSussex & Kent — 4 000 haRheingau — 3 200 haBierzo — 3 000 haNemea — 3 000 haSavoie — 2 200 haJura — 2 000 haPriorat — 2 000 haWachau — 1 350 haValdeorras — 1 300 haSantorini — 1 100 haNaoussa — 700 haMadeira — 450 haColares — 20 haBordeauxLanguedocSicilyVenetoPugliaSouthern RhôneRiojaTuscanyLoire ValleyEmilia-RomagnaKakhetiSouth-West FrancePiedmontDouroChampagneAbruzzoUtiel-RequenaBurgundyProvenceSardiniaFriuliRibera del DueroPenedèsPfalzCampaniaAlentejoMinhoRuedaDãoMarcheAlsaceBeaujolaisBurgenlandUmbriaCalabriaMoselDalmatiaJerezCyprusAtticaFrankenCorsicaTokajAlto AdigeValaisNorthern RhôneRías BaixasNaheSussex & KentRheingauBierzoNemeaSavoieJuraPrioratWachauValdeorrasSantoriniNaoussaMadeiraColares
Blob size ≈ vineyard area · approximate locations · coastlines from Natural Earth

The largest fine-wine region on earth, and the most mercantile: a vineyard organised around a port. Rome planted the first vines, but the marriage of Eleanor of Aquitaine in 1152 opened three centuries of English trade in claret, and the négociants of the Chartrons quay built the machinery — brokers, merchants, la place de Bordeaux — that still sells the wine of thousands of châteaux.

Everything divides along the water. Cabernet Sauvignon on the gravel banks of the Médoc and Graves; Merlot and Cabernet Franc on the limestone and clay of Saint-Émilion and Pomerol; the green hills of Entre-deux-Mers between the rivers, the botrytis mists of the Sauternais to the south. One name, one market — and a dozen countries of wine inside it.

Sub-regions

Médoc Left bank Graves & Pessac-Léognan Left bank Saint-Émilion Right bank Pomerol Right bank Sauternais Left bank Entre-deux-Mers Between the rivers Blaye & Bourg Right bank

The vineyard

Indicative share of plantings

The wines

Médoc Red Red wine Saint-Émilion Red Red wine Pomerol Red wine Graves & Pessac-Léognan Red Red wine Dry White Bordeaux Dry white Sauternes Sweet white Clairet Rosé Crémant de Bordeaux Sparkling

Through time

Indicative presence index, 0–100Origins & Antiquity — 20The Monastic Middle Ages — 60Exploration & the Fortified Age — 55Classifications & the Golden Age — 80Phylloxera & the World Crises — 55The Modern & New World Era — 75Antiquity20500150017001875195075
Origins & Antiquity Antiquity The Monastic Middle Ages 500 Exploration & the Fortified Age 1500 Classifications & the Golden Age 1700 Phylloxera & the World Crises 1875 The Modern & New World Era 1950