Bordeaux: Everything You Need To Know in 600 Words

Some people find Bordeaux wine mysterious and intimidating. Fear no more. With this quick three minute guide, you can learn all the basics about Bordeaux wine, so you don’t have to feel in the dark about this special and famous wine region.

Bordeaux is a wine region in France, and it's the most famous wine region in the world. Bordeaux is also a wine. A Bordeaux wine is simply a wine from the Bordeaux region. Like its region, Bordeaux wine is the most famous wine style in the world.

It's nearly impossible to write about Bordeaux in less than 600 words. But we can sure try. Here's a quick three minute guide to Bordeaux wine.

What Is a Bordeaux Wine?

A Bordeaux wine consists of any wine created within the Bordeaux region, regardless of the grape varietal it is produced from. The wine can be white, rosé or red. However, the most famous Bordeaux wines are red wines. While reds are usually a mixture of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, Bordeaux whites tend to be a blend of Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc.

Why Is Bordeaux So Famous?

Bordeaux makes some of the world's best and most complex wines in the world, and they've been doing it for centuries. With a rich and diverse geographic footprint leftover from the ice age, combined with the perfect climate and a variety of water sources, Bordeaux has been creating iconic wines since the 17th century.

Soil, Water and Climate

The ice age certainly did Bordeaux some favors, leaving behind an environment that can only be described as a wine-growing paradise. Bordeaux thrives with limestone and calcium. In fact, Bordeaux's success can largely be linked to the incredible soil structure it sits on. A variety of clay (hardpan), limestone, gravel and siliceous soil makes up this diverse yet geographically perfect landscape.

With two major rivers (Garonne and Dordogne) running through the center of Bordeaux and an array of tributaries from the Gironde Estuary, Bordeaux is home to an incredible watershed with ample groundwater, perfect for winemaking.

Lastly, the climate is perfect. The Bordeaux region, sitting close to the coast, benefits from an 'Atlantic Climate'.

The Region and Styles

Bordeaux has around 60 appellations and has a variety of wine styles. Here are the 6 major Bordeaux wine styles:

Red Varieties

Around 90% of Bordeaux grapes are red. A staggering 98% of the red grapes come from just 3 grape varieties:

The remaining 2% percent are a combination of Malbec (980 hectares), Petit Verdot (490 hectares) and a tiny patch of Carmenere (6 hectares).

White Varieties

White grapes comprise just 10% of all grapes in Bordeaux, with the vast majority of these being a combination of:

Of the 2% remaining, Colombard, Merlot Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Folle Blanche, Mauzac Blanc, Ondenc and Ugni Blanc are used to produce generally affordable Bordeaux whites.

Exploring and Drinking Bordeaux Wines

Haven't had much Bordeaux wine yet? The best way to explore the different Bordeaux wines is to hit one style at a time. Here are a couple of approaches you can take when deciding which wines to try:

Price points vary dramatically for Bordeaux wines, ranging from $5 all the way up to $10,000 for a particularly good vintage and wine producer. I'd recommend starting in the $15-25 range in order to find a decent quality Bordeaux. If you find yourself liking a particular style more than others, you could then begin to spend a little more to get some of the premium quality Bordeaux's in your cellar.

Fun Facts

  • 728 million bottles of Bordeaux are produced each year
  • Yearly production is valued at $4.3 billion
  • A staggering 42% of Bordeaux wine is exported
  • 23 bottles of Bordeaux wine are sold every second throughout the world
  • China imports more Bordeaux than any other country

For more wine education, adventures and 'story time' tasting notes from around the globe, follow Adrian Smith on Vivino. With special thanks to the CIVB for providing the latest Bordeaux statistics.