17th July 2023 | Cork Talk | 6 minute read
The story of winemaking in Bordeaux is an enchanting one, from its origins way back in 43 AD through to the modern Bordeaux we see today. We take a look at this historic region’s latest chapter and how it’s expertly balancing tradition and premium wine production with innovative modern wine styles and affordability. Let’s dive right in!
Bordeaux is the wine capital we’ve been charmed by for nearly 2,000 years, with its fairytale-like châteaux, famous Cabernet blends and sumptuously sweet Sémillons. While it caters very well to our romantic vision and fascination with its rich heritage, Bordeaux also likes to surprise us with fresh, new wine styles we didn’t necessarily expect to see.
Modern Bordeaux masterfully strikes a mesmerising balance of old and new, both in its approach to wine and its mix of awe-inspiring architecture. From the medieval city of Saint-Émilion, a UNESCO World Heritage Site dating back to the 8th century that now has around 800 wineries overlooking it, to the slick, state-of-the-art structures delighting tourists with luxury wine tasting experiences, Bordeaux is a wine lover’s paradise (anyone else just open a new tab to look up flights?).
We even see this careful consideration of old and new, of honouring tradition while being mindful of modern consumer trends, in the region’s immaculately kept vineyards. Across Bordeaux’s 7,000 wineries and countless appellations you’ll find old vines of up to 70 years of age that are still being harvested for grapes, along with a huge amount of respect for the terroir of each vineyard and how to express it authentically through every wine.
Winemakers here are very good at applying their centuries of viticultural expertise to the modern world, be it to keep up with changing drink preferences or to adapt to climate change. Our planet and its people continually present new challenges and opportunities for winemakers everywhere, and Bordeaux is a great example of somewhere that responds to that very well.
If you ask us, modern Bordeaux is a pretty exciting place to be! It produces a range of wine styles that caters to all sorts of different palates, and it does this with such glamour and grace.
Traditionally, when thinking of Bordeaux, many of us would picture an attractive bottle of expertly crafted Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot. Something that’s bold, full, well rounded and ageworthy, with grippy tannins, lashings of black fruit flavour and screaming to be paired with cheese! The reason we associate this type of red with the region is because winemakers here have done such an wonderful job of honing their production of it, but what you may not realise is that this is just one of many wine styles on offer in Bordeaux.
Bordeaux reds have always absolutely nailed the balance between acidity and tannins, giving them loads of ageing potential and ability to complement all manners of rich cuisine. They’ve typically been blends of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, with the Left Bank of Bordeaux dominated by the former and the Right Bank favouring the latter.
With Merlot being a notoriously fussy variety that prefers to grow in cooler temperatures, it’s become a less reliable grape for the region in the heatwaves of recent years. To overcome this, winemakers are increasingly planting Cabernet Franc in their vineyards, a clever alternative to Merlot as it shares its characteristics of high acidity and moderate tannins, and also enjoys the same clay and limestone terroir that’s so prevalent in Bordeaux.
Not only this, but four new black grape varieties have just been approved for use in AOC Bordeaux wine production, including one of Portugal’s finest indigenous grapes, Touriga Nacional. The ultimate sun-worshipper, it can certainly handle the heat when it comes to joining the prestigious vineyards of this region, so expect to see it appearing on Bordeaux labels over the next few years.
White wines from Bordeaux are known for their diversity and sophistication, ranging from fresh, herbaceous Sauvignon Blanc blends and super-crisp Crémants, through to sweet, Sémillon-based wines. Sauternes is undoubtedly one of the most famous white wines made in Bordeaux, which has been around since the early 1800s and remains hugely popular today.
Much like what’s happening with red wines, white grape cultivation in Bordeaux is shifting with the times, with three new grape varieties getting approval for use in AOC Bordeaux blanc production going forward. One of these is Spain’s most famous indigenous white grape, Albariño, which has been chosen for its love of the sunshine.
With such a thriving white wine scene and exciting new blends being crafted from these recently introduced grapes, it’s fair to say that modern Bordeaux is offering a hell of a selection of reasonably priced whites, including lots of lighter, easy-drinking styles of dry, sparkling and sweet white wine that we love so much here in the UK.
Bordeaux means business when it comes to rosé wine, offering every shade of pink you could possibly imagine! From the refreshing, lighter style of rosé that’s become synonymous with the south of France, to fuller, fruiter, deeper pink blends (known as “clairet” wines) that sit somewhere between a super-light red wine and a rosé.
Whatever your taste or budget, Bordeaux has a wine to suit, and the continued boom in demand for refreshing rosés will only mean that pink wines from this region will keep going from strength to strength.
So, what’s next for Bordeaux? In terms of red wine, we suspect you’ll see a little more Cabernet Franc over the next five years, a little less Merlot, and familiar wine styles made with grape varieties you didn’t associate with Bordeaux before (like Touriga Nacional).
In terms of lighter wines, we know these refreshing whites, Crémants and rosés are here to stay, so expect to see plenty of affordable summer wines coming out of this region, alongside lots of affordable reds too, of course. We also think the iconic dessert wines of Sauternes will carry on grabbing headlines for this region as younger drinkers are enjoying it more and more.
With so much to look forward to from the latest vintages and beyond, we can’t wait to see what the next chapter holds for Bordeaux!
