The Bordeaux region of France is the second largest wine-growing area in the world with 284,320 acres under vine, 57 appellations, 9,000 wine-producing châteaux, and 13,000 grape growers. Only the Languedoc wine region with 617,750 acres under vine is larger.

With an annual production of over 700 million bottles Bordeaux produces everything from large quantities of everyday table wine, to the most expensive and prestigious wines in the world. Yet while the reputation of Bordeaux is based upon a few prestigious red and sweet white Sauternes, Bordeaux also produces white wines, rosé wines, and even the sparkling Crémant de Bordeaux.

The major reason for the success of winemaking in the Bordeaux region is the excellent environment for growing vines. The geological foundation of the region is limestone, leading to a soil structure that is heavy in calcium. With the natural paths of the Garonne and the Dordogne rivers to irrigate the land, and an oceanic climate that provides humidity to the atmosphere, an almost perfect environment is created in which grapes can, and do, flourish.

Grapes

Red Bordeaux, which is traditionally known as claret in the United Kingdom, is generally made from a blend of grapes. Permitted grapes are Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec, and Carmenere although the Malbec is very seldom used and Carmenere is now virtually absent in Bordeaux, excluding incorrectly labeled Merlot grapes. White Bordeaux, including the sweet Sauternes, is made from Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, and Muscadelle.

As a very broad generalization, Cabernet Sauvignon dominates the blend in red wines produced in the Médoc. Merlot tends to predominate in Saint Emilion and Pomerol.

In California, red or white wines that use the same grapes as Bordeaux are called Meritage wines.

Classification

The Bordeaux wine region is divided into subregions including Saint-Émilion, Pomerol, Médoc, and Graves. In 1855, a classification system, known as The Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855, ranked the wines into five categories according to price. The first growth red wines (four from Médoc and one, Château Haut-Brion, from Graves), are among the most expensive wines in the world.

The first growths are:

• Château Lafite-Rothschild
• Château Margaux
• Château Latour
• Château Haut-Brion
• Château Mouton Rothschild

In 1955, St. Émilion AOC were classified, adding an additional two Premier Crus (Class A):

• Château Ausone
• Château Cheval Blanc

Pomerol has never been officially classified, but its best estates, such as Château Pétrus and Château Le Pin, fetch very high prices that often exceed even the prices of the first growths.

Sauternes is a subregion of Graves known for its intensely sweet, white, dessert wines such as Château d'Yquem. The intense sweetness is the result of the grapes being affected by Botrytis cinerea, a fungus that is commonly known as noble rot.