Bordeaux
The name Bordeaux has become synonymous with fine wine throughout the world for the very good reason that it is, quite simply, the largest fine-wine region on earth. The vineyard of Bordeaux is the homeland of Cabernet Sauvignon and the other grape varieties of the Cabernet family. The capital of the department of the Gironde is above all the world wine capital, as evidenced by La Cite du Vin.
It is traditional to divide the Bordeaux region into the left and the right bank. On the left bank, the major wine-producing areas skirt the Gironde estuary itself, continuing South of Bordeaux along the Garonne: from the Medoc in the North to Graves, Barsac and Sauternes. This is where you will find appellations such as Saint Estephe, Pauillac, Saint Julien, Margaux and South of Bordeaux - Pessac-Leognan.
The other major red wine region, the Libournais, lies 25kms North-East of Bordeaux on the right bank of the Dordogne. Here, it is the home of St Emilion and Pomerol wines to name the two most important ones. The classification of all the main Medoc chateaux, with the solitary Graves - Chateau Haut-Brion, into five classes was undertaken by the Bordeaux Chamber of Commerce for the Paris Universal Exhibition of 1855. The classification of St Emilion (in a very different manner to the Medoc one) was done in 1959 while the Chateaux of Pomerol have never been classified to this date.
