Bordeaux - The Appellations

Sweet Bordeaux – Sainte Croix du Mont

Sainte Croix du Mont is a little appellation  which lies next to Loupiac, facing Sauternes and Barsac, where the Garonne and Ciron rivers meet. Sainte Croix du Mont is endowed with one of nature’s strange wonders. It lies upon a panoramic plateau comprised of vast fossilized oyster beds which give it an exceptional terroir. Certain … Read more

Bordeaux’s Added Benefits – What’s in Your Wine? 2013, A Vintage With A Difference

Disaster strikes hard when a winemaker, or even an entire wine making region, suffers the impact of severe weather during the growing season. Unlike many other wine regions across the world Bordeaux has the advantage in that its wines are made from a blend. In red wine blends Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot are … Read more

Background to the Chateaux Hosting the 2013 UGCB Tastings – Chateau Gazin, Pomerol

Hop across from the AOC of historic Saint Emilion and you will find yourself in neighbouring Pomerol, the home of Merlot in Bordeaux. Here, on the gently rolling plateau, some of the world’s most famous wines are created. However there are few grandiose estates with towering spired chateaux in Pomerol, this is a land of … Read more

A Little Background to the Chateaux Hosting the 2013 UGCB Tastings – La Dominique, Saint Emilion

Every year certain chateaux are allotted the task of holding the En Primeur tastings for their specific AOC by the UGCB (Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux). It’s considered an honour to be chosen as a host and it’s also an ideal opportunity for each chateaux selected to promote their wines and premises. The UGCB … Read more

The Dutch Connection – How The Dutch Changed The Face of Bordeaux and Its Wine

The Dutch were a major influence in the production of Bordeaux wines back in the 17th and 18th centuries and their legacy still lives on. They helped to establish vineyards, chateaux, negotiants (wine merchants) and trade. More importantly they are known for draining the Medoc and in doing so they instigated the birth of the … Read more

The Spicy Side of Bordeaux

The Côtes de Bourg has a new image starting this April and a brand new slogan: Côtes de Bourg, The Spicy Side of Bordeaux. The new look is part of their digital strategy and has been designed by the agency Pixelus Bordeaux. The slogan and graphics are intended to cultivate the image of the Côtes de … Read more

Poll Shows Wine Descriptions are Unhelpful and Pompous . . . How Would You Describe Wine?

Some news on how people feel about wine descriptions has hit the press this week which has made interesting reading. According to Harpers a poll commissioned by Laithwaites revealed that wine descriptions are ‘more pompous than helpful.’ The poll covered 1000 wine drinking adults and 55% said that wine descriptions failed to help them understand the flavour of wine, … Read more

The Entre Deux Mers

The Entre Deux Mers takes its name from the Latin “inter duo maria” (“between two tidal rivers”) and is a triangle of land sandwiched between the tidal waters of the Rivers Dordogne and Garonne. The Dordogne rises on the flanks of Puy de Sancy in the mountains of Auvergne and flows west through the Limousin and Périgord regions before … Read more