France Flashcards
Major Wine Varieties of Bordeaux
Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc
Minor Wine Varieties of Bordeaux
Petit Verdot, Malbec, Carmenere,Sauvignon Gris, Muscadelle, Ugni Blanc, MerlotBlanc, Colombard; the newly approved varietiesare Arinarnoa, Castets, Marselan, and TourigaNacional (red); and Alvarinho and Liliorila (white).
Bordeaux Wine Styles
Dry red, dry white, off-dry white, sweetwhite, moelleux, liquoreux, rosé, clairet,sparkling white, sparkling rosé (Cremant deBordeaux).
Location of Bordeaux
On the western coast of France
Major Rivers/Bodies of water of Bordeaux
Gironde, Dordogne, Garonne
Bordeaux Geology
City of Bordeaux (port city), MedocPenninsula (mostly man-made), the Landes ofGascony (man-made forest to mitigate climatevariations).
Bordeaux Climate
Maritime: receives the most annual rainfall in France. This is why different varieties that ripen at different times are grown here. Short winters, damp springs, warm summers, can be humid (causes rot). Small seasonal shifts in temperature.
Bordeaux Soil
Gravel outcroppings with clay on the left bank, boulbenes in Graves (sand,gravel, clay mixture), clay, and iron on the right bank.
Bordeaux Regional History
The Dutch drained the left bank in the mid-1600s.1152-1453 Bordeaux was under English rule (this is why there is such a strong trade arrangement between Bordeaux and England today). This is when the light-bodied red (or dark rosé) called clairet became popular.
Bordeaux AOP Wine Styles
Can be red, clairet, blanc (sec), rosé, and has one subzone for white wines-Haut Benauge.
Bordeaux Supérieur AOP wine styles
Can be red, or OFF-DRY TO SWEET whites wines.
Côtes de Bordeaux AOP wines styles
covers Francs, Castillon, Cadillac and Blaye. Mainly for dry red andmerlot based. Francs also is for dry to sweet white, Blaye allows dry white.
Crémant de Bordeaux AOP wines styles
Blanc is from mainly red varietals and some white, rosé is fromred varietals only. Must go through secondary fermentation and spend a minimum of 9months on the lees.
