History and Geography Flashcards
What are the two major rivers in Bordeaux?
Garonne and Dordogne
What are the 5 major subregions of Bordeaux?
Médoc
Graves
Entre-Deux-Mers
The right bank
Blaye and Bourg
How much rainfall does the Medoc experience annually?
950mm, that’s a lot!
What specific current keeps Bordeaux’s climate mild?
Where in the Winkler Scale does Bordeaux fall?
Atlantic Gulf Stream current
Region II
What white grapes are permitted in Bordeaux
Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc (and Gris), Muscadelle, and an additional complement of diminishing varieties: Ugni Blanc, Merlot Blanc, and Colombard.
What is the most planted red and white varietal in Bordeaux?
Merlot
Semillon
What grape varieties were permitted starting with the 2021 vintage as small blending components in response to climate change?
For White: Max 5% combined Alvarinho, and Liliorila
For Red: Max 5% combined Arinarnoa, Castets, Marselan, and Touriga Nacional
What 3 regional appellations apply the the entire area of Bordeaux?
Bordeaux AOP- All styles except sparkling
Bordeaux Superieur AOP- Only red and medium sweet white wines
Cremant de Bordeaux AOP- white rosé made in the traditional method
What 3 appellation represent whole subregions of Bordeaux?
Médoc AOP
Entre-Deux-Mers AOP
Côtes de Bordeaux AOP
What Chateau in Bordeaux is currently petitioning the INAO to grant it AOP status?
Château Le Puy
What is clairet?
Bordeaux’s deeply colored rosé
Usually made in the saignée method
Takes its name from the time when Aquitaine was under control of the British monarch and the name for the light reds of the day was clairet
Which IGP encompasses the regions of Bergerac, Duras, and Cognac?
Atlantique IGP
What was the Celtic name for the Bordeaux region in the 3rd century BCE?
Burdigala
What Roman province was Bordeaux the capital of?
Aquitaine
Under whose rule did Bordeaux take its current name?
Frankish rule (507 CE)
How and when did Bordeaux become part of England?
Eleanor of Aquitaine divorced the King of France and remarried the Duke of Normandy who soon became the King of England. The English Monarch ruled Aquitaine for about 3 centuries.
Who replaced the English as Bordeaux’s most important direct customer after Bordeaux fell back into French hands?
The Dutch! They like full bodied reds and sweet wines. This is when Bergerac and Sauternes shifted to sweet wine production
What was the Dutch’s most prominent contribution to Bordeaux?
They builds a system of canals that drained the marshy lowlands of the Mèdoc, which would become the top red wine area in Bordeaux
Which Bordeaux Chateau opened a tavern in London to sell their wine in the 1600s?
Châteaut Haut-Brion
Named the Pontac’s head after the owner Arnaud de Pontac III
What were the privilège de la descente and privilège de la barrique in Bordeaux?
Medieval protectionist measures the first of which prohibited the transfer of non-Bordeaux wine through the port until Nov 11 of each year and the second of which entitled Bordeaux wines alone to storage and shipment in the barrique barrel
How were the Château of Sauternes ranked in the 1855 classification?
seconds crus
premiers crus
premier cru supérieur
What is Bordeaux mixture?
When was Bordeaux mixture developed? What was it made in defense of?
Copper-sulfate and lime
1888
Peronospera (downy mildew)
Why did Malbec and Carmenère diminish after Phylloxera?
They grafted poorly onto American rootstock
What was the first Château to begin estate bottling their whole production?
Château Mouton-Rothschild
What is the largest foreign market for Bordeaux?
China
Which Chateau chose to opt out of en primeur since 2012?
Château Latour
What were the 3 best vintages of the 90s in Bordeaux?
1990
1996 (great for Cabernet)
1998 (great for Merlot)
