The Bordeaux Wine Region from A to Z

AOC : The Bordeaux wine region, with 60 Appellations of Controlled Origin, is the largest AOC wine region in France.

Ausonius: Latin poet born in Bordeaux in 310 and the first ambassador of Bordeaux wines.

Average size of vineyards in the Gironde : 14.6 hectares.

“Bacchus” holiday accommodation: high-quality tourist accommodation, situated in vineyards.

Biturica : first grape variety planted in A.D. 1 in Bordeaux by the Bituriges Vivisques, a Celtic tribe which founded Burdigala (Bordeaux).

Bordeaux fête le vin: a four-day public wine festival held on the quays of Bordeaux, every two years.

Bordeaux Mixture (Bouillie bordelaise) : a mixture of copper sulphate and lime (invented in 1883) which got rid of Mildew and is still used today to treat vineyards.

Chartrons: a district in Bordeaux, the hub of the Bordeaux wine trade in the 18^th century.

Clairet: Extremely fond of Bordeaux wines – which they nicknamed “French claret” because of their pale red colour – the English were the first to export them to the UK.

Bordeaux Clairet is a red wine resulting from a very short vatting period and differs from rosé by a stronger colour and more similar aromas to red wine.

Cooperative cellars : there are 45 such cellars in the Gironde, uniting 3,500 producers and 25% of Bordeaux production.

Créon : A small Bastide town in Entre-Deux-Mers, world famous for wines bearing the same name. It was founded in the 14^th century by Amaury de Craon .

Fête du Vin Nouveau et de la brocante : on the last weekend of October every year, the antique dealers of Rue Notre-Dame in Bordeaux celebrate the arrival of Bourru (new wine) with a giant street market. Tasting sessions are thrown and visitors can stroll at their own pace to the rhythm of music groups gathered for the occasion.

Fine de Bordeaux: brandy obtained by double distillation.

Graves: Graves wines are the only ones in France to be named after the soil on which they are produced: "Las Grabas de Bourdeus", literally, the "gravelly soil of Bordeaux".

Impériale: in the Bordeaux region, a six-litre bottle

Jurade de Saint-Emilion: created on 8th July 1199, while Aquitaine was under English rule, the Jurade de Saint-Emilion is the oldest fellowship in the Gironde. Tasked with watching over the quality of wines, the jurats or officers proclaim (from atop the Tour du Roy, the Saint-Emilion keep) the judgement of new wine on the third Sunday in June and the Ban des vendanges (announcing the first day of the harvest) on the third Sunday in September.

Lillet:  comprising a subtle marriage of fine wines and fruit liqueurs, bark and spices, Lillet has been a Gironde aperitif par excellence since 1872.

Marathon du Médoc: A must-attend event in the Gironde ! This marathon takes place on the second Saturday in September, bringing together 8,000 participants, most of whom wear fancy dress and run the regulatory 42.195 km through more than 50 Médoc châteaux (and past as many refreshment/taster stands!)

Médocaine: A perfect alchemy of sport and good cheer ensures the success of this mountain bike race through the Médoc wine region, on the last Saturday in May.

Merlot : a cornerstone of all red Bordeaux wines, this grape variety accounts for 63% of the wine region’s planted surface area.

Noble rot  (or Botritys Cirenea): a microscopic fungus that grows on grapes to transform their quality by increasing the concentration of sugar (Sauternes).

Organoleptic: Property of a wine by which it stimulates the sense organs: sight, smell and taste

Quai des Vins: the Quai des Vins Exhibition, held every May, draws a link between Médoc viticulture and its environmental port, Port Médoc.

Robe: colour given to the wine following alcoholic fermentation.

Sémillon : main grape variety of Bordeaux white wines (53% of the planted surface area).

Tannic: Tart character of a wine due to its high tannin content.

Trade: 300 merchants work on the “square” of Bordeaux!

Unesco: the mediaeval town of Saint-Emilion and the whole of its jurisdiction were listed as a UNESCO World Heritage in 1999. It is the first wine region in the world to have ever had the privilege to be ranked as a “Cultural Landscape”.

Vignobles et Chais en Bordelais ®: this charter has specially selected 500 châteaux, cellars and wine centres that are committed to giving you a VIP welcome for a high-quality commentated wine tasting.

Vines : there are 117,500 hectares of vines in the Gironde.

Vinegrowers: there are 10,000 in the Gironde, 60% of whom make their own wines.

Vine shoots: very useful for cooking the Gironde dish par excellence : Bordeaux-style rib steak.

Winery: this wine tourism complex – unique in France – has some 16,000 references in wines from around the world. It also offers a customised, friendly and simplified take on wine: tasting sessions for all levels (beginners, wine connoisseurs, specialists) and the chance to discover your wine sign® during a “blindfolded” tasting session of six wines.