Discover The Region Of Bordeaux You will need few days to discover the 102.200 hectares of vineyards, the 52 appellations and the 8.000 castles of the Bordelais.
	Médoc and Haut-Médoc. Starting from Verdon, you enter in Médoc at Jau-Dignac-et-Loirac. The appellation spreads on 14 towns, 4.495 hectares - strongholg/fief of cabernet-sauvignon, cabernet franc and merlot, three basic red vines from the Bordelais and, in lesser quantities, carmenère, petit verdot and malbec. The Haut-Médoc starts at Saint-Seurin-de-Cadourne, 3.938 hectares et prestigious names : Saint-Espèphe, Pauillac, Saint-Julien Beychevelle, Listrac (highest point at 43 meters), Moulis, Margaux...
Graves. It is almost inside Bordeaux that starts this appellation of 5.000 hectares, the only one to be called as its soil, made of gravel and smooth/polished pebbles. All the crus classés from Graves are grouped together under the appellation of pessac-léognan. In Pessac, one great name: Château Haut-Brion.
	Entre-deux-mers (in between two seas). Between the two rivers Dordogne and Garonne, the appellation is reserved to the white dry wines. The others: sainte-croix-du-mont, loupiac, cadillac (three white liquorous/syrupy), côtes de Bordeaux-Saint-Macaire, Graves de Vayres, Sainte-Foy-Bordeaux. Different atmosphere and light, ash trees, chestnut forests, linden and hazel. Vine is not predominant (3.600 ha): orchards, pens, brooks, small villages of white-stone-houses, bring out an outstanding charm.
Pomerol et Saint-Emilion. Sur la rive droite de la Dordogne, Libourne fut la capitale commerciale, grâce au transport fluvial, des vins de cette région. Pomerol (764 ha, en merlot archi-dominant, cabernet-sauvignon, bouchet nom local du cabernet franc - et malbec) abrite la gloire de Pétrus à l'universelle renommée. A Saint-Emilion, niché en amphithéâtre à flanc de coteau, les deux " grands ", sont château Ausone et Cheval-Blanc.
	Blayais et Bourgeais. On the left bank of Dordogne and Gironde, Blayais and Bourgeais got their names from Blaye and Bourg, once active ports, today charming townships. At Blaye, Gironde looks like/has likeness of Mississippi. Excellent reds and whites, really affordable, as much in côtes de bourg (3.671 ha) as in côtes de blaye (5.200 ha). Smaller appellations are part of the Bordelais. Among them: côtes de bordeaux (604 ha), côtes de castillon (2.672 ha) close in many different ways to Saint-Emilion, bordeaux côtes de francs (427 ha). And its in these thousands of little "châteaux" that come from Bordeaux and Bordeaux supérieur when they don't have a more precise appellation.
Sauternais. The greatest liquorous/syrupy white wine worldwide, Château d'Yquem is produced in Sauternes (professionals visits only). The Céron, cold brook crossing the vineyard, creates morning haze/mist/fog, at the origine of the botrytis cinerea, or "noble rot", giving this specificity to Sauternes'.
Feasts/fairs and exhibitions/shows/events
Bordeaux organises every second year the Vinexpo, the biggest wine event in the world. The last day of the Vinexpo is called the Flower Day. Celebration occurs in prestigious castles and symbolises the flowering of the vine. The grape harvest, supposely, starts one hundred days later. Even years, without Vinexpo, the Flower Day is still celebrated around mid-june. One astounding thing to see: the reconstruction of the Castillon battle, that ended the 100-year war on July, the 17th 1493. Information: Bataille de Castillon, BP 124, 33350 Castillon-la-Bataille.
Museums Viticulture hystory in Bordelais from 1750 to 1950. Big PRESSOIR from the early 19th century, XXX of Bordeaux's wine (Cours Pasteur, 30000 Bordeaux - ph: 05 56 10 17 11). Museum of the Chartrons, in a tremendous house/personnal hotel, restituing what where once the trading houses in the 17th century (Musée des Chartrons, 41, rue Borie, 33000 Bordeaux). Museum of the wine and the vine in art : Mouton-Rothschild castle, 33250 Pauillac - ph: 05 56 59 22 22. On reservation/make appointment. Unical collection in the world. Learn about wine at the Wine House (La Maison du Vin, see below for information). Three-day to five-week training period (2 hours per week). In summer, two-hour initiations (in one sitting).
Information Wine House, La Maison du vin : 1, cours du XXX-juillet, 33000 Bordeaux - ph: 05 56 00 22 86. You can find there all information concerning/about vineyards and public events. Interprofessionnal committee