Bordeaux wine

A Bordeaux wine is any wine produced in the Bordeaux region of France. Average vintages produce over 700 million bottles of Bordeaux wine, ranging from large quantities of everyday table wine, to some of the most expensive and prestigious wines in the world. 89% of wine produced in Bordeaux is red (called "claret" in Britain), with notable sweet white wines such as Chateau d'Yquem, dry whites, rosé and sparkling wines (Crémant de Bordeaux) all making up the remainder. Bordeaux wine is made by more than 8,500 producers or châteaux. There are 60 appellations of Bordeaux wine.

History

The history of wine production seems to have begun sometime after 48 AD, during the Roman occupation of St. Émilion, when the Romans established vineyards to cultivate wine for the soldiers.Hugh Johnson, Vintage: The Story of Wine p.50. Simon and Schuster 1989 However, it is only in 71 AD that Pliny recorded the first real evidence of vineyards in Bordeaux.Hugh Johnson, Vintage: The Story of Wine pg 50. Simon and Schuster 1989 France's first extensive vineyards were established by Rome in around 122 BC in today's Languedoc, the better part of two hundred years earlier.Hugh Johnson, Vintage: The Story of Wine p.48. Simon and Schuster 1989

Although domestically popular, French wine was seldom exported, as the area covered by vineyards and the volume of wine produced were...
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