For this week’s blog post I thought I’d address one of the toughest things to get your head around when you begin to explore the world of Bordeaux (indeed French) wines. No pressure then!
People think of Bordeaux as Bordeaux. That sounds like a truism, but bear with me here. The following conversation happens to me a lot, and even when I’m talking to people who are self professed wine-o’s!
ME: “Do you like Bordeaux wines?”
THEM: “Love them!”
ME: “Brilliant! What areas are you most into?”
THEM: “How do you mean? Just Bordeaux!”
I’m not trying to be a tool when I ask that. I have my reasons. The biggest one is that there are so many different styles of wine within Bordeaux. Sure there’s only two main red grapes (Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot), but this is the biggest wine producing region in the world! You think they just churn out the same old stuff across the board?
An AOC is an Appellation D’Origine Contrôlée. It’s the way winemakers in different areas are kept honest. To stamp the AOC on your bottles is a badge of honour. It says that your wine was made HERE! It was also made to the standards of everyone else in this AOC, be it the specific grapes, the soils, the climates, or the winemaking practices. It really is something to respect.
Within Bordeaux there are over 30 different AOCs, covering reds, whites, sparkling wines, and sweet wines. You’re never going to “know” Bordeaux from just one bottle, which for a wine lover like me is great news!
Our mission at 20h33 is to bring you access to it all. There are the famous ones everyone’s heard of like Margaux, Pauillac, and Saint Emilion. We’ve got those. Then there are the secret gems like Fronsac, Bourg, and Castillon. We’ve got those too!
Stick with us, keep your eyes on the weekly sales updates, and explore the AOCs with us.
Enjoy
Mike
Director of www.20h33.co.uk
Crédit Photo: ©Bertrand Kulik – Bottle of Clos Romanile 2012 – AOC Saint-Emilion Grand Cru