Bordeaux

I know what you're thinking. Well actually possibly two things. Either, Bordeaux, French wine, Claret, wine of boring old farts and rich bankers or possibly Bordeaux, blimey, big topic for one blog.

Bordeaux - Beautiful city

And home to the greatest wine region in the world

Well, it certainly is a big topic, one that has had thousands of books written about it and I could not possibly do it justice in one of my short blogs. As you may be aware I visited Bordeaux for a holiday last month and this is intended as the first of a series of blog on my time in the region.

Bigger isn't always better - New Zealand wine sales have soared

Bordeaux as a wine producing region is vast, so vast in fact that the amount of wine produced here would rank 10th in the world if Bordeaux was as a country. It produces 675 million litres of wine a year (That is 900 million bottles!). That is 3 times the amount that New Zealand produces.

The comparison with New Zealand is rather apt because 'Kiwi' wine has become very popular in Britain just as sales of French wine have declined in recent years. According to latest Nielsen data 1 in every 5 bottles over £7 is from New Zealand. 


But it wasn't always like that. Bordeaux and England have a long association going back to the 12th century when Eleanor of Aquitaine married Henry Plantagenet, the future King Henry II. Bordeaux was in the control of the British for almost 300 years and it was during the time of Richard the Lionheart, son of Henry and Eleanor that drinking the wines of Bordeaux really took off. Between the end of the Hundred Years War in 1453 and the First World War (1914-1918) Bordeaux boomed and much of the wine was exported to Britain as well as the low countries. The Dutch had a major influence as its engineers drained the marshy and swampy Medoc left bank home of the most famous wine names of the region today.

The classification of the wines was started in 1855. You will often hear me refer to '1855 and all that...' It's a flippant remark and the subject actually deserves a blog all on it's own. Typing 1855 classification into Google gets you over 12 million results. It's actually one of the first things you learn about at wine school, Bordeaux usually being the first region to be covered.

The classification of AOCs (often ACs) or Appellation d'Origine Controlée started in the 1930s and

Bordeaux wine map - All 54 appellations of it

continues to be occasionally modified today. The literal translation is 'controlled designation of origin' and it ensures that to be labelled with a particular are the wine must be made in a certain way with regard to the grape types, maturation period and type of maturation for example.

These stiff rules have become restrictive to the winemakers leading to wine from the new world such as Australia, Chile and the aforementioned New Zealand where there are less restrictions on experimentation becoming popular at the expense of classic Bordeaux 'Claret'.

Just the phrase 'Claret' itself is a British invention. It derives from the French word 'clairet' meaning dark rosé which was the typical style of wine exported to Britain during the 12th - 15th centuries. It is a protected word but I prefer not to use it and you will never see it used on a label.

What you will see is a bewildering array of information including the appellation the wine is from, (See the map opposite) but never the actual grape variety which I am sure is one of the principal reasons why the new world has usurped France and Bordeaux in sales.

I spent most of my week in on holiday in the Cotes de Blaye and Cotes de Bourg. I would guess most of you reading this will not of heard of those areas. It is true that they are not the most well known of the Bordeaux appellations but to actual see the rolling vineyards going on for mile after mile is an awe inspiring sight. In my next blog I will tell you a little more about the Cotes de Bourg.

Enjoying the blog. Why not meet me in person. Visit my website www.gloryofwine.com or follow my Facebook or twitter feeds. I would love to organise a tasting event for you.

Until next time, enjoy your wine.
Cheers!
Simon

Birmingham School of Wine

If you are at all interested in wine the only way to really learn more is to actually taste more. Obviously most of us have got limited funds for buying wine so an enjoyable way of getting to taste a variety of wines is by going to a wine tasting.

I am in a privileged position of working in the hospitality trade and wine tastings are something I go to on a reasonably regular basis and it is great fun, providing you can leave the car at home and remember which pocket you put your house keys in when you get home.

But there are plenty of opportunities for the general public to get involved too, and it doesn't have to cost you a fortune. One such company that offers this opportunity near me is Birmingham Wine School which was established in 2008 and offers a wide variety of courses for everyone from people simply interested in wine up to professional people in the trade like myself who wish to gain professional qualifications in the subject.

My father-in-law Rob is very passionate about his wine, especially Bordeaux and he would admit to being a proper Francophile. He loves going there and enjoying the French way of life, especially the 'vin'. So for his birthday his wife, my mother-in-law bought for him (and me - thank you Norma) tickets for 'Good Food would choose Bordeaux' which took place at the The Old Joint Stock, a lovely old Fullers pub that does great ales and food in central Birmingham on Tuesday 19th February.


My somewhat wine spattered tasting notes from the evening

I will confess at this point that we both knew what to expect, as the previous year we had attended the same venue for The Grand Tour of France which was a whistle stop tour of the whole of France.

We ate before we arrived, therefore not repeating the mistake made last time when I for one fell asleep on the train home. It's amazing how those little sips add up and by the end of the night you can easily have drunk nearly a whole bottle. They do actually put on some cheese, paté and biscuits for you and with some wines, food as an accompaniment is a real help to enjoying the wine.

We started with a Sauvignon Blanc from Entre-deux-Mers exactly as I had predicted to Rob. But for most, including me, and leaving aside for a moment the fantastic sweet wine from Sauternes and the like, Bordeaux is all about red wine, 'Claret' as we British used to love to call it. The first red was actually a bit of an anti-climax, a decidedly dull but inoffensive Bordeaux Superieur that came from Tesco (surprise, surprise). Actually it probably would have gone well with one of those dodgy lasagnes.

You get a little A4 sheet with a bit of information about each of the wines before you start the night, region, grape variety, year, merchant etc along with a short description but they don't tell you the price of the wines until the end of the night. Therefore myself and Rob have a little competition to see who can get closest at guessing. On this night we decided the loser would have to buy the other a decent bottle as a prize. More of which later. After each wine is poured a general discussion will take place about it's characteristics including the appearance, nose and finally the palate.


La Dominique St Emilion Grand Cru Classé
and Chateau Greysac from Medoc
both 9/10 wines for us

The Tesco wine was £4.99 (I guessed £6.50) and I could see the couple sitting opposite us who were new to this looking a little nervous as if they feared the evening might be a waste of money. The good news was the quality of the wines soon ramped up and after trying pretty good Premieres Côtes de Bordeaux from Château Tanesse and Château Paret from the Côtes de Castillon we tried two really fantastic wines, La Dominique 2003, a St Emilion Grand Cru Classé with fantastic blackcurrant flavours and great balance, and Château Greysac 2003 a Cabernet Sauvignon from the Medoc which was dry but with sweet cherry fruit and soft tannins.

After three more fine wines from Margaux, Montagne de St Emilions and St Emilion  itself we returned to Tesco with a tasting of their finest Sauternes. Now, I know sweet wine isn't to everyones taste, indeed Rob declined an opportunity to try it, but for me it is a delicious honeyed treat to be sampled when ever you get the chance. Shame we didn't have any sticky toffee pudding to go with it.

At the end of the night which was about 90 minutes long our guide, whose name I'm afraid I forgot to write down went through the prices and my competitive nature went into overdrive. Sadly I lost to Rob by 5 wines to 4 with one tied and how he loved that. Now I have to find him a decent bottle. I understand Tesco do some good wine. Seriously though it was an excellent evening and great value. If you have a chance to go please do as I am sure you will enjoy it.

Next time. Two up and coming varieties beginning with V. Verdelho and Viognier. Oh, and roast chicken.

Enjoy your wine. Cheers!

Simon

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