When the region Bordeaux is mentioned, most people automatically think of wine (and rightfully so.) Bordeaux wines have earned worldwide reputations for being a little extra special. I personally prefer Bordeaux wines more than wines from other regions because of the flavor that is embodied in each bottle. Wine from Bordeaux is famous for its rich flavor, beautiful coloring, and prestige. By French law, any wine called that hails a regions name (such as Bordeaux,) must actually be produced in the region. Luckily, with over 10,000 producers using grapes from over 13,000 growers in the Bordeaux region alone, there is no shortage of Bordeaux wine. Detailed below are the major wine sub-regions of Bordeaux and what each area offers to the wine world.

The Médoc wine region is located in the northern part of Bordeaux. Médoc, located in the département of Gironde, is known for its full, fruity, red Bordeaux wines. It is divided into two parts with Haut-Médoc in the south and the northern part which is simply referred to as Médoc. Some of my favorite Bordeaux wines come from the Médoc region. These wines include Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Blanc, and Merlot. If you’ve ever been in the Médoc region, you would also know that this region is famous for its wonderful Roquefort cheese.

Saint-Émilion, the oldest wine region of Bordeaux, with vineyards being planted here as early as the second century. Although, Saint-Émilion is the oldest wine region in Bordeaux, it wasn’t officially added to the Bordeaux wine classification until 1955. Saint-Émilion is famous for its beautiful convent cloister as well as it Reblochon cheese.

Although Pomerol is the smallest wine region of Bordeaux, it is by far not the least important. There aren’t many wine “big wigs” in the Pomerol region, but the wine from Pomerol is strong and full-bodied. The wine-making in Pomerol is mainly a family business and there are no formal rankings for wines from this region as in other parts of Bordeaux, but the wine is no less worthy of its pricing. Wines here are high in quality and thus sold at similar prices as other wines from Bordeaux.

Graves is also one of the oldest wine-making areas of Bordeaux. The Graves area was named for the high amount of gravel in the soil. Because of the gravel in the soil, grapes often ripen more quickly in the Graves region. This is not because of the composition, either! The sun reflects from the gravel onto the underside of the grape vine allowing sunlight to the whole plant. Graves is famous for the fact that it produces all three of the major wine types from Bordeaux.

Within the Graves region is the Sauternes sub-region which has to be mentioned. Sauternes is known for producing dry white wines and sweet white wines. This is refreshing change to the massive amounts of red wines produced in Bordeaux. Sauternes wines are made from grapes with noble rot. Noble rot causes grapes to have a slight raisin effect which makes the wines of Sauternes very rich in flavor. Since there are many different soil types in Sauternes, each winery creates a distinct wine.

With the amazing popularity of wines from Bordeaux, it’s almost a sin to pass through Bordeaux without visiting a winery or at least picking up a bottle of wine at a shop. For wine-lovers, a wine tour is almost required. For those who aren’t too into wine, Bordeaux is famous for many other gastronomic favorites such as Roquefort cheese, honey, and foie gras. The scenery of Bordeaux is unbeatable, too!