TT Wine Tasting Course Week 1 – Bordeaux Basics

Old Bus in Bordeaux 2003

Bordeaux is one of the most famous wine regions in the world and some of its wines amongst the most expensive and sought-after. The red wines are perhaps the most well known but the sweet whites are also amongst the World’s best. However, Bordeaux actually covers the whole gamut of wine so you can get Sparkling wine, Rose and dry white as well. They also do Bordeaux Clairet which is a wine in between Rose and Red.

The red wines of Bordeaux are often known in England as Claret but this is not a term used very much elsewhere in the world and rarely do you see this on a bottle in France. It dates back from the time when Bordeaux wines being imported into the UK were considered a lot lighter than the dark wines of Gaillac - Clair means light in French.

Bordeaux Vineyeard 2003

The basic Bordeaux reds are labeled either AOC Bordeaux or AOC Bordeaux Superieur. The AOC Bordeaux tends to be supple and fruity and not very full bodied. They can be very pleasant easy drinking or sometimes rather disappointing. Many basic House Clarets will be from this appellation. The AOC Bordeaux Superieur can be more concentrated, complex and powerful but again are a mixed bunch. Don’t expect the same that you would expect from an expensive Medoc.  

The grape varieties used in these basic Bordeaux reds can be Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and occasionaly Malbec or Petit Verdot, but most are Merlot dominated. These basic reds are generic in that they don’t have to come from any particular part of the Bordeaux region – they could be a mix from many vineyeards. The famous Bordeaux comes from specific areas such as Saint Emillion or Saint Estephe. Thus these basic Bordeaux have the labels of  cooperatives and very often brands or supermarket own labels. Prices, however, can be affordable.

Bordeaux is in the south west of France on the Atlantic Coast and the maritime climate protects it from the extremes of temperature. The soil types and terrain are very variable, thus contributing to the different characters of different AOC Bordeaux wines.

Your homework this week is to buy and try a bottle of basic Bordeaux red. My suggestions are in descending order of preference are:

Waitrose – Calvet Reserve 2009 Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignon about £6
or Marks and Spencers – Classic Claret 2008 AOC Bordeaux about £7
or if budget conscious - Sainsbury’s – House Claret NV about £4.

NV = Non-Vintage or a mix of different years.

2009 was a good year for Bordeaux wines, probably the best since 2005.

AOC = Appellation d'Origine Controllee

Don’t expect too much but this will show you what a basic Bordeaux or Claret tastes like. You need to taste to understand. Try with food such as a roast dinner, pork chops or even hamburger and chips (no need to be posh when drinking cheap claret).   In  my view the typical house claret is for less adventurous drinkers but in past times when the Euro was weaker it could provide an everyday reliable easy drinking red wine. 

Next week – understanding the terms Right Bank and Left Bank and what to expect from Right Bank wines such as Saint Emillion.