1960 The U K B G Guide to Drinks (3 rd edition revised)

BORDEAUX

Whilst Champagne is known as the King of Mhnes, this must not detract from the fact that the wines of Bordeaux are equally as famous, and are probably considered the best natural wines in the world. They come from the department of Gironde in France, close to and surrounding the town of Bordeaux. The whole of the area lies upon the rivers Garonne, Dordogne and Gironde, and can Idc divided into:— 1. Medoc 4. Entre deux Mers 2. Graves 5. Cotes 3. Sauternes 6. Palus Another area known as St. Emilion is sometimes classed separately but really belong to the Cotes. History Wines have been exported from Bordeaux ever since the 4th Century A.D. As far as this country is concerned, however, it is from the 12th century that the wines of Bordeaux achieved prominence. In this century, Eleanor, daughter of the Duke of Aquitaine, who was a wealthy landowner, married Henri Plantagenet, then Duke of Anjou,in 1152. In II53, he became King of England (Henry II) and the couple had two sons, Richard Coeur de Lion and John. Both of these sons became Kings of England in their turn and the owners of quite a large part of France. Thus it was that for a period of roughly 300 years the wines of Bordeaux were consumed in England and have held their own ever since. MEDOC This area lies on the left bank of the River Gironde to the N.W. of Bordeaux. It is fairly flat land of a sandy and pebbly nature, with a subsoil of a ferruginous nature. The wines are produced from the red grapes of the Malbec, Verdot, Merlot, Cabernet and Cabernet-Malbec varieties. The better varieties of wine come from the Haut Medoc

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