Bordeaux

More than 10,000 different wines are produced in Bordeaux, by nearly 7,500 winemakers. With more than 120, 000 hectares of growing land, it's no surprise that the region is one of the largest wine producers in France.Young red Bordeaux wines tend to be dark--coloured anywhere from a rich ruby to near-black. The red wines have heavy fruit scents of black cherry, cassis, and blackberry, along with spices like liquorice and vanilla bean. They have heavy tannins and rich, complex flavours.Bordeaux is unquestionably the best known fine wine region in the world. For centuries the wines from this region have been shipped, cellared and savoured just about everywhere. Did you know that the Romans were the first to introduce the grapevine to the region, way back in the 1st Century? By the 12th Century, Bordeaux wines became popular outside of France--exported to England as "claret". Thanks to the excellent environment--a limestone-rich, calcium-heavy soil with temperate weather--wines from Bordeaux have become the envy of the world.There is a simple rule of thumb for Bordeaux wines:• Left Bank wines are predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon (with other grapes blended in)• Right Bank wines are predominantly Merlot based (with other grapes blended in)