User:Lucialuxova/Bordeaux wine

Grapes

Red

Red Bordeaux is typically crafted from a blend of grapes, with Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec and Carménère as they are permitted varieties of the region. While Carménère was historically part of Bordeaux blends, its usage has declined significantly over time. Château Clerc Milon, a fifth growth Bordeaux, being one of the few to still retain Carménère vines.

Traditionally, Cabernet  Sauvignon  and  Merlot are  the predominantly widespread varieties and notably in the region of Bordeaux, give wines with many aromatic characteristics matching fruity or floral registers (blackcurrant, cherry, violet) with roasted notes, liquorice odors, and even cooked meat or woodsmoke nuances. Cabernet Sauvignon wines may also have herbaceous odors, the intensities of  which  vary  depending  on  the  conditions  of  grape maturation.

As of July 2019, Bordeaux wineries authorized the use of four new red grapes to combat effects of climate change on viticulture in Bordeaux, though only for those wines designated as Bordeaux or Bordeaux Supérior. These newly approved grapes are Marselan, Touriga Nacional, Castets, and Arinarnoa.

Bordeaux's second-most planted grape variety, Cabernet Sauvignon dominates the blend in red wines produced in the Médoc and the rest of the left bank of the Gironde estuary. The exact blend proportions can vary depending on the producer's style and vineyard terroir. For example, top-quality Châteaux on the left bank typically blend around 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Cabernet Franc, and 15% Merlot, known as the "Bordeaux blend". Merlot tends to predominate in Saint-Émilion, Pomerol and the other right bank appellations. These Right Bank blends from top -quality Châteaux are typically 70% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon.

White

White Bordeaux wines, including the renowned sweet Sauternes, primarily consist of Sémillon, Sauvignon blanc and Muscadelle. Similiar to red Bordeaux, white Bordeaux wines are typically blends, commonly combining Sémillon with a smaller proportion of Sauvignon blanc. Traditional blends often feature 80% Sémillon and 20% Sauvignon blanc. Other permitted grape varieties are Sauvignon gris, Ugni blanc, Colombard, Merlot blanc, Ondenc and Mauzac. Bordeaux wineries have recently authorized three new white grape varieties: Alvarinho, Petit Manseng, and Liliorila.

Historically, Sémillon was the most planted white grape in Bordeaux during the late 1960s, although its cultivation has steadily declined since then. Nevertheless, it remains the most prevalent white grape variety in Bordeaux. In contrast, the popularity of Sauvignon blanc has been on the rise, surpassing Ugni blanc as the second most planted white Bordeaux grape in the late 1980s. Currently, Sauvignon blanc is cultivated in an area exceeding half the size of Sémillon's, reflecting its increasing prominence.

Viticulture and Winemaking

Viticulture

Standard Aging Bordeaux barrique, a 225-liter oak barrel where wine is transferred post fermentation.

Viticulture is the science, production, and study of grapes, particularly those used for winemaking. It encompasses various aspects of grape cultivation, including vineyard management, pest control, grape harvesting, and vineyard economics.

The Bordeaux vineyard predominantly cultivates red grape varieties such as Merlot (62% by area), Cabernet Sauvignon (25%), Cabernet Franc (12%), along with smaller amounts of Petit Verdot, Malbec, and Carménère (1% combined). Among white grape varieties, Sémillon occupies the largest area (54%), followed by Sauvignon blanc (36%), Muscadelle (7%), and minor quantities of Ugni blanc, Colombard, and Folle blanche (3% collectively).

Because of the generally humid Bordeaux climate, a variety of pests can cause a problem for the vigneron. Historically, this was counteracted by the widespread use of pesticides, although there has been a recent shift towards the adoption of natural methods. The vines are generally trained in either single or double guyot. Hand-picking is preferred by many prestigious châteaux, machine-harvesting is prevalent elsewhere.

Winemaking

Temperature-controlled stainless steel vats where the wine fermentation process occurs.

Following harvest, the grapes are usually sorted and destemmed before crushing, a process that has transitioned from traditional foot-stomping to mechanical crushing in modern practices.

Following step of Chaptalization, the addition of sugar to the grape must, is permitted and frequently practiced, but not required.

Fermentation typically occurs in temperature-controlled stainless steel vats. Following fermentation, the must is pressed and transferred to barriques for aging, with the standard Bordeaux barrique being a 225-liter oak barrel.

Blending is a crucial aspect of Bordeaux winemaking, as varietal wines are rare.

Different grape varieties and vineyard parcels are blended to achieve the desired style, so as to produce a wine in the château's preference and tradition.

Additionally, wines from distinct parts of the vineyard may be aged separately and later blended into the primary or secondary wine, according to the judgment of the winemaker. The wine is then bottled and usually undergoes a further period of ageing before it is released for sale.

Organic, Natural and Biodynamic Wine and Production

Bordeaux is a region where tradition ties closely to innovation, reflected on the wine market and the Châteu offerings of the region. As to similar taste, quality and grade, today’s wine industry in Bordeaux offers even choice of technique by which the grapes are grown in the vineyards or processed in the wine cellars.

Organic

Organic wine must comply with the European Organic or French AB labels and be officially certified by an independent body. Organic viticulture prohibits the use of synthetic products such as pesticides, fungicides, herbicides, insecticides, and industrial chemical fertilizers in the vineyards.  

Central to organic wine production is the soil. One thing common among organic growers is the emphasis on generating and maintaining healthy soil life without the use of synthetic products. According to advocates of organic growing, soils that are rich in organic materials are able to retain the inorganic mineral ions that plants need for healthy growth and therefore do not require chemical fertilization. As a result of that, it is  also able to provide complex nutrients to the vine at a slow rate that seems to be better for optimal vine growth than rapid delivery that occurs with the use of inorganic fertilizers.

In some ways, organics is farming the way it used to be done before the intensive farming of the past fifty years and its reliance on agrochemicals became the norm.

Certification is important for organic farming, and a large range of certifying bodies exist.

Natural

Natural wine is a term used to describe wines made with minimal intervention - both in the vineyard and the winery, emphasizing organic or biodynamic farming practices and eschewing the use of additives and technological manipulations during the winemaking process.

These wines are typically fermented with indigenous yeasts naturally present on the grape skins and in the winery environment, rather than inoculated with commercial yeast strains. Natural winemakers avoid the use of chemical additives such as sulfur dioxide, opting instead for minimal or no sulfite additions.

The result is a wine that reflects the unique characteristics of the grape variety, terroir, and vintage with a focus on purity, expression of place, and authenticity.  Natural wines are typically neither filtered nor fined, making these wines contain particulates or appear cloudy from dissolved solids floating around. Because of these non-interventionist factors, natural wine can have a shorter shelf life and is generally produced in smaller quantities.

Biodynamic

In certain regions of the world including Bordeaux, a quiet but influential viticultural revolution has been taking place. Over the past couple of decades, increasing numbers of winegrowers have been adopting a special form of viticulture called biodynamics.

Biodynamic wine is a holistic approach to viticulture that views the vineyard as a self-sustaining ecosystem. It closely interconnects with the rhythms of nature and the cosmos as well. Its study is rooted in the teachings of Rudolf Steiner, biodynamic farming who emphasized the integration of agriculture with spiritual, ecological, and cosmic forces.

Practitioners of biodynamic wine production follow a strict set of principles and practices. These include planting, pruning, and harvesting according to lunar and celestial cycles, as well as the use of biodynamic preparations such as compost teas and herbal sprays to enhance soil fertility and vine health.

Biodynamic vineyards aim to achieve biodiversity and balance within the ecosystem. Incorporating elements such as cover crops, hedgerows, and animal grazing to promote natural pest control and soil vitality is part of the work put into biodynamic production too. By working in harmony with the natural world, biodynamic winemakers seek to produce wines that express the unique terroir of the vineyard while promoting environmental sustainability and overall welfare of the vineyards and around.

Experts note that biodynamics isn’t just an agricultural protocol; it is a different way of wine culture and thinking that involves seeing the farm as a whole system, with a complex series of connectedness between the various components - even if some science refuses to back up this technique. One of the recurrent themes of biodynamics is the emphasis on life and life forces, even though by their nature these are indefinable.