Dom Joly Visits Bordeaux
Dom recently journeyed to Bordeaux to discover the extraordinary wines and activities on offer - View all videos
For centuries wine has been produced in Bordeaux. This has led to a great understanding of the influence of the climate, the land and the grape varieties which produce the best wines in the region. Many of the vineyards are still family-owned.
Each year the winemakers use their skill and experience to blend their grapes – Cabernet and Merlot for the reds, Sauvignon and Sémillon for the whites – to produce wines of character and diversity, whose restrained style makes them especially good with food.
Bordeaux Dry Whites - At their simplest they are crisp and refreshingly fruity - made primarily from the Sauvignon Blanc grape - and are great matches for plain grilled fish and salads. Sauvignon is often blended with the softer Sémillon grape to produce wines which have a richer, weighty texture that marries beautifully with heavier fish dishes, white meats and pasta in creamy sauces.
Bordeaux Rosé – These wines are lighter and drier than those of the New World. Typically they are a blends of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, resulting in well balanced, elegant wines. Like the dry whites, they are best drunk young and chilled, and are the perfect complement to uncomplicated food, such as pizza, or simply enjoyed with friends.
Bordeaux Reds - There are reds to suit every taste and occasion. They range from the predominantly Merlot-based wines which are soft and smooth, and ready for immediate drinking (ideal for lighter flavoured chicken and meat dishes), to the more complex and full-bodied wines where the more powerful Cabernet dominates (more suitable for fuller-flavoured meats and game) which need a few years to develop.
Bordeaux Sweet Whites – The sweet, unctuous, honeyed dessert wines from Bordeaux are famed for their delicious taste! Typically one vine will produce enough grapes to produce a bottle of wine; for these sweet wines, a vine will only produce enough grapes for a glass of wine. It really is a labour of love. Serve well chilled, with desserts, blue cheese, foie gras, or even, as they do in Bordeaux, as an aperitif!
For some inspiration and recipes from great Bordeaux Chefs on how to associate food with Sweet Bordeaux please click here.
Earlier this year, the Bordeaux Wine Council invited a panel from the Association of Wine Educators to select some wines, readily available in the UK, which they considered representative of Bordeaux. As highly qualified wine professionals, regularly involved in presenting tastings, they are well placed to know the wine styles that appeal to the enthusiastic wine drinker, click here to search their selection.