Bordeaux – red classics in a bottle
The most famous wine region in the world – this is Bordeaux. There are also the most extensive vineyards – 115,000 hectares of vineyards are sown in the French region, which is more than vineyards all over Germany.
Every four of five bottles in Bordeaux contain red wine. Although all wines in this area bear the name Bordeaux, each castle (château), each plot (cru), each name is characterized by strict individuality and character.
The classic varieties for Bordeaux wines are cabernet sauvignon, merlot, cabernet frank, and to a lesser extent virgin and malbec. All of them are unique, although they are made using the same techniques and the same varieties.
Over time in Bordeaux, 5 grades (grades or classes) have been established for wine, which refer to specific wines and properties. Each area in Bordeaux has its own classification.
The first official and remaining with the greatest influence to date is the Classification of Wines by Medoc and Gray from 1855. The story is that Napoleon’s World Exhibition in Paris in the same year requires each wine region to compile a classification of its wines.
Thus, the Wine Brokers Syndicate arranges the wines from their districts (Medoc and Grav) in 5 crutches (classes, categories) according to the average price at which they are sold.
The 1855 Classification also includes noble sweet wines from Sothern and Barzac, since at that time they are now known as the “kings of the guilt and guilt of the kings.”
The classification was changed only once – in 1973, when Chateau Mouton-Rothschild moved from second to first-highest category.
Unusual wine-making practice is observed in the castles whose vineyards are in the premium category. Low flying helicopters scatter the cold air and the frost “jammed” between the rows of the vineyard in the early spring. After torrential rains during wet years, it may also be necessary for helicopters to dry grapes to prevent the occurrence of diseases on it.
Besides pleasure for the senses, French wine is also proven healthy. In 1991, Serge Renault, a French researcher at the University of Bordeaux, formulated the so- “French paradox”.
He finds that, despite the saturated fat diet of the French, they suffer much less than cardiovascular disease than Americans. This is largely due to the regular consumption of red wine, which is a powerful antioxidant that naturally lowers cholesterol levels.
Of course, the benefits are more than just moderate consumption, for example the French themselves, which rarely exceed the daily dose of two glasses of 150 ml of wine.