Blaye (wine)

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Vineyard in Blaye. Cars, Gironde.jpg
Vineyard in Blaye.

Blaye (French:  [blaj]  ( Loudspeaker.svg   listen )) is a wine region in Bordeaux, centred on the town of Blaye, producing both red and white wine, plus a small amount of rosé and sparkling wine. It is located on the right bank of the River Gironde, and surrounds Côtes de Bourg.

Wine alcoholic drink made from grapes

Wine is an alcoholic drink made from fermented grapes. Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol, carbon dioxide, and heat. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts produce different styles of wine. These variations result from the complex interactions between the biochemical development of the grape, the reactions involved in fermentation, the terroir, and the production process. Many countries enact legal appellations intended to define styles and qualities of wine. These typically restrict the geographical origin and permitted varieties of grapes, as well as other aspects of wine production. Wines not made from grapes include rice wine and fruit wines such as plum, cherry, pomegranate, currant and elderberry.

Bordeaux wine regions wine growing areas in France

The wine regions of Bordeaux are a large number of wine growing areas, differing widely in size and sometimes overlapping, which lie within the overarching wine region of Bordeaux, centred on the city of Bordeaux and covering the whole area of the Gironde department of Aquitaine.

Blaye Subprefecture and commune in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France

Blaye is a commune and subprefecture in the Gironde department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France.

Contents

Appellations d'origine contrôlée

A number of different Appellations d'origine contrôlée (AOCs) apply, or have previously applied, to Blaye. In 1936, 3 AOCs were created for this region: Blaye AOC, Côtes de Blaye AOC and Premières Côtes de Blaye AOC. These all covered the same geographical area, with Premières Côtes de Blaye including the most prestigious properties. [1] These AOCs were revised in the 1990s, and Blaye AOC was used for the top reds (while still being used for some simple dry whites). [2] In 2007, the AOCs were revised again. Blaye AOC is now exclusively red, and Côtes de Blaye AOC is exclusively white. [3] Premières Côtes de Blaye has been absorbed into Côtes de Bordeaux AOC, which covers both red and white wines, and may have the word Blaye appended, subject to stricter controls. [4] Rosé wines are not covered by any of these AOCs, and must be sold under a generic Bordeaux appellation. [5]

<i>Appellation dorigine contrôlée</i> French protected geographic appellation

The appellation d'origine contrôlée is the French certification granted to certain French geographical indications for wines, cheeses, butters, and other agricultural products, all under the auspices of the government bureau Institut national des appellations d'origine, now called Institut national de l'origine et de la qualité (INAO). It is based on the concept of terroir.

Geography

The area is hillier than the Médoc, rising to a height of over 70m above sea-level. The soil is mostly clay over limestone. The area under vines is around 7000 hectares. A little river, called Rau de Brouillon separates Blaye from the Bourgeais. [6]

Médoc is an AOC for wine in the Bordeaux wine region of southwestern France, on the Left Bank of the Gironde estuary that covers the northern section of the viticultural strip along the Médoc peninsula. The zone is sometimes called Bas-Médoc, though this term is not permitted on any label. With few exceptions there is produced only red wine, and no white wine has the right to be called Médoc.

Wines

Red wine is made predominantly from Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, with small quantities of Malbec, Petit Verdot and Carménère. White wine under the label Côtes de Blaye is made predominantly from Colombard and Ugni blanc, whereas white wine under the label Côtes de Bordeaux (Blaye) is made predominantly from Sauvignon blanc, Semillon and Muscadelle. [7] The red wines are fresh and fruity, and should be drunk relatively young, [8] while the whites (which are usually dry) are light and softly fruity. [9]

Merlot dark blue-colored variety of wine-making grape

Merlot is a dark blue-colored wine grape variety, that is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines. The name Merlot is thought to be a diminutive of merle, the French name for the blackbird, probably a reference to the color of the grape. Its softness and "fleshiness", combined with its earlier ripening, makes Merlot a popular grape for blending with the sterner, later-ripening Cabernet Sauvignon, which tends to be higher in tannin.

Cabernet Sauvignon red-wine variety of grape

Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates from Canada's Okanagan Valley to Lebanon's Beqaa Valley. Cabernet Sauvignon became internationally recognized through its prominence in Bordeaux wines where it is often blended with Merlot and Cabernet Franc. From France, the grape spread across Europe and to the New World where it found new homes in places like California's Santa Cruz Mountains, Paso Robles, Napa Valley, New Zealand's Hawkes Bay, Australia's Margaret River and Coonawarra regions, and Chile's Maipo Valley and Colchagua. For most of the 20th century, it was the world's most widely planted premium red wine grape until it was surpassed by Merlot in the 1990s. However, by 2015, Cabernet Sauvignon had once again become the most widely planted wine grape, with a total of 341000ha under vine worldwide.

Cabernet Franc grapevine that yields black grapes used for wine

Cabernet Franc is one of the major black grape varieties worldwide. It is principally grown for blending with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in the Bordeaux style, but can also be vinified alone, as in the Loire's Chinon. In addition to being used in blends and produced as a varietal in Canada and the United States, it is sometimes made into ice wine in those regions.

Châteaux

There is no classification for the châteaux of Blaye, and this is therefore necessarily a somewhat arbitrary list, but the following are considered noteworthy by one or other of the references:

Château du Grand Barrail, Château Barbé, Château le Menaudat, Château Segonzac, Château Bourdieu, Château l'Escadre, Château Bel-Air la Royère, Château Bertinerie, Château Haut-Bertinerie, Château Gigault, Château les Jonqueyres, Château Mondésir-Gazin, Château Rolande-la-Garde, Château Crusquet Sabourin, Château Les Moines, Château Gauthier

Notes

  1. ↑ Johnson(1994), p108; Rowe, p46
  2. ↑ Johnson(2009), p43
  3. ↑ "Blaye wine" . Retrieved 28 April 2012.
  4. ↑ Johnson(2009), p43; "Cotes de Bordeaux Blaye Wine" . Retrieved 28 April 2012.
  5. ↑ "Cotes de Bordeaux Blaye Wine" . Retrieved 28 April 2012.
  6. ↑ Johnson(1994), p108
  7. ↑ "Cotes de Bordeaux Blaye Wine" . Retrieved 28 April 2012. "Blaye wine" . Retrieved 28 April 2012. "Cotes de Blaye wine" . Retrieved 28 April 2012.
  8. ↑ Rowe, p266
  9. ↑ Rowe, p104

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References

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