Bordeaux: Vines, Wines, and Good Times
Approaching Bordeaux on the TGV from Paris I wasn't quite sure what to expect. This is a city known for the finest wines in the world and so high prices and pretentious wine experts on every corner felt like a sensible guess. As the train entered the region of Nouvelle-Aquitane, the smoke from the wildfires was visible on the horizon and in a few minutes we were pulling into Bordeaux station. Very quickly I realised that my worries about bankrupting myself for a single drink were completely unfounded. Since this is the largest wine producing region in Europe it is possible to buy a whole bottle of the local produce for less than 5 Euros, and in some shops a bottle of wine is cheaper than a bottle of water! With such a readily available, cheap source of good alcohol it is impossible to not have a good time here.
Taking a very scientific approach to my trip, I realised that I couldn't understand what made the wines here so good without conducting an investigation into the product first. So I met some others in the hostel I was staying in who also shared my interest for a scientific investigation and we headed down to the banks of the Garonne river with some bottles of this world famous beverage and begin testing. The investigations were very thorough and went on well into the night until all the samples had been suitably tested. Staggering back to the hostel in the early hours I was satisfied that I had conducted an investigation with the level of detail that a masters degree in Mechanical Engineering had taught me.
With this greater understanding of the wine produced in Bordeaux, it was time to find out how this wondrous liquid is produced and what made it superior to every other wine on the planet. My destination was "La Cité du Vin", a large exhibition dedicated to wine making situated on the bank of the river and only a short ferry ride from where I was staying.
Here I learnt about the many different factors that affect wine making such as soil chemistry, air humidity and grape varieties. The process for making a wine seemed so simple before. Grow grapes; crush up the grapes; leave to ferment; separate the liquid from the skins; leave to mature; drink. But over centuries the Bordelais people have refined this process into an art form. By growing grapes at different distances from the river and by planting vines on slopes to encourage the water drainage the flavours of the grapes can be subtly manipulated. Then by mixing the grapes, like an artist mixes paints, into exactly the right proportions the perfect bottle can be produced. Some grapes are even allowed to go mouldy on the vines to cultivate a specific fungus which makes the wine even sweeter when fermented. This experience made me realise just how much science and years of development goes into producing fine wines.
As I was leaving I noticed that this museum has a rooftop bar, ever the scientist, I realise that this would make the perfect laboratory to continue my research from last night and so I headed to the lift....
In my new rooftop laboratory, whilst examining another sample, it occurred to me that through my investigations I had discovered that the wine is very good and I had learnt the complicated process for how it is made. But these processes will be similar in any wine growing region on Earth. I had not yet uncovered the secret to what makes the wines of Bordeaux so special in particular. This would require further investigations.
To find out the more specific local details, I travel to a history of Bordeaux wines musuem built into the old cellars of a wine merchant. Could these subterranean arched brick tunnels provide the answers that I was looking for?
Here in the cellars are records of the last 700 years of wine making and exporting. This showed that for a period of almost 300 year between 1154 and 1453, the region of Bordeaux and it's surroundings were ruled by the kings of England. Due to the colder British climate there was no winemaking industry there. The Bordelais wine producers realised they were in the perfect position to fill this gap in the market and managed to gain a monopoly on all wine exported to England. The medieval English couldn't get enough and the wine makers of Bordeaux made a fortune and expanded their production. Later as other regions of Europe began to grow into substantial producers and take more and more of the market share, the winemakers of Bordeaux managed to lobby the French government and got the Emperor Napoleon III to sign off on a tiered list of the producers of the area. This gave the Bordeaux wines a huge prestige boost. As the French overseas empire grew, the wine makers used their location on the Atlantic coast to become the first wines to be exported around the world. Finally, in the 20th century, the different wine producers had their most innovative idea yet.
What was the point in creating such a prestigious reputation if nobody knew the wine was yours?
So they became the first wine makers to put labels on the bottles. On this they showed images of the chateaux and displayed all the symbols of prestige they had accumulated. Since then, the rest is history. The wines of Bordeaux have only risen in fame and price.
So the real secret, it's not the grapes, or the climate. Those enable wine to be made. But what makes Bordeaux wines so special is their reputation. Built up over centuries of self-promotion, smart business decisions and embracing global changes these South Western French grape farmers have turned themselves a wine making aristocracy - Even living in castles and mansions. The difference between a great Bordeaux and great wine from another region is an intangible prestige, and this allows them to sell bottles for tens of thousands of pounds.
Santé!
