The Bordeaux wine remains the world’s most famous wine for various reasons —starting from its unique character, taste, and style.
Not only that, but Bordeaux (such as of Sokolin Petrus wines) is also considered the largest wherein there are more than 7,500 different producers that are close to 120,000 planted vine hectares which make an approximate of 75 million cases of Bordeaux wine each year in Bordeaux.
As it stays on the top of the wine hierarchy, let us further your wine knowledge by knowing the wines bit by bit, starting from the Bordeaux wine.
What is Bordeaux Wine?
Bordeaux, pronounced as “bore-doe” is referring to a wine from a region in France wherein the name was derived from —Bordeaux, France. The component of Bordeaux is over 90 percent of Bordeaux wines such as the red wines that are made with Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.
How Bordeaux Wine Tastes
First off, you should keep in your mind that the Bordeaux wine is close to 7,500 different produces which makes almost 10,000 different classes of Bordeaux wines. Thus, the difficulty in explaining it simply as to how Bordeaux wines really taste like.
However, the taste of this wine can be broken down to the young Bordeaux wine, older Bordeaux wine, Bordeaux blends dominated by the Cabernet Sauvignon, Bordeaux blends that is dominated by the Merlot, dry white Bordeaux wine, and lastly, the sweet Bordeaux wine.
Bordeaux Tasting Notes
The primary flavors of the Bordeaux wine are plum, black currant, graphite, cedar, and violet. The red wines from Bordeaux are considered medium to full bodied that has a hint of earthy notes. When tasted, it bursts into a flavor of mineral and fruit notes, which can lead to savory, prickly, and mouth-drying tannins.
On the other hand, White Bordeaux have the varieties of Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, and Muscadelle which have dominant flavors of grapefruit, lemon-lime, gooseberry, lemon curd, and chamomile.
Depending on the wine’s quality, vintage year, and on what region within the Bordeaux the wine came from, the fruit flavors will range from more tart fruit to sweeter ripe fruit. Also, the vintage variation is crucial in this area. Here’s a hint, the great vintages seem to come along about 1 to 2 time every five years!
The Acidity in Bordeaux Wine
In tasting the Bordeaux wine, its acidity should be taken into consideration since its acidity will be more noticeable due to that fact that Cabernet Sauvignon dominates it. This is because of the ripeness found in the grapes. The Cabernet Sauvignon is naturally more acidic and is lower in pH which results in lesser sugar than the Merlot.
The presence of acidity in wines makes it feel fresh, refreshing, and alive on your palate—which is something that we would want, right? However, too much acidity in wines will make it feel sharp, tangy, and will often taste like tart red fruits rather than the darker berries.
The Pairing of Food with Bordeaux Wine
The pairing of Bordeaux wine and food is fun and easy. To start, you should first remember this important tip: get a Bordeaux wine that you like and prepare food that you enjoy eating and find someone to share it with!
In a nutshell, Bordeaux wines are good as a pairing with food gets. However, if you want to delve into wine and food pairing, then you do not need to worry! For we will be discussing the foods that would match the bold Bordeaux wine well.
Steak and duck fat fries or Steak Frites is considered to be the top dish that perfectly suited the red Bordeaux wine. This is because the boldness present in the wine compliments the umami that is in the meat, wherein the wine’s tannins are smoothed out by the food’s fat content.
Additionally, the Bordeaux wine will taste fruity and sweet against a meaty background! The steak frites is just one of the examples which shows that when pairing foods with the Bordeaux wine, it is best to counteract the tannin through fat, or a dish plenty with umami will do.
Takeaway
Bordeaux wine is just one of the many varieties of wines that are available out there in the market. Now, if you are a newly recruited wine enthusiast, then welcome to the world of the majestic wines! Surely you will be able to learn more than you have ever known before, and you, reading this article is just the beginning.
On another note, since there are still many wine classifications out there, it is recommended that you first start over with the basics. Such as how to properly taste the wine and point out its dominating flavor. Or, you could also engage in talks with your co-wine enthusiast to gather more information, and of course, establish connections.