Bordeaux is one of the world's most important wine regions, with 2.3 per cent of world production
VINTAGE MATTERS in Bordeaux, or at least it is supposed to. Every year, the wine world watches and waits for the first news of the harvest in Bordeaux. If the noises emanating are good, the following March prices of the great châteaux will rocket, as investors around the world compete to buy the finest wines of the year. Of course, it is in the interest of the owners, négociants, and importers to talk the vintage up. A friend in the trade rather cynically divided Bordeaux vintages into three categories; "Vintage of the Century", "Great" and "Classic", the last actually being an awful vintage beset with rain and wines that were green and acidic.
Thankfully, these days the standard of winemaking has improved, and the range of fancy machinery available to the savvy vigneron is far greater. Add in global warming, and the truly disastrous vintage is a thing of the past. There is no excuse for bad wine, and there is far less of it around. However, as in all wine-making regions, vintages do vary, and as Bordeaux has a fairly cool climate, a change in vintage can still make a big difference.
Bordeaux is one of the most important wine regions in the world, producing 11 per cent of all French wine, and 2.3 per cent of world production. But it is worth remembering that the top wines represent less than 5 per cent of Bordeaux. There are some 10,000 growers, making an amazing 800 million bottles of wine every year. A majority make their own wine, often selling it under their own label. The best of these make very fine wine at very competitive prices, and are well worth seeking out.
At a recent tasting of Bordeaux, I concentrated on two vintages; 2005 for red wines, and 2007 for the whites. 2005 has been heralded as one of the greatest vintages of the century (see earlier), but on this occasion the hype may well be justified. With grapes harvested in perfect condition, most châteaux at all levels were able to make excellent wines with delicious concentrated ripe fruit, and good structure. Not many of us may be able to afford the top wines that reached stratospheric prices in 2005, but the basic Bordeaux, and the other lesser appellations are now on our shelves, and drinking beautifully. Do not ignore 2006 either. Those that I have tasted have been very good, too.
The vast majority of Bordeaux wines are red, and the white wines have always been in their shadow. This is a pity, as are some exceptional dry white wines. In recent years, quality here has increased still further. It is now possible to buy fresh crisp, zippy whites, made primarily from the Sauvignon grape, sometimes blended with a little Semillon and Muscadelle. The top ones receive a bit of oak treatment, and can age beautifully, but it is the less expensive whites that I love. If you normally drink Sauvignon from New Zealand or Chile, now is the time to try out Bordeaux. The 2007 vintage may not have been great for the red wines, but the whites are very special indeed. jwilson@irish-times.ie