RAISE A GLASS
ONE of the giddiest things I do when I’m visiting vineyards is look for the winery doggie and take as many photographs of the said doggie while forgetting to listen, look and learn. I had a giddy moment a couple of weeks ago in Bordeaux.
The most beautiful little bundle of fur called Eau de Vie was padding around her master at Château Pitray and I was mesmerised. I was also mesmerised by the château itself; it was veiled in fog, dew was on the ground and the gothic architecture was framed by grey skies and trees whose autumnal leaves were beginning to lazily drift to the ground.
This, I thought, is pretty special. Surely the wines are going to be so out of my usual price bracket? Well, definitely not. One of the misconceptions about Bordeaux wines is that the majority of prices are in the premier league; but nothing could be further from the truth. In fact only 5% of wines from Bordeaux are “exclusive”; the rest are very much affordable. If you’ve never dipped your toe (or nose) into a Bordeaux wine then here are some pointers. The reds are predominantly made from merlot, cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc.
You might have heard of the terms right bank and left bank. In left bank wines, cab sav leads from the front. They are called left bank because the vineyards sit to the left of the Garonne River (to the west, next to the sea). Look for names such as Médoc, HautMédoc, Pauillac, Margaux and Saint-Estèphe. They’re typically blackcurrant with leather, spice and woody notes.
If you like fruitier reds you’ll prefer right bank wines, where merlot is king. Look for Pomerol and Saint Emilion among others.
There are whites too, with sauvignon blanc and semillon casting a fresh and fruity spell in the Entre Deux Mers region and shaping elegant wines in Graves and Pessac-Léognan.
Back to Château Pitray and the tasting room. I was very much paying attention and not thinking about doggies. The reason being the price.
Here are a couple of wines from the Château and a handful of others to look out for.
Château de Pitray, Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux 2012 (£8.95, thewinesociety.com, 12% abv); Premier Vin du Château de
Pitray 2014 (£11.99,or £9.99 in a buy six deal from Majestic, 12.5% abv). Rounded wines, vanilla, summer fruits, back fruits, rich and ripe. Tesco
Finest St Emilion (£16, 13% abv) is a blend of merlot and cabernet franc. I visited the winery at Château Val D’Or which is at the cutting edge of developing sustainability in Bordeaux. Waitrose St Emilion French Red Wine (£13.49, 13% abv) is made in partnership with the winemaking team at the Union de Producteurs de St-Émilion, one of the most respected co-operatives of the region. It is one of a selection of 175 wines in the Everyday Bordeaux list drawn up by the team at Bordeaux WInes UK. GO to bordeaux.com/uk/ Choosing-a-Wine to check out the wines (all priced between £6-20). You can follow @ BordeauxWinesUK on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook.
Jane is a member of the Circle of Wine Writers. Find her on social media and online as One Foot in the Grapes.