Known all over the world for its prestigious great wines, such as Saint-Estèphe, Margaux, Saint-Émilion, Pomerol and Sauternes, the Bordeaux vineyard, with its 117,200 hectares of vines, 8,000 châteaux and nearly 10,000 wine-growers, is also the biggest AOC vineyard in France! Comprising six main terroirs, the Médoc, Libournais, Sauternais, Graves, Entre-Deux-Mers and Blayais-Bourgeais, which are in turn divided into several appellations such as Saint-Estèphe, Saint-Julien, Margaux, Moulis-en-Médoc or Pauillac for the Médoc region, the Bordelais vineyard has no fewer than 57 different appellations! Red wines make up around 80% of the production and mainly come from the Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc grape varieties. The rest of the production consists of dry and sweet white wines made from the Sémillon, Sauvignon and Muscadelle grape varieties, as well as rosé wines from the same varieties as the red wines.
Many wine estates open to the public offer cellar tours and tastings. For instance, this is the case with Châteaux Siran, Margaux, Lanessan, Mouton Rothschild, Lafite Rothschild and Loudenne in Médoc, or the Châteaux of Yquem and Filhot in Sauternes. It's also a chance for gourmet visitors to go from château en château, discovering the scenery and architectural attractions that have made this vast land so famous.
A big mountain biking trek combining wine and sports, La Médocaine takes place at the end of May every year, with thousands of participants in costume travelling along the Médoc roads in a party atmosphere!
