Bordeaux is embracing organic for a different class of red
The winds of organic change are being felt even among the vineyards of France’s most traditional wine-producing region
Bordeaux and bio – the French term for “organic” – are not words that are often seen in the same sentence. The world-renowned wines from the 7,000 or so chateaux that define this part of southwest France have an image of quality that is based on tradition rather than trends. So it is not surprising to learn that even today, official figures from the Bordeaux Wine Council reveal that only about 25 per cent of Bordeaux wines come from vineyards that are certified organic.
The Bordeaux vineyards are spread over an area of 110,000 hectares, and to explore these new trends, my designated driver and I travelled through the lavish chateaux of the Médoc, Sauternes and Saint-Émilion, visited wineries in Blaye and Entre-Deux-Mers, and even ventured to little-known vineyards in remote corners of the Bordelais (a term used to describe the wine-growing region around the city of Bordeaux).
In addition to families who have been making wine here for centuries, we met dynamic female vigneronnes and enthusiastic newcomers who had abandoned business careers to become winemakers. And for the wine-loving traveller, tourism here has moved on from formal cellar tastings to envelop everything from wellness vinotherapy to vineyard picnics and escape games.
Each chateau seems more opulent and sumptuous than the last, surrounded by perfectly manicured vineyards – so the anarchic vines of elegant 18th century Château Anthonic, broken up into small plots by hedges, ditches, woods and fruit trees, could not look more out of place.
