Cotes de Blaye
The Côtes de Blaye wine-growing region is located on the orographic right bank of the Gironde and is part of the Bordeaux wine-growing region in France . The appellation named after the municipality of Blaye is located approx. 20 km as the crow flies directly north of the city of Bordeaux in the Gironde department . On the opposite side of the Gironde estuary is the famous Médoc appellation Saint-Julien . In the southeast, the region, also known as Blayais, borders the Côtes de Bourg wine-growing region (also known as Bourgais ).
From here, Bordeaux wine was exported to other countries very early; the area has always been rated as the Médoc's little sister . Even today, 85% of the wines in France are drunk themselves. The rest is mainly exported to the European market.
- The Merlot dominates the vineyards. As red grape varieties are Cabernet Franc , Cabernet Sauvignon , Malbec and Merlot admitted. The red wines have a beautiful color and a strong tannin structure . The wines, which are mainly matured in barriques , should therefore be stored for a few years before consumption. The recommended drinking temperature is 16–17 ° C.
- The small stock of white grape varieties is divided into the varieties Colombard , Muscadelle , Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon . Merlot Blanc is also permitted . The recommended drinking temperature for white wine is around 10 to 12 ° C.
literature
- Bernard Ginestet: Côtes de Blaye . Jacques Legrand, Paris 1990, ISBN 2-905969-30-X (French)
- Féret: Bordeaux et ses vins . Féret, Bordeaux 2000, ISBN 2-90241-617-2
- Jancis Robinson : The Oxford Wine Lexicon . Gräfe and Unzer Verlag, Munich 2003, ISBN 3-7742-0914-6
- Pierre Galet : Cépages et Vignobles de France . Lavoisier Publishing House, Paris 2004, ISBN 2-7430-0585-8 (French)
- Benoît France: Grand Atlas des Vignobles de France . Éditions SOLAR, Paris 2002, ISBN 2-263-03242-8 (French)