Wines for the Festive season

Celebrate the end of the year!

Gather your family and friends and enjoy Bordeaux Wines during the holiday season. 

Red Bordeaux Wines

Bordeaux red wines are made from dark-skinned grapes but the juice within is white  (next time you have a black grape try squeezing it and see!). So the wines obtain their red colouring and tannins by extracting the latter from the skin and soaking the skins in the juice during maceration. This process of maceration provides the wine with its aroma and tannic structure.

Bordeaux reds are divided into 2 main categories – supple & fruity and then powerful & intense. Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon are the main red grape varieties in Bordeaux, but the last 20 years have seen the growth of Petit Verdot, Carménère and Malbec. This greater diversity of grape varieties offers new possibilities to winegrowers: it multiplies the options available for new blends.
Another striking fact – while Bordeaux is known for its art of blending,  in recent years a wave of unexpected red cuvées is sweeping through Bordeaux and captivating wine enthusiasts young and old. Easy-drinking, diverse and exceptional value, these modern red wines are making their mark on Bordeaux’s already world-renowned reputation for red wine production. 

Crafted to drink when young, but still with great ageing potential, the new red wines of Bordeaux are the result of innovative winemakers’ exploration of new styles and modern approaches.

Food pairings for red Bordeaux wines

When it comes to the festive  season, red Bordeaux wines are always a favourite. There’s one Christmas ingredient that we can’t imagine Christmas without, a roast turkey – from the traditional roast to more modern interpretations – turkey is one of the key elements of a Christmas celebration. An excellent wine to serve with roast turkey and all the trimmings is a Merlot-based red Bordeaux.
Why not try a wine from Saint-Émilion where the Merlot grape is often the majority of the blend, and the full-bodied structured wines with ripe tannins will pair perfectly with your Christmas roast.
While we highly recommend you surprise your guests and try a cheese board with a dry white Bordeaux wine – a perfect match – you can also stick to tradition and serve a Bordeaux red. 

TASTING ADVICE:

Serving temperature 13 – 15°C

DID YOU KNOW?

Merlot originated from the region of Aquitaine in the South of France. This grape is the main variety cultivated by wine growers from Bordeaux. And it is used worldwide. No matter where you go in the world, Merlot is the grape variety the most widely known by wine consumers. 

Dry white Bordeaux Wines

It may surprise you, but the Bordeaux region has always produced white wines – and a lot of them are made with Sauvignon Blanc grapes! Today, 2,000 winemakers, who mostly run small estates, continue the thousand-year-old tradition of white wines in Bordeaux. And you will see, these wines will not stop surprising you!

Bordeaux whites offer a very good balance between liveliness, smoothness and aromatic power. They reflect the freshness of the Atlantic Ocean, its strong winds, mixed with incredible citrus notes.

Food pairings for white Bordeaux wines

Composed mainly of Sauvignon blanc, a grape with exceptional aromas and astonishing freshness, the dry whites of Bordeaux are the best ally to all your festive seafood starters and can also be a great pairing to nut roasts and mushroom Wellington.
Seafood lover? Opt for an AOC Entre-Deux-Mers, the freshness of these wines will pair perfectly with the sea delights.
Want to surprise your guests? Offer them a white Bordeaux wine with cheese.

TASTING ADVICE:

Serve chilled at 9°C – 12°C

DID YOU KNOW?

Sauvignon blanc is the best ally of goat cheese!

Crémants de Bordeaux

Although the Crémant appellation is one of the most recent in the Bordeaux region (1990), the production of sparkling wines in Bordeaux is a century-old tradition. With its delicate bubbles and full of freshness, Crémant de Bordeaux, is the perfect accompaniment for festive occasions.

There are two types of Crémant de Bordeaux – white and rosé.

With the white, you will experience fine bubbles with aromas of citrus and white flowers, such as acacia hazelnuts, and buttery or toasty notes.

White Crémant de Bordeaux represents 69% of the production of Crémant de Bordeaux and involves 214 winemakers. They can be produced using all Bordeaux grape varieties, both white and red.

For the Crémant rosé, the bubbles are lively with notes of red fruit. Its aromas are similar to redcurrant, strawberry or raspberry.

Crémant de Bordeaux Rosé are made from the red grape varieties of Bordeaux: Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenère, Malbec, Merlot, Petit Verdot.

Food pairings for Crémants de Bordeaux

White and Rosé Crémants would be the perfect way to start the celebrations! They are best enjoyed with aperitifs, shellfish and red fruit desserts. However, for white meat dishes, the white Crémant is preferable and for cheeses, the Rosé is more suitable.
Bordeaux Crémants are a popular glass to serve for the festive season as their easy-drinking nature and touch of soft fruitiness suit many palates. 

TASTING ADVICE:

Serve chilled between 7°C and 11°C

DID YOU KNOW?

More than 75% of the Bordeaux vineyards are certified since 2020 by an environmental initiative such as Agriculture Biologique (Organic Agriculture), Haute Valeur Environnementale (High Environmental Value) or Terra Vitis.

Bordeaux Rosé Wines

Brought together by the AOC Bordeaux rosé appellation, made mostly from Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, Bordeaux rosés have experienced a real revival in the past five years under the power of a new generation of winemakers. And thanks to them, a new wave of rosés was born: clear, lively, fruity, elegant – more than enough to awaken your taste buds and bring some sunshine to your festivities.

Aromas of red fruits as well as the tangy citrus freshness are often found in Bordeaux rosé wines. The aromas are intense, fresh and fruity.

Food pairings for Bordeaux rosé wines

It’s easy – with everything! Bordeaux rosés are ideal as an aperitif with a wide selection of Christmas canapés – tapenade, fresh goat cheese, seafood or paired with various salads, such as cherry tomato salad with burrata, for example.

Serving a rosé can provide a lighter alternative on one of the most indulgent days of the year and be an excellent follow on from fizz. 

TASTING ADVICE:

Serve chilled at 8°C – 12°C

DID YOU KNOW?

We produce rosés from red grape varieties, they are being pressed gently to obtain the pale colour from the skins.

Sweet white Bordeaux Wines

They come from a terroir bathed in an exceptional microenvironment and are produced using Sauvignon Blanc, Muscadelle and Sémillon grapes. The secret of sweet white wines is the development of a microscopic fungus, botrytis cinerea (also called noble rot) which takes root on over-ripened grapes. The harvest is long and delicate since the pickers select only the most affected grapes. There are 10 AOCs of sweet white wines in Bordeaux which extend to the south of Bordeaux, with around 350 winemakers.

The sweet white wines of Bordeaux come in two families: sweet and fruity white wines, harvested over-ripened but earlier than the sweet wines for a light juice with a nice fruity pep (AOC Bordeaux Moelleux, Bordeaux Supérieur and Premières Côtes de Bordeaux); and sweet and intense white wines – from late and manual harvests in order to select the best sun-drenched berries (AOC Cadillac, Loupiac, Sainte-Croix-du-Mont, Côtes de Bordeaux Saint-Macaire, Cérons).

Food pairings for sweet white Bordeaux wines

Sweet whites go perfectly with many dishes from aperitif to dessert! Serve AOC Sainte-Croix-du-Mont or Loupiac with slightly spicy dishes – the sweetness of the wine will balance the spicy side and create the most indulgent combination. They also go very well with sushi and Asian flavours like wasabi and ginger or with blue cheeses. Surprise your guests and pair AOC Cadillac with some strong, salty cheeses such as Stilton or Roquefort and Christmas will be complete. Another great idea to surprise your guests this festive season is to serve sweet white Bordeaux wine as a cocktail with thin strips of citrus zest and lots of ice – a delicious combination

TASTING ADVICE:

Like rosé and dry white wines, consider serving sweet white Bordeaux wines chilled between 8°C and 12°C.

DID YOU KNOW?

An opened bottle of sweet white wine can be kept for 3 weeks in the fridge.