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At last some sense has arrived in the classification of Bordeaux wines/ Whilst at one exalted level there are the fine wines of the classic appellations of Margaux, St Emilion, Pomerol, Pauillac, St Estephe, Graves etc but a visit to the region will reveal the sheer extent of the Bordeaux vineyards - a total of 57 appellations!! And I challenge most amateurs to be able to differentiate between these localised appellations.

So it is good news that a few of the “lesser” appellations, which nevertheless produce some excellent wines, have come together to make life a little simpler and their wines more identifiable:-

The National Institute of Appellations of Origin (INAO) has accepted the decision to launch a new appellation “Côtes de Bordeaux”. This will gather under a “common umbrella” four appellations. Côtes de Bordeaux is a union of four appellations - the Premières Côtes de Blaye, Premières Côtes de Bordeaux, Côtes de Castillon and Côtes de Francs (formerly Côtes de Bourg) – which represents around 16 % of the total Bordeaux production with a surface of 32,000 acres and a volume of 700,000 hl. The appellation will come into effect from the 2008 vintage.

For more information see the website