Blick answers your wine questions: “Is there white wine made from Chardonnay in Bordeaux?”

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With approximately 108,000 hectares of cultivated land, the French wine-growing region of Bordeaux is seven times larger than the entire vineyard area of ​​Switzerland. Red wine is by far the flagship of the region; thus approximately 85 percent of all Bordeaux wines are currently red. White Bordeaux accounts for approximately ten percent, with rose color making up the rest.

Winemaking in France is strictly regulated. There are various conditions if winemakers from Bordeaux wish to write the word Bordeaux on the label. One of the most important is the selection of grape varieties. Is Chardonnay, the queen of Burgundy, also allowed to drink white Bordeaux wines?

No approval for Chardonnay in Bordeaux

Seven white grape varieties are currently allowed in Bordeaux: Sémillon, Sauvignon blanc, Muscadelle, Colombard, Merlot blanc, Sauvignon gris and Ugni blanc. However, the first two varieties make up almost the entire population, and the rest are rarely found. Anyone working with Chardonnay in Bordeaux is not allowed to declare the wine as Bordeaux.

However, the grape varieties identified are not fixed forever. Four years ago, three additional white varieties were proposed and approved by the majority of voting Bordeaux winemakers: Alvarinho, Petit Manseng and Liliorila will also be allowed, but the final decision of the French wine authority (Inao) is still pending.

There may still be a little hope for Chardonnay in Bordeaux: The rare Liliorila grape variety is a hybrid between the Baroque grape variety and Chardonnay. It looks like Sémillon and Sauvignon blanc will continue to set the tone for white Bordeaux in the future.

Source : Blick