Bordeaux
Bordeaux is considered the world’s largest fine wine region. Henry II (of England)’s marriage to Eleanor of Aquitaine in the 12th C, meant wine (known as claret) from this region was served in the finest foreign dining rooms from early Medieval times. The five main red grape varieties are the Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Malbec, with Cabernet the dominant grape on the west side of the Gironde, Merlot to the east. Almost all Bordeaux reds are a blend of two or more of the varietals. The most famous of the red Bordeaux wines, which represent less than five per cent of the region’s total production, are characterized by their ability to evolve after years, sometimes decades, of bottle ageing. Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon are grown and often blended for both the sweet and the dry white wines of the region. About a quarter of all Bordeaux wine is white. Small quantities of rosé, light red clairet, sparkling crémant, and fine brandy are also made. The total quantity of wine produced each year is about 700 million bottles, climate depending, which represents a quarter of France’s total appellation contrôlée wine production.

The French Paradox
An excerpt from Red wine, mysterious but healthy: Polyphenols effective against a host of diseases
Author: Roger Highfield, The Daily Telegraph 04/23/2001
“Red wine could provide the inspiration for new ways to treat AIDS, sleeping sickness, heart disease and cancer, and even to rejuvenate blood and skin, scientists say. Experts from a range of disciplines assembled last week at the Universite Victor Segalen in Bordeaux, France, to discuss the health benefits of wine at the first ever symposium on blood and wine. Innumerable studies suggest that regular, moderate drinking of red wine protects against disease. However, scientists are still struggling to explain wine's healing effects. The first hint that there is more to wine than the pleasure of drinking came with the discovery of the "French paradox," in which French people -- particularly in the south -- were found to suffer less cancer and heart disease than predicted. Alcohol has been found to increase the risk of harmful clotting an hour after consumption. But Prof. Serge Renaud of the Universite Victor Segalen said this effect was absent in red wine, probably because it contains polyphenols, substances with remarkable biological properties. Polyphenols are responsible for the colour of grapes and are found in their skins and seeds. They are also found in tea, vegetables and chocolate. But red wine, particularly when made by traditional methods, is a rich source. It contains at least 200 phenol compounds at levels some 10 times greater than white wine. Just how this complex mixture cuts heart disease is still a mystery, but Prof. Ludovic Drouet of the Hopital Lariboisiere in Paris said studies suggest wine has a subtle effect on three factors affecting furring of arteries -- high cholesterol, cell proliferation and blood clotting. A study published in the British Journal of Pharmacology also linked an extract of red wine to the relaxation of blood vessels, reducing blood pressure. One of the key effects of polyphenols is that they act as antioxidants -- that is, they mop up damaging chemical intermediates in the body called free radicals, as do vitamins C and E. The complex cocktail of phenolic compounds found in red wine could be better than single vitamin supplements because some are fat soluble and others water soluble.

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