Wine Guides Index

You can access my guides to the wines of Bordeaux and the Loire Valley using the ‘guides’ links in the menu above, but I also present lists for both Bordeaux and the Loire Valley here.

An extensive guide to this region, presented in more than forty instalments.

Bordeaux Wine Guide

• Introduction (28/12/00, last updated 10/3/13)
• Bordeaux History (28/12/00, last updated 17/3/13)
• Bordeaux Geology (31/3/13)
• Bordeaux Climate (6/4/13)
• Red Bordeaux Varieties (5/5/13)
• Cabernet Sauvignon (5/5/13)
• Merlot (5/5/13)
• Cabernet Franc (5/5/13)
• Other Red Varieties (5/5/13)
• White Bordeaux Varieties (12/5/13)
• Sauvignon Blanc (12/5/13)
• Semillon (12/5/13)
• Other White Varieties (12/5/13)
• Bordeaux Viticulture: Vine Disease (19/5/13)
• Bordeaux Viticulture: Philosophies (19/5/13)
• Winemaking: Red, part 1 (26/5/13)
• Winemaking: Red, part 2 (2/6/13)
• Winemaking: White & Rosé (9/6/13)
• Winemaking: Controversies (16/6/13)
• Bordeaux Labels (23/6/13)
• Second & Third Wines (30/6/13)
• The Business of Bordeaux (4/8/13)
• Bordeaux En Primeur (11/8/13)
• The New Bordeaux (18/8/13)
• Bordeaux Vintages at a Glance (25/8/13, updated annually)

Bordeaux Regions

• Graves (28/12/00, updated 23/10/07, 29/9/13)
• Pessac-Léognan (28/12/00, updated 23/10/07, 29/9/13)
• Sauternes (28/12/00, updated 30/10/07, 3/11/13)
• Barsac (28/12/00, updated 30/10/07, 17/11/13)
• Cérons & Other Sweet Wines (1/12/13)
• Margaux (28/12/00, updated 11/12/07, 23/2/14)
• Moulis & Listrac (2/3/14)
• St Julien (28/12/00, updated 17/1/08, 16/3/14)
• Pauillac (28/12/00, updated 24/1/08, 27/4/14)
• St Estèphe (28/12/00, updated 31/1/08, 4/5/14)
• Haut-Médoc (28/12/00, updated 14/2/08, 18/5/14)
• Médoc (28/12/00, updated 14/2/08, 1/6/14)
• Pomerol (28/12/00, updated 22/5/08, 7/9/14)
• St Emilion (28/12/00, updated 13/3/08, 10/8/14)
• The Satellites (21/9/14)
• Castillon (24/8/14)
• The Other Côtes (12/10/14)
• Fronsac & Canon-Fronsac (26/10/14)
• Basic Bordeaux (9/11/14)

Bordeaux Classifications

• Médoc 1855 Classification (28/12/00, last updated 24/6/22)
• Sauternes 1855 Classification (28/12/00, last updated 8/7/22)
• Graves Classification (28/12/00, last updated 22/7/22)
• St Emilion Classification (28/12/00, last updated 25/3/22)
• Cru Bourgeois Classification (28/12/00, last updated 18/2/22)

A guide to this region, currently in the process of publication, ongoing through 2021 and beyond (until I have finished!).

Loire Wine Guide

• Introduction (28/12/00, updated 17/5/15)
• History (24/5/15)
• Geology (7/6/15)
• Limestone and Flint (7/1/18)
• Climate (21/6/15)
• Viticulture: Vine Disease (9/8/15)
• Viticulture: Philosophies (23/8/15)
• Loire Varieties (6/9/15)
• Sauvignon Blanc (6/9/15)
• Chenin Blanc (20/9/15)
• Melon de Bourgogne (4/10/15)
• Romorantin & Menu Pineau (1/11/15)
• Other White Varieties (15/11/15)
• Cabernet Franc (29/11/15)
• Gamay (13/12/15)
• Pinot Noir (27/12/15)
• Grolleau & Pineau d’Aunis (10/1/16)
• Other Red Varieties (24/1/16)
• Winemaking: White, part 1 (21/2/16)
• Winemaking: White, part 2 (6/3/16)
• Winemaking: Sparkling (15/5/16)
• Winemaking: Red, part 1 (29/5/16)
• Winemaking: Red, part 2 (12/6/16)
• Winemaking: Sweet (26/6/16)
• Loire Vintages at a Glance (7/8/16, updated annually)

The Nantais

• Introduction (26/2/17)
• Geology (12/3/17, updated 11/6/21)
• The Granites (12/3/17, updated 25/6/21)
• Gabbro and Rhyolite (12/3/17, updated 9/7/21)
• Schist in the Nantais (12/3/17, updated 23/7/21)
• Gneiss and Orthogneiss (12/3/17, updated 6/8/21)
• The Ophiolites (12/3/17, updated 20/8/21)
• Climate (26/3/17)
• Muscadet (14/5/17, updated 3/9/21)
• The Muscadet Story (28/5/17, updated 3/9/21)
• Muscadet Sèvre et Maine (25/6/17)
• The Muscadet Crus Communaux (6/8/17, updated 17/9/21)
• Clisson, The Granite Beau Idéal (6/8/17, updated 1/10/21)
• Château-Thébaud, The Cliff-Top Cru (29/10/21)
• Gorges: The Gabbro Paragon (6/8/17, updated 19/11/21)
• Mouzillon-Tillières, The Pretender (17/12/21)
• Monnières-Saint-Fiacre, The Heart of the Matter (7/1/22)
• Goulaine, The Noble Marais (21/1/22)
• Le Pallet, The Melting Pot (4/2/22)
• Muscadet Côtes de Grandlieu (20/8/17)
• Muscadet Coteaux de la Loire (3/9/17)
• Muscadet AOC (8/10/17, updated 3/9/21)
• Coteaux d’Ancenis (22/10/17)
• Fiefs-Vendéens (5/11/17)
• Gros Plant du Pays Nantais (19/11/17)

Anjou

• Introduction (11/8/19)
• Geology (25/8/19)
• L’Anjou Noir: Schist (13/9/19)
• L’Anjou Noir: Other Rocks (25/10/19)
• L’Anjou Blanc (8/11/19)
• Climate (22/11/19)
• Coteaux du Layon (3/4/20)
• Coteaux du Layon: Decline & Recovery (17/4/20)
• Coteaux du Layon: The Appellation (1/5/20)
• Coteaux du Layon: The Villages (15/5/20)
• Coteaux du Layon Premier Cru Chaume (29/5/20)
• Quarts de Chaume (10/7/20)
• Quarts de Chaume: The Appellation (24/7/20)
• Bonnezeaux (14/8/20)
• Coteaux de l’Aubance (21/8/20)
• Savennières (4/9/20)
• Savennières: The Appellation (18/9/20)
• Savennières Vineyards: The Epiré Plateau (23/10/20)
• Savennières Vineyards: The Savennières Plateau (6/11/20)
• Savennières: The Crus (20/11/20)
• Savennières Roche-aux-Moines (4/12/20)
• Coulée de Serrant (15/1/21)
• Anjou (29/1/21)
• Rosé d’Anjou (12/2/21)
• Cabernet d’Anjou (26/2/21)
• Anjou-Villages (25/3/21)
• Anjou Brissac (8/4/21)
• Anjou Coteaux de la Loire (coming quite soon)

Touraine

• Introduction (5/8/22)
• The Rivers of Touraine (19/8/22)
• Geology (16/9/22)
• Turonian Limestone (30/9/22)
• Beyond the Turonian (14/10/22)
• Climate (25/11/22)

The Central Vineyards

• Introduction (21/1/18)
• Geology (25/2/18)
• Oxfordian Limestone (11/3/18)
• Kimmeridgian Limestone (25/3/18)
• Portlandian Limestone (13/5/18)
• Flint (1/7/18)
• Climate (22/7/18)
• Sancerre (26/8/18)
• Sancerre: The Appellation (16/9/18)
• Village Profile: Bué (21/10/18)
• Village Profile: Chavignol (4/11/18)
• Village Profile: Sancerre (6/1/19)
• Pouilly-Fumé (27/1/19)
• Pouilly-sur-Loire (17/2/19)
• Menetou-Salon (3/3/19)
• Quincy (17/3/19)
• Reuilly (16/6/19)
• Coteaux du Giennois (30/6/19)
• Châteaumeillant (14/7/19)
• Côtes de la Charité (28/7/19)

Other Loire Valley Regions

• Saumur
• Touraine
• The Upper Loire