Bordeaux

What Bordeaux teaches: blending

Bordeaux is usually a blending lesson, especially for its classic reds. Cabernet Sauvignon brings structure, Merlot brings flesh, Cabernet Franc adds perfume, and producers balance them differently on each bank of the Gironde. The Left Bank leans on Cabernet and gravel; the Right Bank on Merlot and clay. Learn that split and half the wine list snaps into focus.

The wines

Structured reds built to age, from village-level claret to the First Growths. The whites of Pessac-Léognan and the sweet wines of Sauternes are the region's quiet achievers, and some of the great bottles many drinkers overlook.

Where to go

Start at La Cité du Vin in Bordeaux city, a serious wine museum with enough context to make the region less intimidating. Then head north into the Médoc for the postcard châteaux: Lynch-Bages in Pauillac runs polished visits, and Château Margaux receives by appointment. South of the city, Smith Haut Lafitte in Pessac-Léognan pairs serious Cabernet with a vinotherapy spa, which is exactly as Bordeaux as it sounds.

Eat

La Tupina, in the old town, has been cooking southwest French classics over an open fire for fifty years. Order the duck. Order everything, actually.

Getting there

Fly into Bordeaux-Mérignac or take the two-hour TGV from Paris. The city makes the best base; the vineyards radiate out from it.