Graves (wine region)

Appellations within the Bordeaux wine region. The appellations of Graves are numbered 33–37 on the map.

Graves (French: [ɡʁav], gravelly land) is an important subregion of the Bordeaux wine region. Graves is situated on the left bank of the Garonne River, in the upstream part of the region, southeast of the city Bordeaux and stretches over 50 kilometres (31 mi).[1] Graves is the only Bordeaux subregion which is famed for all three of Bordeaux' three main wine types—reds, dry whites and sweet wines—although red wines dominate the total production. Graves AOC is also the name of one Appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) which covers most, but not all of the Graves subregion.

The area encompasses villages including Sauternes, Pessac, Talence, Léognan, Martillac, Saint-Morillon, and Portets.

The name Graves derives from its intensely gravelly soil.[2] The soil is the result of glaciers from the Ice Age, which also left white quartz deposits that can still be found in the soil of some of the top winemaking estates.[3]

  1. ^ Jancis Robinson, ed. (2006). "Graves". Oxford Companion to Wine (Third ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 325. ISBN 0-19-860990-6.
  2. ^ H. Johnson & J. Robinson The World Atlas of Wine pg 98 Mitchell Beazley Publishing 2005 ISBN 1-84000-332-4
  3. ^ K. MacNeil The Wine Bible pg 134 Workman Publishing 2001 ISBN 1-56305-434-5