Oeno Blog
Regions, grapes, tasting, pairings: our articles to help you choose your bottles and know when to open them. Find them in the app too.
GuideHarvest: a variety of expertise
October arrives. The leaves darken, the vines are stripped bare row after row, and in most European estates, the vats are already full. The harvest is finished, or nearly so. But while the vine enters its winter rest, a few winemakers wait still, eyes fixed on the thermometer or on bunches covered with a veil of golden mold…
GuideBordeaux - Blayais and Bourgeais (6/6)
Between the Gironde estuary and the Charente hills, Blayais and Bourgeais occupy a geographical position that few enthusiasts truly know how to place. Yet this dual region produces approximately 460,000 hectolitres annually across some 10,000 hectares, with 95% red wines and the remainder dry whites. A considerable volume…
GuideBordeaux - Entre-deux-Mers
Between the Garonne and the Dordogne, a vast expanse of vineyards stretches across approximately 5,000 hectares, squeezed between two rivers that gave it its name. Entre-deux-Mers is not a sea, of course, but this triangular territory in the heart of Gironde has long been perceived as a distinct space, neither quite left bank nor quite right bank, with a viticultural identity that enthusiasts sometimes struggle to grasp correctly.
GuideBordeaux - The Graves (4/6)
The Graves are one of the oldest vineyards in Bordeaux. Vines have been present there since Roman times, and it is in the Middle Ages that the name of the region appears, directly inspired by the rolled pebble soils that characterize it, the grabas of Burdeus. These graves, pebbles shaped by the Garonne, are determining factors in the viticultural identity of this sub-region: they drain water and accumulate heat during the day which is released at night. Planted in close proximity to Bordeaux, on the left banks of the Garonne and Gironde, these vineyards extend over 5,300 hectares and produce approximately 220,000 hectoliters per year.
GuideThe Bordeaux Region - Libournais (3/6)
Libourne, founded in 1270 by Roger de Leyburn, English seneschal of Gascony, long served as a commercial lock on the Dordogne before becoming the heart of one of Bordeaux's densest vineyards. The town gives its name to an entire riverbank, and this riverbank has come to build a viticultural identity radically different from that of the Médoc, despite being situated just tens of kilometers away as the crow flies.
GuideBordeaux - Médoc (1/6)
Médoc, the left bank in red On a map, Médoc looks like a strip of land wedged between the ocean to the west and the Gironde estuary to the east. The vineyard has settled along the estuary, on a band more than 80 km long and about ten kilometers wide, from Blanquefort, at the gates of Bordeaux, to Saint-Vivien, almost at the tip.
GuideBordeaux - Discovery Series (1/6)
Bordeaux is probably the most famous wine region in the world. Yet this reputation masks a reality: few consumers understand the diversity of its terroirs and the complex layers of classifications that compose it. Nevertheless, the region produces wines of great aromatic complexity that deserve closer examination.
GuideNapa Valley - a tourist trap?
"We booked three tastings over two days, spent 400 dollars, and honestly we could have done the same thing in any upscale supermarket. We never saw a winemaker." This remark, heard outside a tasting room in St. Helena, sums up fairly well what many European visitors report about Napa Valley. The California appellation is one of the most visited in the world, and that is precisely what complicates access to it.
GuideChoosing wine as an expert
Choosing wine when you already master the oenological basics requires a more refined approach, where expertise allows you to go beyond conventional criteria to favor more subtle considerations. Analysis of the tasting context Beyond the classic food-wine pairing, the expert considers the entire situation...
GuideWhen experience surpasses wine: how wine regions are reinventing tourism
The time when vineyards themselves constituted the heart of a visit to wine regions seems over. According to VinePair, what once attracted visitors — the possibility of contemplating rows of vineyards — is no longer the essential component of a day at the winery. Modern wine tourists seek more of an immersion in the property's facilities, equipped tasting rooms and on-site activities than direct access to productive vines.
GuideBordeaux vineyards
Bordeaux vineyards span 110,000 hectares and rank among the world's most prestigious wine heritage sites. This region has produced wines that define French excellence for centuries. Behind the international reputation lie complex technical and human realities. The vi...
GuideArt in open cellars
La Rioja has undergone a profound transformation over the past twenty years. Wine estates are no longer just production sites. They are reinventing themselves as cultural destinations where architecture and design dialogue with the vine. This trend, which emerged in California and Australia, has taken root in Spain...