Entre-deux-Mers is a large wine-growing sub-region of the Bordeaux region in southwestern France. Its name literally translates as "between two seas", although the seas in question are actually rivers - the Garonne and the Dordogne, which form the southern and northern boundaries of the region respectively. The Entre-deux-Mers is home to a variety of appellations, producing wines in styles ranging from the Sweet botrytised whites of Cadillac, Loupiac and Sainte-Croix-du-Mont - all close to the northeast bank of the Garonne - to the Dry table wines of Sainte-Foy and Graves de Vayres, closer to the Dordogne. The region stretching along the Garonne from the group of sweet white wine appellations to the area east of the city of Bordeaux is the red wine appellation Côtes de Bordeaux - until 2009 called Premières Côtes de Bordeaux, a title now reserved for sweet whites.
The appellations in this region can certainly be difficult to learn; Entre-Deux-Mers Haut-Benauge is for both sweet and dry whites, while in the same area Bordeaux Haut-Benauge can only be used for dry wines. The Entre-deux-Mers regional appellation title itself applies only to dry white wines made from Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon, Muscadelle and Ugni Blanc. However, the majority of wines produced within the boundaries of the Entre-Deux-Mers AOC are instead labeled as Generic Bordeaux or superior Bordeaux. Entre-deux-Mers occupies a significant portion of the Bordeaux region, stretching from the city in the west to the farmland of Bergerac in the east.
When I first visited Bordeaux, the sleepy landscape of turreted stone châteaux and vineyards seemed timeless, with traditions so well established you felt they would go on forever. But new energy in this famous wine region is visible and audible: bees buzz and sheep graze in organic vineyards; brand-new cellars brim with sustainable features and wine fermenting in trendy amphorae; unusual grapes are gaining attention; and the number of women in key roles keeps growing. Yoga among the vines is s ...
Moneypenny, James Bond, Q. Not a bad trio for your wine to share the screen with in its latest cameo. I’ll try not to give too many spoilers if you haven’t yet seen No Time To Die, but I don’t think it gives too much away to say that Bond can’t resist swiping two generous glasses of Château Angélus (2005, although you don’t see the vintage on screen) for himself and Moneypenny from a bottle that Q had carefully opened for his date later that night. This is the third Bond film in which Angélus ha ...
‘New’ is the second most popular word in any sales catalogue. (The first is ‘Free’.) We scribblers can’t resist it: it guarantees copy of one sort or another. Even in the slowly evolving world of wine, where the main ethos of the product is historical continuity, ‘new’ sells. To someone like me with a strong sense of history, not to mention conservative tastes, it can be a bit unsettling. It’s not really change that bothers me. There is always room for improvement. What can irritate me is change ...