MY TOP 20: BORDEAUX REDS UNDER £20
Bordeaux continues to be the most influential wine-producing area in the world. The region remains the driving force behind the world’s fine wine market – its significance shown by the fact that 50% of the Liv-Ex Fine Wine 1,000 come from Bordeaux.
Although famous for its classed growth châteaux, Bordeaux is a great source of classically styled red wines. A strong run of good vintages, increased investment in vineyards plus improved winemaking techniques have resulted in higher quality levels than just a few years ago. With more than 110,000ha under vine and annual production at around 800 million bottles, Bordeaux is a huge business.
The famed classed growths of the Médoc and Sauternes, together with top names in Pessac-Léognan, Graves and on the Right Bank, account for around 10% of total production. But, in previous decades, the quality of wine produced by many estates in the remaining 90% was variable, and sometimes unpalatable.
Encouragingly, things have changed significantly. Although producing cheap Bordeaux is never easy (and made worse by climatic events such as the devastating frosts in 2017), the competition from other regions in France and around the world has propelled quality and investment forward. At the same time, previously less renowned appellations are delivering quality levels approaching much more famous APs, at a fraction of the price.
Today, many Bordeaux wines priced under
