st martin drained the marshes of medoc in bordeaux france planting small vineyards.
st martin drained the marshes of medoc in bordeaux france planting small vineyards.
who drained the marshes of medoc in bordeaux france planting small vineyards?
st martin
in the seventeenth century, dutch traders drained the swampy ground of the médoc so it could be planted with vines, and this gradually surpassed graves as the most prestigious region of bordeaux. malbec was the dominant grape here, until the early 19th century, when it was replaced by cabernet sauvignon.









































in 1855, the châteaux of bordeaux were classified; this classification remains widely used today. from 1875 to 1892 almost all bordeaux vineyards were ruined by phylloxera infestations. the region's wine industry was rescued by grafting native vines on to pest-resistant american rootstock.









































section::::climate and geography.
bordeaux wine
the dutch also promoted the plantings of many white wine varieties that were in fashion through europe. in regions like muscadet, in the loire valley, the dutch encouraged the planting of melon de bourgogne which produced more reliable harvest than the region's red wine varieties. the practice of blending different grape varieties from different areas was also influenced by the dutch as a means of improving weaker wines or to adapt wines to changing public tastes. when the english developed tastes for stronger sweeter wines, the dutch were the first to bulk up the gascon claret wines with the wines of cahors. skilled engineers, the dutch drained the marshy medoc (left bank) region in the 17th century and began planting the region with vineyards. prior to this time, bordeaux's most sought-after wines came from the well-drained soil of the graves region including the estate of chateau haut-brion. by the end of the 17th century, with the aid of the dutch, the future first growth estates of chateau lafite, latour and margaux were planted and already starting to get notice abroad.
history of french wine