History of Bordeaux wine American domination of the reviewing of wine, especially Bordeaux. The result was a broader appeal of Bordeaux wine where the presence of "fruit" became a much more important factor than previously. This critical selection of grapes also resulted in many chateaux introducing second wines, so not to waste good but not optimum quality grapes. It was also the introduction of the "en primeur" concept where traders alongside critics are invited to Bordeaux six months after harvest, to sample the new wine. Bordeaux used to have a significant production of white wines, with Entre-deux-Mers, a primarily white wine area. Unlike the
South West France (wine region) High Country with barrels of wines being stranded at Bordeaux warehouses for several weeks or months before they could be sold at much lower prices due to that year's market already being saturated with wine. In many years another vintage would actually take place before the "High Country" wines were sold. South West France includes the following Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC) and Vin Délimité de Qualité Supérieure (VDQS) designations. The following grape varieties are commonly found in at least one sub-region or appellation of South West France. South West France (wine region) South West France, or in French "Sud-Ouest", is