Regional Bordeaux AOCs or a light-coloured red wine. As there is also a more commonly used "Bordeaux rosé" designation, Bordeaux clairet is not simply any rosé from Bordeaux. Bordeaux clairet wines are similar in colour to the wines which were shipped from Bordeaux to England during the Middle Ages, known as "French Claret". These wines established the fame of Bordeaux as a wine-making region, and led to the (primarily English) practice of referring to Bordeaux as "claret". They are refreshing wines, appreciated because they can be easily enjoyed with picnics or exotic food. Yearly production is 52,000 hectolitres from 925 hectares of vineyard
Bordeaux wine regions Bordeaux and includes the four famous communes of St-Estephe, Pauillac, St. Julien and Margaux. It is about 60 km north to south, and about 10 km wide, with around 10,600 hectares under vines and a production of about 50 million litres per year. All the wine made here is red. The northern or down-stream part was formerly known as the "Bas-Médoc" (lower Médoc), but is now simply (but confusingly) labeled as "Médoc". This region is some 34 km long, by 10 km wide, stretching from the mouth of the Gironde to St-Estèphe, and includes some 5800 hectares of vines, producing