History of Bordeaux wine became the base for Richard's French operations. As the popularity of Bordeaux wine increased, the vineyards expanded to accommodate the demands from abroad. Henry and Aliénor youngest son, John was in favor of promoting the wine industry, and to increase it further, abolished the "Grande Coutume" export tax to England from the Aquitaine region. In the 13th and 14th century, a code of business practices called the "police des vins" emerged to give Bordeaux wine a distinct trade advantage over its neighboring regions. The citizenry of Bordeaux worked diligently to promote and foster their relationship with the English market. In
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