History of French wine of Aquitaine and the future King Henry II of England brought a large portion of southwest France under English rule. When Henry's son John inherited the English crown, he sought to curry favor among the Gascons by bestowing upon them many privileges-the most notable of which was an exemption among Bordeaux merchants from the Grand Coutume export tax. With this exemption and favored treatment in London, Bordeaux wine became the cheapest wine in the London market and gained immense popularity among the English, who call it claret. For over the next 300 years much of Gascony, particular Bordeaux, benefited by
Târnave wine region Târnave wine region The Târnave wine region (also called Tîrnave) in Romania is situated just north of Sibiu surrounded by the Carpathian Mountains, centered on Jidvei Commune, Alba County. It is one of the most important and oldest wine regions in Romania, being mentioned by Herodotus about 600 BC. This region has a cool climate due to its altitude (about 300 meters above sea level) and high humidity provided by the nearby Little and Big Târnava rivers. As a result, cool, fruity white wines with very good acidity are produced here. White wines: Sparkling wines Wineries: Blaj, Jidvei (the most