Bordeaux wine in the world. The vast majority of wine produced in Bordeaux is red (sometimes called "claret" in Britain), with sweet white wines (most notably Sauternes), dry whites, and (in much smaller quantities) rosé and sparkling wines (Crémant de Bordeaux) collectively making up the remainder. Bordeaux wine is made by more than 8,500 producers or "châteaux". There are 54 appellations of Bordeaux wine. The wine was introduced to the Bordeaux region by the Romans, probably in the mid-1st century, to provide wine for local consumption, and wine production has been continuous in the region since then. In the 12th century, the
Mosel (wine region) the area's production and is often used as a low-cost riesling alternative in the production of sparkling Sekt. The Mosel is also well known for its Eiswein production with the area's characteristic high acidity coupled with the sweetness produced by the concentration of the sugars in the frozen grapes. The most cultivated grape varieties, by area in 2008, were: There are two major wine growers' associations in the Mosel region, the "Großer Ring", which is a regional section of the VDP, and the "Bernkasteler Ring". They both arrange annual wine auctions of top wines. Producers can submit their wines to