by Paul Winalski » Sat Nov 03, 2007 12:27 pm
Burgundy was often illegally blended with wine from the Southern Rhone until rather recently. This was in fact a major motivation to granting AOC status to the constellation of appellations surrounding Chateauneuf-du-Pape--if they had their own AOC, their price would go up enough that they'd no longer be attractive as a cheap illicit import to Burgundy.
Back in the 1800s, Bordeaux was quite often blended with syrah from the Northern Rhone, and in fact Bordeaux that had been "Hermitaged" fetched higher prices.
One of the unfortunate side effects of the AOC laws is that they prohibit this sort of thing. Who's to say Latour might not be improved if blended with Chave Hermitage or Clape Cornas? Or that some Burgundies might not be improved with a shot of Gigondas?
Even before that, Bordeaux was vinified in a light-colored, almost rose style (claret), then blended with alicante and with a dose of brandy added before the casks were shipped to England.
So it wouldn't surprise me if, before the AOC rules went into effect, French exports got a shot of spirits.
-Paul W.