A little Touriga Nacional in your Bordeaux?

[Robin Garr]

Because climate change is real, and Bordeaux does what it has to do? Within certain limits, of course...
https://www.drinks-today.com/wine/news/ ... x-aoc-vote

[David M. Bueker]

If the new grapes get incorporated in any widespread way, then Bordeaux is a different wine region.

[Robin Garr]

That's true, but the problem is that global warming is already making that happen. Growers are already pulling out Merlot because they don't want to make 16% alcohol wines. The world is changing, and if we look at the history of Bordeaux, those guys are merchants. They'll change the rules if they need to, as they've done in the past, while continuing to try to make great wines.

Great wines of Atlantic character are made from Touriga Nacional, Alvarinho and Petit Manseng and these could be real assets in Bordeaux and Bordeaux Supérieur blends without too big a change to their character. I have reservations about Marselan, which is a cross with Mediterranean Grenache.

I would hope that the more prestigious appellations could hold off such measures by using their superior financial resources to, say, practice cultivation methods which allow maturation phénolique of the grapes at lower sugar levels. Gauby in Roussillon has been very successful with such methods.

The Touriga Nacional and Alvarinho both make sense to me, the surprising one is Petit Manseng. I have had probably 8-10 different wines from this grape, so I am by no means an expert, but I have always found them to be unique... I like the wines, but would be a weird taste to find in Bordeaux...

[David M. Bueker]

That's true, but the problem is that global warming is already making that happen. Growers are already pulling out Merlot because they don't want to make 16% alcohol wines. The world is changing, and if we look at the history of Bordeaux, those guys are merchants. They'll change the rules if they need to, as they've done in the past, while continuing to try to make great wines.

Ripping up Merlot is much less of a change to tradition than adding in Touriga Nacional. Less Merlot happens due to vintage variations any way, though with potentially smaller swings.

I assume that the rules change applies to AOC Bordeaux and AOC Bordeaux Superieur only, and not to the individual villages AOCs such as Pauillac and St. Emilion?

-Paul W.

[Robin Garr]

The article at the link above leads with "The Bordeaux and Bordeaux Supérieur wine producers’ syndicate has approved the use of seven new grape varieties," so yeah, I would say so. I think the classed growths would find it a harder sale, but if warming continues - and look at Europe this week - what is now an experiment might start looking a lot more attractive as consumers get used to the new additions.