66. WSET Level 2: Understanding Bordeaux’s Regions, Grapes, and Classifications

Wine Educate: Wine Tasting, Wine Tips, Wine Enthusiast, WSET

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In this episode of the Wine Educate Podcast, Joanne Close dives into the Bordeaux wine laws at the WSET Level 2 level. If you’ve ever been curious about how Bordeaux is divided, which grapes dominate, or why the left and right banks produce such different styles of wine, this is your episode.

Joanne covers Bordeaux’s moderate maritime climate, its geography defined by the Gironde estuary and its two major tributaries (the Garonne and Dordogne rivers), and how the region is divided into the Left Bank, Right Bank, and Entre-Deux-Mers. You’ll learn why Merlot dominates plantings overall, why Cabernet Sauvignon thrives on the gravelly soils of the Left Bank, and how blends are the hallmark of Bordeaux wines.

Key Bordeaux AOCs are broken down, including Bordeaux AOC, Bordeaux Supérieur AOC, Médoc AOC, Haut-Médoc AOC, Margaux AOC, Pauillac AOC, Graves AOC, Pessac-Léognan AOC, Pomerol AOC, and Saint-Émilion AOC. Joanne also introduces terms like Château, Grand Cru Classé, and Cru Bourgeois, while saving the more complex classifications for Thursday’s Level 3 deep dive.

If you’re studying for WSET Level 2, or simply want a clearer understanding of Bordeaux’s wine structure, this episode offers a solid foundation before we dig into the fascinating (and sometimes dramatic) history behind the laws in the next episode.