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Interesting Facts
- Bordeaux is widely recognized as a wine Mecca. More than 10,000 chateaux—which are spread out over some 500 square miles—export some of the finest wines in the world. Visitors can tour Bordeaux's vast wine country and sample firsthand from such famous reserves as Lafite, Margaux, Latour, Mouton, and countless others.
- They've got a lot of Gaul. Before Bordeaux was colonized and settled by the Romans, the area was originally founded around the third century BC by the Gauls, and called Burdigala. The ancient town became a very successful and thriving port, primarily by controlling the trade of tin throughout Europe.
- Roman rule was imposed on the area around 59 BC. For the next two or three hundred years Bordeaux enjoyed relative peace as the provincial capital. However, from the third century through the ninth, Bordeaux was under frequent siege by the Visigoths, Normans, Saracens and Moors. The end of this period was heralded by the arrival of Frankish Empire, which saw the Dukes of Aquitaine come into power in 1058.
- Bordeaux is blessed with many fine museums. On the first Sunday of each month, eight museums—Museum of Contemporary Art, Jean Moulin, Botanical Gardens, Museum of Aquitaine, Museum of Decorative Arts, Beaux-Arts Museum, Goupil Museum and the Natural History Museum—offer free admission to visitors.
- What's in a grape? Everything, when it comes to winemaking. Throughout the Bordeaux wine country, three varieties of grapes dominate the production of red wine: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Fran, and Merlot. The three main white wine grapes are Sauvignon Blanc, Semillion and Muscadelle.
- Toward the end of the nineteenth century, an infestation of phylloxera decimated many of the great chateaux in the region. A huge number of grapevines had to be destroyed to prevent the spread of the plague, which doggedly lingered on well into the twentieth century. In fact, it wasn't until after WW II that Bordeaux wine production was back up to its pre-plague level.
- The sprawling esplanade des Quinconces is the largest square in Europe, covering some 12 hecatres. During WWI, the famous bronze statues that comprise the Monument des Girondins were taken down and hidden to prevent plunder or destruction by the Germans.
- Bordeaux is a visually striking city, known for its many fine examples of neo-classical architecture. Perhaps none is more famous than the massive Grand Theatre, designed and built by Victor Louis between 1773 and 1780. The celebrated façade, which features twelve Corinthian columns adorned with various muses and goddesses, has been dubbed "Louis' twelve columns."
- A bit north of the city is the inviting Le Lac, a scenic body of water covering some 400 acres. Perfect for sailing, rowing , or just picnicking with your favorite bottle of Bordeaux, Le Lac is also the site of the Vinexpo--held every two years--at the on-site conference hall/exhibition facility.
- Located at 41 rue Borie, The Musee des Chartrons contains the only above ground wine storage cellar in the district. The museum--which showcases the business of storing, bottling and packaging wines--was originally built in the 1720's for the Irish merchant and wine trader, Francis Burke. The exhibit provides a good general history of the maritime wine trade.
