Entre-Deux-Mers is a French region, well known as a Bordeaux wine growing region. The geographical area is situated between the rivers

Garonne The Garonne ( , ; Catalan language, Catalan, Basque language, Basque and , ; or ) is a river that flows in southwest France and northern Spain. It flows from the central Spanish Pyrenees to the Gironde estuary at the French port of Bordeaux � ...

and

Dordogne Dordogne ( , or ; ; ) is a large rural departments of France, department in south west France, with its Prefectures in France, prefecture in Périgueux. Located in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region roughly half-way between the Loire Valley and ...

, and is bounded in the east by the border of the

Gironde Gironde ( , US usually , ; , ) is the largest department in the southwestern French region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. Named after the Gironde estuary, a major waterway, its prefecture is Bordeaux. In 2019, it had a population of 1,623,749.

department and in the west by the , the confluence of the Garonne and the Dordogne. At , it is the largest sub-region of Bordeaux, although, as there are large areas of forest, only half the land is used for growing grapes. The total area under vine is about , with about 250 growers making wine there.

Name

The name of the region is derived, not from the French word "'" ("sea"), but from "'" ("tide"). Thus, it means "between two tides", a reference to its location between two tidal rivers.

Wine region and Appellation

Both red and white wine is produced in Entre-Deux-Mers, mainly the dry white carries the

appellation d'origine contrôlée In France, the ''appellation d'origine contrôlée'' (, ; abbr. AOC ) is a label that identifies an agricultural product whose stages of production and processing are carried out in a defined geographical area – the ''terroir'' – and using ...

(AOC) "Entre-Deux-Mers". The red is mostly sold as

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( ; ; Gascon language, Gascon ; ) is a city on the river Garonne in the Gironde Departments of France, department, southwestern France. A port city, it is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the Prefectures in F ...

or Bordeaux Supérieur. From 2023 also red wines can be sold under AOP Entre-Deux-Mers. But have slightly stricter rules than Bordeaux or Bordeaux supérieur. Many growers switched from the white grape varieties to the more profitable red ones in the mid-20th century. Syrupy and sweet white wines are also produced in the south of the geographical region :

Cadillac Cadillac Motor Car Division, or simply Cadillac (), is the luxury vehicle division (business), division of the American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM). Its major markets are the United States, Canada and China; Cadillac models are ...

, Loupiac, Sainte-Croix-du-Mont.

Characteristics

The Entre-Deux-Mers appellation has the following characteristics: * Dry white wine: less than 4 grams / litre of residual sugar; * Blend of three grape varieties:

Sauvignon Blanc Sauvignon blanc () is a green-skinned grape variety that originates from the city of Bordeaux in France. The grape most likely gets its name from the French words ''sauvage'' ("wild") and ''blanc'' ("white") due to its early origins as an ind ...

(primarily),

Sémillon Sémillon () is a golden-skinned grape used to make dry and sweet white wines, mostly in French wine, France and Australian wine, Australia. Its thin skin and susceptibility to Botrytis cinerea, botrytis make it dominate the sweet wine region S ...

and Muscadelle; * Minimum alcoholic content of 11.5%. The wine is typically enjoyed young – within one year of vintage – but has some aging potential, owing to the Sémillon.

Name

Wine region and Appellation

Characteristics

References

See also