The latest Right Bank Bordeaux, St Emilion classification results have been announced, and already it appears that local wineries may challenge the verdict. This is great news for new world wineries who should continue to gain market share as the French undercut the reputation of their own classification systems. These results have been released to coincide with the other Bordeaux classification (Cru Bourgeois) who have re-jigged their Left Bank Bordeaux system. To 99.9% of people this will mean absolutely nothing. In fact to wine drinkers outside of France, wine classification is a mystery and this only makes the situation worse. The French need to understand that in order to communicate with international consumers, labeling needs to be simplified, not the other way around. Anyway, I’m sure there are winemakers in Mendoza, Barossa, Maipo and Stellenbosch all having a beer and a giggle about it this week.
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