📍 Blaye and Bourg

Blaye and Bourg is a wine district of Bordeaux on the right bank of the Gironde, opposite Médoc. It stretches along the river over about 5,000 hectares around two towns, Blaye and Bourg. Bourg stands where the Dordogne flows into the Gironde. The district belongs to the Bordeaux wine region.

The wine is mostly red. The main grape is Merlot: in Côtes de Bourg it makes up about two thirds of the plantings. Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Malbec are added. The district's appellations are Côtes de Bourg (more than 99% red), Blaye-Côtes de Bordeaux (red and white) and the red Blaye. Bourg was recognised as an appellation in 1936, with white wines added in 1941.

Blaye is known for its citadel. It was built in the late seventeenth century by the engineer Vauban to control the river approach to Bordeaux, and since 2008 it has been on the UNESCO list together with his other fortifications.

The wines of Blaye and Bourg are considered better value than the famous wines of Médoc on the opposite bank, and they are usually drunk earlier. In 2023 about 2,900 hectares were declared for red Côtes de Bourg, and only 42 for white.