This region produces an average of 700 million bottles of wine per year, increasing to as many as 900 million in a fine vintage year. About eight-tenths of Bordeaux wine is red (called 'claret'), with the remaining two-tenths being sweet white wines, dry whites, sparkling wines, and rosés.

The history of the region goes all the way back to Pliny the Elder, who wrote about wine-making vineyards in Bordeaux in 71 A.D. In the 13th and 14th century, Bordeaux got an advantage as an exported wine, thanks to a code of business practices called 'police des vins', which reduced competition from other wine-making regions.

The wine referred to as 'Red Bordeaux' is usually made from Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, with some blending from Cabernet Franc, Merlot , Petit Verdot, Malbec, or Carmenere. The wine known as 'White Bordeaux' is typically made from Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc, and Muscadelle grapes.

Bordeaux is the pinnacle of 'Old-World' wine-making regions, and is such a highly-esteemed wine-making region that wineries all over the world strive to copy it. Envy of Bordeaux led to the formation of the Meritage Association in America in 1988, devoted to attempting to duplicate as closely as possible the production of Bordeaux.

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