3 original anecdotes about Bordeaux wines
Bordeaux wines are famed; however we are ready to bet that we can still teach you few things about it. For instance, did you know that a cru from Bordeaux is somehow linked with with Coca-Cola’s success?
Here are 3 facts you may not know about Bordeaux wines.
1) A Bordeaux wine become famous thanks to… a Japanese manga !
©Éditions Glénat
Once upon a time a Château in Bordeaux called Château le Puy and run by the winemaker Jean-Pierre Amoreau. In 2003, Jean-Pierre Amoreau produced a cuvee of red wine, which in his opinion was nothing more than a poor wine due to the high temperatures in the region that year. But in 2009, the fate of Château le Puy’s history changed. In an interview with the daily newspaper, Liberation, the winemaker said that the number of orders skyrocketed, from 5 or 6 orders per week to almost a 100. The main reason behind this drastical and unexpected change? A Japanese manga entitled Drops Of God, which depicts the story of a winegrowerpassing onhis wine collection to his children. But in order for the children to get it, he asks them to solve puzzles, and among them, one named Drops of God. This mysterious title in fact referred to the cuvee 2003 of Château le Puy ! A true windfall for Jean-Pierre Amoreau : the comic was a hit, and this cuvee became famous in both Japan and the United States. That could have been a goldmine for Château le Puy, however Jean Pierre Amoreau thought it was unfair to get the best out of it and decided not to put away his local customers. As a result he sold his cuvee for 18 Euros, which was only 3 euros more than its original price.
2) Coca-Cola’s ancestor born close to Bordeaux vineyard
You thought Coca Cola was a 100% USA invention? Well, not really! Though creator John S. Pemberton was American and launched this famous refreshment in Atlanta city, he was also pharmacist, a detail which actually matters. The reason? A French medicinal beverage was an inspiration for him that led him to create Coca-Cola. Made with coca leaves and kola nuts, (fruit from the Kolatier, taking roots the in West African forest and used to fight against fatigue and to improve alertness) the remedy was mixed with Bordeaux wine, an invention made by the chemist Angelo Mariani, from Corsica and created in 1863. Therefore, John S Peberton has drawn inspiration from it in order to create what is today the most famous drink in the world!
3) Grands crus from Château Mouton-Rothschild found in Moldova
©Caves de Cricova
If you want to take a walk in Moldova, don’t miss Cricova cellars, just a few miles away from the capital Chisinau. They represent one of the largest cellars on earth. Like Ali Baba’s cave, they contain an inestimable treasure: 1936 Bordeaux Grands Crus from Château Mouton-Rothschild. How did these bottles travel to Moldova? The story begins during the Second World War, when the German military Nazi Hermann Göring stole Grands Crus in the most prestigious French cellars. According to an investigation published in L’Express in 2012, bottles had been found in Königsberg city (nowadays called Kaliningrad) in 1941. In 1947 they returned to Moldova, first kept in a house by the city center, and then in Cricova cellars just few years after. Other Bordeaux Grands Crus from Göring collection (with 455 bottles of French crus) would also be preserved in Cricova cellars.
