Bordeaux wine seeks mass appeal

NEW YORK French wine producers and their American distributors have been taking steps to make their products more accessible to consumers in the United States. One part of that process has been the creation of a list of 100 affordable Bordeaux wines now available at http://www.bordeauxwinebureau.org.

The Bordeaux Wine Bureau, formally the Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vin de Bordeaux, had a panel of experts evaluate vintages in a blind taste test to produce the list of, formally, 100 Classic, Contemporary, Affordable Wines. CIVB also will sponsor an April winemaker tour of New York, Chicago and Los Angeles to promote affordable Bordeaux in the U.S.

The price range of wines on the list can be characterized on the inexpensive side by a Chateau La Moulinere Bordeaux from Baron Francois, Ltd., retailing at $8 to $10, and, on the expensive side, by a Chateau de Veyres Sauternes, from Frank Johnson Selections, at $28 to $30.