2008 Bordeaux's Debut

Around this time every year, the vintners in the Bordeaux region of Southern France open their doors to big name buyers and wine aficionados to debut the most recent vintage of their trade. Similar to (or at least on a par with) film festivals, the visiting oenophiles are given the red carpet treatment. The real star, however, is the wine. This week marked the unveiling of the 2008 vintage, and nearly 5,000 guests arrived in the region to smell, taste, spit and the wine makers hope - buy.

The Associated Press released an article yesterday detailing the fanfare, and apparently the buyers were fairly impressed. According to world-renowned wine genius Michel Rolland, the 2008's are probably the best out of the region since 2005. This might not seem like much praise, but a thumbs up for quality from a guy like Michel can contribute to a huge upswing in sales among the high-class buyers spread out over the world. The whole week is an interesting aspect of the wine world that not a whole lot of drinkers are familiar with. If you're looking to learn something new, I suggest following the link and checking out complete coverage from the AP.