wine

Why was Bordeaux historically more present in Normandy than  Bourgogne (called Burgundy in English)?

Here's a thread for curious wine lovers. 🧵 1/5

Map is from

Why was Bordeaux historically more present in Normandy than  Bourgogne (called Burgundy in English)?

Here's a thread for curious wine lovers. 🧵 1/5

Map is from https://www.lhistoire.fr/portfolio/le-royaume-d%E2%80%99henri-ii-de-l%E2%80%99ecosse-au-pyr%C3%A9n%C3%A9es

Bordeaux is a major Atlantic port on the Garonne, with direct sea access. That made it easy for merchants to load barrels straight onto ships.
The sea route to England naturally passed through Norman coasts — Rouen, Honfleur, Harfleur — which often served as stopovers, resupply points or even places of sale.
So Normandy had privileged access to Bordeaux, both as a transit zone and a market. 2/5

So Bordeaux was cheaper, easier to get, and already popular with the English.
Normandy, a maritime region with trade ties to England, developed a taste for it.
Burgundy didn’t even try to sell there: too far, too exclusive, no political link.
Centuries later, you can still feel that legacy in what people pour. 5/5

Burgundy was never English. It was a powerful duchy, sometimes allied with England but often in tension with the French crown.
Burgundy wine had to travel overland or via river (Yonne then Seine). Longer, pricier, less reliable.
And it was rare, noble wine, mostly drunk by elites in France, Flanders, or at court — not on the open market like Bordeaux. 4/5

In 1152, Eleanor of Aquitaine married Henry II Plantagenet and brought the region (including Bordeaux) into English hands.
From 1154 to 1453, Aquitaine remained under English rule, creating a smooth, customs-free wine trade between Bordeaux and England.
Bordeaux wine — aka claret — became the national drink for the English for 300 years. They got used to it, drank it massively. 3/5