East Bank vs West Bank

French wines... Forget about the bank for a moment. The only bank you need to worry about is the bank with what's left of your 101K (formerly known as your 401K). Enough of that! Don't let French wines intimidate you because you can't pronounce them nor understand the all the classifications (first growth, second growth, so on...). France is the second largest wine producing country in the world. Italy is number one in quantity but France is number one in quality. So, back to the river, it's the Gironde, thus giving us the Left Bank and Right Bank. We're all familiar with the term Bordeaux, well somewhat anyway. What is Bordeaux anyway??? A Bordeaux is a "blend" of grapes. In California, for example, you find a lot of 100% varietals like Cabernet, Pinot Noir and so on and so on. The blend of varietals is what makes a Bordeaux a Bordeaux. Cabernet is the major grape of the Left Bank and Merlot is the major grape for the Right Bank. Beyond those, Malbec, Cab Franc and Petite Verdot are used for blending. Now, you're ready to travel down the Gironde and find your own treasures. Cheers to all...