Entre-Deux-Mers is a large sub-region of the Bordeaux wine region. The name is also used in the appellation AOC Entre-Deux-Mers, which is applied to dry white wines from the region. This is described separately below.
The name Entre-Deux-Mers means literally 'between two seas' - the seas in question being the rivers Garonne and Dordogne, which are the area's southern and northern boundaries respectively. A substantial slice of the Bordeaux region is occupied by Entre-Deux-Mers, stretching from the edge of Bordeaux town in the west, to the farmland outside Bergerac in the east. The landscape of the region is mostly fertile and green, rolling gently between 33ft and 330ft (10m and 100m) above sea level, although there are large patches of this which are rapidly becoming devoted to viticulture. The soils of Entre-Deux-Mers are predominantly of alluvial type (sand and clay in varying proportions) which is to be expected given its name and location.
The Entre-Deux-Mers region produces the majority of the wine labeled as Bordeaux AOC or Bordeaux Superieur. It encompasses several appellations, including the substantial Premieres Cotes de Bordeaux (now part of the Cotes de Bordeaux appellation formed in 2009). The other appellations contained within it are the Entre-Deux-Mers appellation itself, Graves-de-Vayres, Cadillac, Loupiac, Sainte-Croix-du-Mont, Haut-Benauge, Cotes-de-Bordeaux-Saint-Macaire and Sainte-Foy-Bordeaux.
Many wine-growers in the region uprooted their white grape varieties in the mid-twentieth century, and replaced them with more popular (and commercially viable) red varieties such as Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. The wines produced here in the early twentieth century are generally increasing in quality, but do not match up to those from places like Pomerol or the Medoc.
The appellation AOC Entre-Deux-Mers applies specifically and uniquely to dry white wines made in the region. Geographically speaking, the appellation is among the largest in Bordeaux, and produces a large quantity of dry white wines which vary widely in quality. These are made from Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Muscadelle and Ugni Blanc. The only appellation to produce a greater quantity of white wine is the generic, catch-all Bordeaux AC appellation.
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