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food

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Also known as: nourishment

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Last Updated: Jun 24, 2024 • Article History

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Food | Definition & Nutrition | Britannica https://www.britannica.com/topic/food

Food, substance consisting essentially of protein, carbohydrate, fat, and

other nutrients used in the body of an organism to sustain growth and vital
processes and to furnish energy. The absorption and utilization of food by
the body is fundamental to nutrition and is facilitated by digestion. Plants,
which convert solar energy to food by photosynthesis, are the primary food
source. Animals that feed on plants often serve as sources of food for other
animals. To learn more about the sequence of transfers of matter and energy
in the form of food from organism to organism, see food chain.

Hunting and gathering, horticulture, pastoralism, and the development of

agriculture are the primary means by which humans have adapted to their
environments to feed themselves. Food has long served as a carrier of
culture in human societies and has been a driving force for globalization.
This was especially the case during the early phases of European trade and
colonial expansion, when foods such as the hot red pepper, corn (maize),
and sweet potatoes spread throughout Europe to Africa and Asia.

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Food is treated in a number of articles. For a description of the processes of

absorption and utilization of food, see nutrition; nutrition, human;
digestion; and digestive system, human. For information on the methods
used to prepare raw foods for cooking, consumption, or storage, see food
preservation.

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The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

This article was most recently revised and updated by Meg Matthias.

Entertainment & Pop Culture  Food

Bordeaux wine

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Also known as: claret

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Last Updated: Jun 13, 2024 • Article History

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June 18, 2024, 2:21 AM ET (Washington Post)
Virginia's RdV Vineyards sells to Chateau Montrose of Bordeaux - The Washington Post

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Bordeaux wine, any of numerous wines of the region surrounding the city
of Bordeaux, France. Bordeaux has a long history in wine culture; like
Burgundy and the Rhine region, it was known in Roman times. During the
English occupation of Bordeaux, a charter was granted, first by Richard I
and second by John in 1199, to the still-functioning jurade, a controlling
body dating originally from the 12th century, which in its ceremonies still
observes its medieval ritual and uses its traditional robes of the St. Emilion
district for the supervision of wine making. Claret meant in those days a pale
wine made by mixing reds and whites; the word claret is not used in modern
French.

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The modern Bordeaux region is one of the world’s most important regions
making fine wines. It is divided by the Bordeaux wine classification into 36
districts, which in turn are divided into communes. Within these communes,
again, are certain individual vineyards, called châteaux in this region, that
produce the finest wines. The châteaux bottle their own wine and label it
under their names, thus guaranteeing that it is not a blend. The château-
bottled wines rated best are classified as crus classés, which in turn have five
categories called growths. These five growths are not altogether based on
excellence, which in fine wines remains always a matter of taste to some
degree; other criteria, such as market price, exportation, and fame also
formed these ratings. Rated in 1855, this classification is also outdated;
nevertheless it has held up well over the years apart from excluding the
possibility of improvement after 1855. After these crus classés are crus
exceptionnels, comprising a half dozen wines, and several hundred wines
named crus bourgeois and crus artisans, or paysans. The last two
categories are largely obsolete owing to the growth of cooperative wineries,
which have enabled small proprietors to use up-to-date wineries managed
by expert vintners, thus raising the quality of less-expensive wine in
Bordeaux and elsewhere. Although strict labeling is in force in Bordeaux
château-bottled wines, inferior wines are still sold as Bordeaux. Further,
because a poor year produces wine of inferior quality, such wines must be
known by vintage as well.

Wines of the Bordeaux region are labeled Bordeaux. Wines from specific
districts of Bordeaux are usually of specific type and have more interest;
they are labeled with the district name, as Médoc or St. Emilion. Within the
districts are communes, of specific wine type and of superior character;
these are labeled with the name of the commune, St. Julien or St. Estèphe.
Of the 17 districts in Bordeaux, Médoc, Graves, St. Emilion, and Pomerol are
best known. Médoc, Sauternes, and Barsac were classified in 1855, Graves in
1953, and St. Emilion in 1955.

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Médoc
These wines are red, generally of light body and strong flavour. Médoc, 50
miles (80.5 km) long and 3–7 miles (5–11 km) wide, has a dozen communes,
each possessing soil that produces wine of particular quality; Pauillac,
Margaux, St. Julien, Cantenac, and St. Estèphe are of these. Of the 61 red
wines classified crus classés in 1855, all but one were from Médoc. First
growth châteaux are Lafite-Rothschild, Margaux, and Latour; other crus
classés number among them Mouton-Rothschild and Kirwan.

Graves
The general reputation of Graves is for white wine, rich in taste and not too
sweet. Actually Graves produces as much red as white. These balanced, fine-
coloured, and rather fruity reds are sometimes rated finer than the whites.
Château Haut-Brion was classified first growth in 1855; it is one of eight
classified red wines of Graves in the 1959 official classification of Graves.
Five châteaux were selected as classified white wines of Graves in 1959.

Sauternes and Barsac

The natural sweet wines, fruity with enduring rich flavour, of this district are
usually considered among the world’s finest. To achieve their quality the
grapes are left until overripe on the vines before harvesting, thus producing
the ripeness known as pourriture noble, which leaves an abundance of sugar
in the grape, sweetening the wine and producing a high alcoholic content. A
label of Haut-Sauternes is also allowed for wines of this district, although no
such area exists. Wines from the village area of Barsac, similar to Sauternes,
are allowed the label of Sauternes or Barsac. Château d’Yquem is classified
first superior growth, and 24 other châteaux are classed in the first and
second growths.

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St. Emilion
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St. Emilion
Sometimes called masculine wines, St. Emilions are full-bodied and of
darker colour than Médocs. The 1955 classification listed 12 called first great
growths of St. Emilion, among which are Château Cheval Blanc and Château
Ausone, of long-standing reputation. There were 63 châteaux rated as great
growths. These classes, like those of Graves, are peculiar to these districts,
not part of the 1855 Médoc classification.

Other Bordeaux districts

White wines come from Sainte Foy, Entre-Deux-Mers, Langoiran. At their
best the whites of Ste. Croix-du-Mont, Loupiac, and Cérons have
characteristics of Sauternes. Good red and white wines are produced in
Bourg, Blaye, Cadillac, and Camblanes-et-Meynac.

Vintages and age

Some wines prosper in generally bad years or fail in good years. Thus
vintage charts are not a certain guide. Bordeaux reds are at their peak 8 to
23 years after vintage. They are long-lived, however, and full-bodied reds
will last 50 years or more. Dry whites may be ready to drink in 1 to 2 years
but age faster than reds or sweet whites, fading sometimes after 7 years.
Sweet whites may be drunk about 3 years after vintage, will be at their peak
at 10 years, and may last 30 years.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Heather Campbell.

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