Property in Gironde, France

The Gironde is both a river and a department along the Atlantic coast of southwest France. It is most known for its capital city of Bordeaux and the many famous wines that come from the region. Famous Chateaux of the region include Lafite-Rothschild, Margaux and Latour. The are has much more going for besides wine, though, as it is a major regional city with high tech industries, a large port and is quickly becoming a tourism center. 

The Gironde administrative department is located in the Aquitane region, below La Rochelle and north of the Spanish border. It has about 1.3 million residents, over two thirds of whom live in and around the city of Bordeaux. The Gironde Estuary is the result of the merger of the Dordogne River and the Garonne River. It forms a perfect microclimate that, mixed with the soils of the region, makes one of the best winegrowing areas of the world.

Wines are what made Bordeaux and the Gironde famous. The area has approximately 117,000 hectares of vineyards, 57 appellations, 9,000 wine-producing châteaux, 13,000 grape growers and 400 traders. With an annual production of over 700 million bottles, sales are over 14.5 billion euros annually. With so many appellations and subregions, it is impossible to name them all. In general, the north side of the Gironde is referred to as the Right Bank and includes the areas of St. Emilion, Pomerol and Bourg. The south side is called the left bank with the Medoc as the major region and sub regions including St. Julien and Margaux. To the southeast of the city are several other wine growing appellations, including Graves, Cadillac and Sauternes.

Bordeaux has much more going for it than just its famous wines, although that does give it a pretty good start. The port of Bordeaux is a large shipment point for goods, and the city is also a major high tech, aerospace and aeronautical center. Dassault, Sogerma, SNECMA, Thales, SNPE and EADS all have headquarters or major operations in the city. Dassault manufactures several of its corporate and military aircraft, and the Ariane rocket boosters are made here as well. The Laser Megajoule, a project with the French Defense Ministry, will be the most powerful laser in the world when completed here in 2009.

The Bordeaux football club is in France’s top league and have been good enough in recent years to play in European competition. The University of Bordeaux accommodates nearly 70,000 students on its large campus. The city itself is home to one of the largest 18th century urban areas anywhere and is a popular spot for filmmakers and tourists. There are many museums in the city as well.

Libourne is the wine-making capital of the northern Gironde. It is near Saint Emilion and Pomerol and is located at the confluence of the Dordogne and Isle rivers. Arcachon is a seaside town that is about 50 kilometers southwest of Bordeaux, and is one of the younger towns in the country having been founded by Napoleon III in 1857. La Teste-de-Buch is located south of Arcachon and is the site of the Great Dune of Pyla, the largest sand dune in Europe.

Bordeaux-Merignac Airport (BOD) is 12 kilometers northwest of Bordeaux. It is a major international airport and has flights to cities all over Europe and the world. The TGV runs directly from Paris to Bordeaux, before continuing down the coast to Bayonne. It has stops in Libourne, Facture, La Teste and Arcachan in addition to the stop at Bordeaux.

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