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Number of cases of wine per person the French consumed in the years following World War II, according to the Wine Spectator. Today per capita wine consumption in France is about 4.5 cases. The steep decline in French wine consumption has left many of the country’s winemakers without a local market for their wines. Some producers of inexpensive Bordeaux are reportedly nearly destitute.

How does a “Burgundy barrel” compare to a “Bordeaux barrel?”

A. Burgundy barrels are slightly smaller than Bordeaux barrels.

B. Burgundy barrels and Bordeaux barrels are the same; but each is known in its own region by that region’s name.

C. Burgundy barrels are generally less toasted than Bordeaux barrels.

D. Burgundy barrels are slightly more round than Bordeaux barrels.

A Burgundy barrel is low and squat, and has a deeper, rounder bilge than a Bordeaux barrel. The deeper bilge is designed to allow the spent yeasts (known as lees) to settle easily. This shape is especially helpful in making white Burgundy (chardonnay) where extended lees contact leads to wines that have a sense of creaminess (important given the high acidity of the wines). A Burgundy barrel is 228 liters in capacity. A Bordeaux barrel is higher and longer than a Burgundy barrel. It is 225 liters in capacity.

“To take wine into our mouths is to savor a droplet of the river of human history.”

—Clifton Fadiman
American author and television personality (1904 – 1999)

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