Entre-deux-Mers
The dry white of the country between the 2 rivers, 133 communes, recognized in 1937 for white alone and opened to red from the 2023 harvest, the largest change to a Bordeaux appellation in a generation.
The place
The Entre-deux-Mers is the country between the Dordogne and the Garonne, tidal rivers that gave it the name of 2 seas. The appellation runs across 133 communes of the Gironde, a wider area than any Bordeaux appellation except the regional ones, on clay and clay with limestone, with gravel in places, above all on the slopes. The name covers far less vineyard than it crosses: 1,783 hectares and 280 growers, half independent and half in the cooperatives, because the vineyards of the region are about 85% red and until 2023 only the white could carry the name. Haut-Benauge, on 8 communes, is its only complementary place name.
The rules
Dry white and, since the extension, red. The white is Sémillon, Sauvignon, Sauvignon Gris and Muscadelle, with Colombard and Ugni Blanc as accessory varieties, at 65 hectoliters a hectare with a ceiling of 75 and 10.5% of natural alcohol, and it stays on its lees until November 15 after the harvest. The red is Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Merlot and Petit Verdot, with Carmenère as accessory, at 55 hectoliters with a ceiling of 65 and 12% of natural alcohol, and it cannot reach the consumer before January 1 of the second year after the harvest, which means at least 14 months of aging. The 2 colors are planted at no less than 4,500 vines a hectare. The cahier des charges (the appellation’s official rulebook) in force, the appellation’s official rulebook, was homologated by the arrêté of September 19, 2025.
The names
No classification. The appellation was recognized on July 31, 1937 for dry white wine, and for 86 years that is what the name meant. In May 2023 INAO extended it to red, on about 5,500 hectares planted at more than 4,500 vines a hectare; the first vintage was 2023, and the first bottles reached the trade in 2025. It is the largest change to a Bordeaux appellation in a generation, and it came to the one appellation most people think of as white.
- Colors
- Dry white; red since 2023
- Communes
- 133, between the Dordogne and the Garonne
- Vineyard
- 1,783 hectares, 280 growers; about 5,500 hectares eligible for the red
- Ground
- Clay and clay with limestone, gravel in places, above all on the slopes
- Grapes
- White: Sémillon, Sauvignon, Sauvignon Gris, Muscadelle; Colombard and Ugni Blanc accessory. Red: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Merlot, Petit Verdot; Carmenère accessory
- Density
- 4,500 vines a hectare at least
- Yield
- White 65 hectoliters, ceiling 75; red 55, ceiling 65
- Alcohol
- White 10.5%, red 12% natural at least
- Release
- White on its lees to November 15 after the harvest; red from January 1 of the second year, at least 14 months of aging
- Inside it
- Entre-deux-Mers Haut-Benauge, on 8 communes
- Classified
- No classification
- AOC since
- July 31, 1937 for white; red from 2023; cahier of September 19, 2025
Sources: FGVB, cahier des charges Entre-deux-Mers, arrêté du 19 septembre 2025 · FGVB, l’extension de l’AOC Entre-deux-Mers aux vins rouges · Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vin de Bordeaux, Entre-Deux-Mers · France 3 Nouvelle-Aquitaine, Côté châteaux, l’Entre-deux-Mers rouge
The stack
The same ground in Entre-deux-Mers may also be labeled Bordeaux, Bordeaux Supérieur and Crémant de Bordeaux. A grower chooses which appellation to sell under, and the narrowest is almost always the dearest.
It shares named communes with Entre-Deux-Mers Haut-Benauge and Bordeaux Haut-Benauge.
The appellations of Bordeaux are stacked, not laid side by side. The map draws the whole stack. Open the map
Châteaux on this site
News from Entre-deux-Mers
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Bordeaux: One Region, Many Voices
A new generation of Bordeaux winemakers is producing fresher, lower-alcohol red wines with greater stylistic variety. Since 2023, Entre-deux-Mers has been authorized to produce reds, with around 40 growers making roughly 1 million bottles at a target price of £10-15 a bottle.
Bordeaux’s current story is increasingly fragmented. Harvest conditions, commercial pressure and consumer demand affect classified estates, family properties and peripheral appellations in markedly different ways.
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Sainsbury’s launches a £5.45 Bordeaux
Sainsbury’s launched CH Pierre Bordeaux at £5.45 on September 11, 2026. Made from grapes from Entre-Deux-Mers, the wine blends 80% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc.
At this price, the story is less about fine wine than Bordeaux’s competitiveness in mass retail. It tests whether regional identity can still carry weight in a highly price-sensitive category.
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2025 Château Bonnet Blanc enters focus
Falstaff profiled Château Bonnet Blanc 2025, a new release from Entre-deux-Mers.
Entre-deux-Mers remains one of Bordeaux's most useful sources of accessible dry white wine. Early reviews will help establish how the 2025 vintage balances ripeness, freshness and immediate drinkability.
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Cycling trip in France: Tour de France through the vineyards of Bordeaux
A cycling trip through Bordeaux’s vineyards starts in Bordeaux and runs through areas including Entre-deux-Mers, Médoc and Saint-Émilion. In Bommes, 40-year-old winemaker Alexis Charrier produces Sauternes with his family property.
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Eudémis pressure intensifies on the Bordeaux vineyard
Eudémis pressure intensified in parts of Bordeaux, with some traps capturing more than 200 moths per week in late July. Graves, southeastern Entre-deux-Mers, Listrac and Moulis were among the areas affected, while 53% of monitored parcels showed no significant activity.
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Mini-vertical Tasting: Château Thieuley Blanc
Château Thieuley blanc is an emblematic Entre-deux-Mers wine under AOC Bordeaux Blanc, made at the roughly 60-hectare family property in La Sauve, run by sisters Marie and Sylvie Courselle.
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Bucolic walks in Entre-deux-Mers
Entre-deux-Mers offers vineyard walks, sports and château visits, including organic, family-friendly activities at Château du Payre, which has welcomed visitors since 1881. Its “Pur jus de raisin” workshop lets participants harvest, press and taste grapes.
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Wine Paris 2026: 2 new reds on the Bordeaux table
At Wine Paris in Paris on February 9, 2026, Bordeaux winegrowers and négociants offered tastings of cuvées from the new Entre-deux-Mers rouge and Bordeaux Claret appellations.