In the vines
An obvious place to start is in the vines. Today, over 75% of the Bordeaux vineyard is under one of several sustainable certifications, and even more producers are implementing the principles. In 2025, 2,595 agricultural entities were certified HVE (Haute Valeur Environnementale), and 25% of the region’s vines were under organic viticulture (Agence Bio).
Back to the future
Bordeaux is famous for blending skills, a skill that has never been more useful – adapting the choice of grape varieties to place, climate and consumer. Today, winemakers are looking back to ancient grapes for heat and drought-resistant qualities. Many fell out of use, seen as temperamental. Now, thanks to a better understanding of planting and cultivation, they are being rediscovered for their ability to adapt to climate change.
The percentage of Vin de France in the region is tiny, only about 2% of regional production (roughly 132,000 hl) but ,according to the Vin de France organisation, the most cited reason for choosing Vin de France over AOP status is flexibility to choose grape varieties.
Jean Baptiste Duquesne of Château Cazebonne in the Graves farms using organic and biodynamic viticulture. He is planting old grape varieties across his different terroirs, hoping to reach 60, with the aim of finding solutions to climate change in long-ignored or forbidden varieties. Traditionally, these varieties were rarely ripe enough to make wine. Today, that’s an advantage.
Domaine Jean-Yves Millaire, in Fronsac and Canon-Fronsac, produces 18 cuvées in total, of which 14 use old varieties not currently permitted in the AOPs. He farms biodynamically and is growing heat-resistant varieties that maintain higher acidity and lower alcohol in warmer conditions. You’ll find Marselan, Riesling, Chenin, Petit Manseng, Cinsault, Fié Gris and Pinot d’Aunis alongside the more classic Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Sauvignon Gris and Colombard, in single varietals and blends.
Marie and Sylvie Courselle at Château Thieuley (2026 Regional Best Of Wine Tourism winner) in Entre-Deux-Mers have been experimenting with Chardonnay and Syrah for their Les Truffières cuvées since 2011. Although their core range remains Bordeaux red, white, rosé and Clairet, they now produce 20 different cuvées from 13 varieties.
In the Médoc, 2025 saw the first Chardonnay, Sémillon and Viognier blend from Château Larose Trintaudon (2026 Regional Best Of Wine Tourism winner). That same year, Mélanie Barton of Château Mauvesin Barton, in Moulis, produced her first, very small, vintage of a Chenin-Chardonnay blend. In Margaux, Château Marquis d’Alesme produces Saam Long, or “three dragons,” referring to its blend of Albariño, Chardonnay and Petit Manseng.
A dynamic AOP
This dynamism is also found in existing Bordeaux appellations, where the mix of varieties planted is changing. Petit Verdot, thanks to its late-harvesting characteristics, has grown from 440 hectares in 2000 to almost 1,270 hectares today. New grape varieties are entering the appellations, too. For 15 years, the “Vitadapt” programme at the ISVV (Institut Scientifique de la Vigne et du Vin – Bordeaux University) has been experimenting with drought-resistant varieties. Researchers chose 52 varieties with an aromatic profile similar to the classic Bordeaux blend. In 2019, six of these were approved for use in the Bordeaux, Médoc, Haut-Médoc, Listrac-Médoc and (in the case of Castets only) Margaux appellations. The red varieties are Arinarnoa, Marselan, Touriga Nacional and Castets; the whites are Alvarinho and Liliorila.
In 2021, a further selection was made for mildew and oidium resistance: red Vidoc, and white Floréal, Sauvignac and Souvignier Gris. Use of these varieties is limited to 5% of total planting and 10% of the final blend.
PIWIs – new hybrids
The NEWVINE programme is exploring new plant material, aiming to introduce resistant hybrids by 2030 that would cut pesticide use by 90% and, as a result, reduce the vineyard’s carbon footprint through less tractor use. This matters more than ever, as vines are increasingly prone to mildew and oidium attacks brought on by warmer, wetter springs and the earlier vegetative growth that follows. Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc, two later-budding varieties, have been selected by INRAE Bordeaux, working with IFV and INRA Colmar. Watch this space. Château de Thieuley is already ahead of the game here: its Sauvage dry white is 100% Sauvignac, and its Sauvage red is 100% Cabernet Cortis – both PIWIs.
Canopy resilience
Changing grape varieties is not the only tool winemakers have to adapt to climate change. The VITILIENCE programme is testing ways to increase vineyard resilience. DEMONIACC is testing canopy management, including the height and timing of vine pruning, harvest dates, anti-hail nets and more. The ISVV, meanwhile, is researching new clones and grafts.
Part of this work is agroforestry: creating eco-corridors of trees and hedgerows in and between the vines, using indigenous species, often fruit trees. Château Palmer has planted over 1,000 fruit trees among its vines since 2001. You’ll find similar plantings among the vines and in the surrounding hedgerows at Château Haut-Bages Libéral in Pauillac, Château Paloumey in the Haut-Médoc, Château Cheval Blanc in Saint-Émilion, and many more.
Château Cantemerle brings agroforestry right to the heart of its wine tourism offer. Guests can follow a discovery trail through the grounds and surrounding woodland that highlights biodiversity; an old wooden vat at the centre of a vegetal labyrinth serves as a wildlife observation station and tasting platform. Local herbalist Babette Poncet invites visitors to join her as she gathers flowers and plants from the grounds for her herbal teas.
Cover crops are also common practice for soil health and biodiversity. Planted in autumn and rolled in spring, they create ground cover through the summer that helps reduce evaporation and keep soils cool.
Animal instincts
In the past, châteaux were polycultures, with animals, other crops, orchards and kitchen gardens all part of the estate. Today there’s renewed interest in this kind of balance and diversification. It’s no longer unusual to see sheep grazing among the Bordeaux vines in winter, an ancient tradition brought right up to date. Livestock fertilise the soil while keeping grass and weed growth in check, saving on tractor time and other inputs. You’ll see them in the vines at Château La Tour Blanche (2023 Regional Best Of Wine Tourism Winner), Château Cheval Blanc and many more. Château Doyac, in the Haut-Médoc, has introduced pigs that “plough” the soil with their snouts as they root out weeds and eat fallen leaves that can carry mildew spores. This is eco-pastoralism, animals and humans working together for a balanced ecosystem in the most natural way possible.
Château Giscours (2024 Global Best Of Wine Tourism Winner) is a fully functioning farm, with over 100 animals. They breed rare local sheep, cows, goats, chickens, ducks and geese and together with their kitchen garden, supply the château table, where guests enjoy a farm-to-fork experience. Chef Benjamin Laurent even makes bread using yeast from the cellars. At Château Carbonneau in Saint-Foy-la-Grande, the family runs a working farm alongside their vines with over 100 cattle, pigs, chickens and ducks across 30 hectares of meadow, selling the meat both retail and to local restaurants. These locavore, short-supply-chain initiatives are found across the region’s wine tourism estates, supplying kitchens at Château Phelan Ségur, Château de Ferrand (2026 Regional Best Of Wine Tourism winner) and many more with fresh, local, seasonal produce. This circular economy benefits wine tourism guests, but also staff, who enjoy the same products. Staff at Château Cantemerle have even been trained in beekeeping.
New production
Climate change is encouraging alternative income streams. Bordeaux now produces olive oil, at Château Thieuley in Entre-Deux-Mers and at Château de Malleret in the Haut-Médoc. These new products create opportunities to involve the local community and work with local associations: Château Fayat in Pomerol and Château Paloumey in the Haut-Médoc both partner with local schools to introduce children to their sustainability work.
Growing tomorrow
Sustainability doesn’t stop in the fields. It also includes sustainable cellars that support local employment, supply chains and safe working environments as part of the wider economic, social and community fabric.
Since 2021, the CIVB (Bordeaux Wine Council) has been running a CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) initiative called “Cultivons Demain” (Cultivating Tomorrow). Based on the international ISO 26000 standard, it is adapted specifically for vineyards and the wine industry. It is built around four principles: creating a living territory; increasing the industry’s attractiveness through workers’ rights and working conditions; building dialogue through honest practices and relationships with consumers, communities and local development; and, of course, protecting the environment.
It’s a collective initiative that shares experience and cost, leading to certification for vineyards, wineries, traders and cooperatives, regardless of size or structure. Each participating company commits to a continual cycle of improvement, building an individual action plan with specialist training, a shared consultant and encouragement from peers on the way to certification. Ninety-six companies have already been certified: 69 vineyards, 23 négociants and one cooperative, together representing 10,000 hectares of vines and 2,300 employees – over 30% of Bordeaux’s production. Many are winners of Best of Wine Tourism awards, including Château de la Dauphine, Château Angludet, Château Giscours, Château Grand-Puy-Ducasse (2026 Regional Best Of Wine Tourism Winner), Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey, Château Malartic-Lagravière(2025 Regional Best Of Wine Tourism Winner), Château Paloumey and Les Vignerons de Tutiac.
Sustainable people
Since 2024, the CIVB has also been working with regional government to create a charter for vineyard workers. Today, 40 agricultural personnel management companies and 59 châteaux have signed the charter to help ensure the wellbeing of vineyard workers. Back in 2014, ten Médoc properties founded Vignerons du Vivant, an 18-month certification programme combining theory and work experience to recruit, train and qualify vineyard workers. In 2018, the initiative partnered with the charity Apprentis d’Auteuil to help people facing hardship find full-time employment, while addressing the skilled-labour shortage the industry badly needs to fill. The programme has since expanded into Saint-Émilion. A similar initiative — led by Château Gaby in Fronsac, Château La Garde (2025 Regional Best Of Wine Tourism Winner) in Pessac-Léognan, Château de Malleret in the Haut-Médoc,and the négociant house Clarence Dillon Wines works to provide professional reintegration for people with disabilities.
Mentorship
Vignerons AVenir takes a different approach: one of mentorship within the industry. Launched in 2025 by four iconic estates; Château Petrus, Château Cheval Blanc, Château Lafite Rothschild and Château d’Yquem, each one sponsors a young or small winemaker, sharing expertise around a specific technical or commercial project.
Sustaining consumer demand
Producing a product people want to buy, at a price they’re prepared to pay, is key to economic sustainability. Since 2021, a research project spanning winemakers, négociants, retailers, co-ops, brokers, oenologists, scientists and consumers has examined wines in the €5-8 range. The results show there’s no single profile that pleases everyone, some drinkers prefer fresh and fruit-forward styles, others oaky and vanilla-driven, which is good news for the diversity that Bordeaux offers. Taste came out as more important than colour or aromatic complexity. Fruit and a sense of sweetness (though not actual sugar) were key, alongside demand for easy-drinking, balanced wines with moderate alcohol, good length and subtle tannins.
Bordeaux is responding. Whites, rosés and sparkling wines are booming: Crémant de Bordeaux now accounts for 4% of production, and rosé production has doubled in recent years. Wine making innovation is pushing the AOC framework too, the Médoc has introduced a new white appellation, “Médoc Blanc,” and Bordeaux has created “Claret,” a new red category designed to be served chilled.
Many producers are also using the freedom Vin de France allows to experiment with winemaking techniques as well as grape varieties. Some are co-fermenting white and red grapes together to make “Blouge,” and using black grapes to make blanc de noirs – a technique permitted in Crémant de Bordeaux but not in still wine. Château Paloumey in the Haut-Médoc produces a Cabernet Sauvignon-Merlot blanc de noir. Château de la Dauphine in Fronsac makes a 100% Merlot version, and since 2025 Château Grand Corbin, a classified growth of Saint-Émilion, produces Nuances, alongside the latest release from Château Smith Haut Lafitte (2019 Global Best Of Wine Tourism Winner). Château Durfort-Vivens produces a blend of 50% Cabernet Franc and 50% Muscadelle.
So many playful initiatives, happily coexisting alongside the traditional wines Bordeaux is famous for. There really is something for everyone.
Anticipate and adapt
Bordeaux is meeting these environmental, climatic, economic and social challenges through constant innovation: reducing its carbon footprint in cellars and vineyards through polyculture, attracting new people to the sector to keep it sustainable for the long term, and adapting its wines to market demand.
These inclusive, sustainable innovations are bringing everyone along for the journey, whether workers, the local community, consumers, or the curious visitor who can learn about all these initiatives when they come to the region.
Author: Wendy narby for Great Wine Capitals Photos credits:©ChateauCarsin