Bordeaux is one of the oldest wine regions in the world. It was an important town during Roman times, and became known for producing excellent wines in the Middle Ages. In the 18th century, the style of Bordeaux wines as we know them today was shipped as contraband to England, and called "New French Claret."

While the upper echelon of Bordeaux wines still command extremely high prices at auction every year, these wines make up only a very small percentage of Bordeaux's production. For the rest of Bordeaux's producers, the rise in popularity of New World wines has become a problem. It is difficult for these producers to compete on the international market. They are beholden to the same legal standards as the expensive Bordeauxs, so they are forbidden to, for example, use oak chips in white wines like an Australian producer might be. Bordeaux red also require a great deal of age in the bottle before they are drinkable, which doesn't suit the New World taste, and  does not compete well with less expensive and easy drinking young red wines from areas like Napa valley in California.

In spite of this crisis situation, Bordeaux remains, as do all wine regions in France, enormously influential on wines produced throughout the world, and sets the standard for several wines people drink and buy everywhere.