Entre-deux-Mers

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Accessory grape varieties

Terroir

• The Entre-deux-Mers appellation occupies a vast plateau bounded by the left bank of the Dordogne to the north and the right bank of the Garonne to the south, across 133 communes of the Gironde.
• The oceanic climate benefits from south-easterly winds that are less humid and from a relative levelling of seasonal fluctuations thanks to its position "between two tides", the influence of the mascarets — those rising waves during spring tides — being very noticeable well inland.
• The clay-limestone plateau of Tertiary age, flanked by the two rivers that deposited sheets of sand, gravel and clay there at the end of the Tertiary and during the Quaternary, extends between 60 and 100 metres in average altitude.
• Plateau sectors frequently feature soils made up of more or less thick wind-blown loamy cover formations, known as boulbènes.
• The Garonne deposited its alluvium so extensively that the Dordogne's remain confined to the north-western margin, where they form stepped terraces with gravelly soils in a sandy-clay matrix.
• Erosion of the hillsides, particularly those facing the Dordogne, can expose the layer of molasse underlying the limestone.

• The settling of the Benedictines at La Sauve Majeure in the 11th century marked a decisive moment, the monks extending the vineyard and improving cultivation methods.
• The decree of 31 July 1937 recognised the Entre-deux-Mers appellation d'origine contrôlée for white wines only, then that of 1953 restricted it to dry white wines alone.
• Use of the name Haut-Benauge was authorised in 1955 for nine communes, while the cooperative movement, present since the 1930s, today vinifies 85% of the white wines.

• Entre-deux-Mers white wines generally show a straw-yellow colour with yellow-green glints, a lively attack followed by a full, round palate with notes of white flowers, citrus and exotic fruit.
• Entre-deux-Mers red wines are purple in their youth, ruby red at their peak, then garnet as they age, with an aroma of red fruit evolving towards nuances of undergrowth, truffle or menthol.
• The palate of Entre-deux-Mers red wines is fresh, structured and supple, despite the characteristic tannic frame.

• Sémillon contributes to the roundness of the white wines while Muscadelle lends them a certain aromatic complexity, depending on the blend used with Sauvignon.
• A fine knowledge of the terroir allows winegrowers to choose grape varieties suited to each soil type, allowing the expression of aromas of white flowers, citrus and exotic fruit in the whites, and of red, sometimes black, fruit and menthol notes in the reds.

Facts drawn from the specification's terroir-link section by automatic interpretation — see the source.

Dénominations géographiques complémentaires

• Entre-deux-Mers Haut-Benauge AOC (PDO)

All appellations in France

Sources

• Product specification (BO Agri, PDF) — approved 2 septembre 2026, JORF 5 septembre 2026
• Official INAO text (show_texte)
• INAO product entry
• Official trade body site — CIVB