Editing Médoc (section)

{{Short description|Region in Gironde, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France}}
{{Redirect|Medoc|the community in the United States|Medoc, Missouri}}

{{No footnotes|date=June 2014}}
[[Image:GirondePays.png|thumb|right|Map of the [[Gironde estuary]]]]
The '''Médoc''' ({{IPA|fr|meˈdɔk|-|LL-Q150 (fra)-Benoît Prieur-Médoc.wav}}; {{langx|oc-gascon|Medòc}} {{IPA|oc|meˈðɔk|}}) is a region of [[France]], well known as a [[wine]] growing region, located in the ''[[département in France|département]]'' of [[Gironde]], on the left bank of the [[Gironde estuary]], northwest of [[Bordeaux]]. Its name comes from ''([[Pagus]]) Medullicus'', or "country of the ''[[Medulli]]''", the local [[Celt]]ic tribe. The region owes its economic success mainly to the production of red wine; it is home to around 1,500 [[vineyard]]s.

The area also has pine forests and long sandy beaches. The Médoc's geography is not ideal for wine grape growing, with its proximity to the [[Atlantic Ocean]] resulting in a comparatively mild climate and high rainfall making grape rot a constant problem. It is generally believed that the nature of the region's wine derives from the soil; although the terrain is flat, excellent drainage is present and the increased amount of gravel in the soil allows heat to be retained, encouraging ripening, and extensive root systems.