Editing Médoc

{{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.

==Viticulture==
{{Main|Médoc AOC}}
With the exception of [[Château Haut-Brion]] from [[Graves (wine region)|Graves]], all of the red wines in the [[Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855|1855 Classification]] are from the Médoc. Many of the Médoc wines that are not in this classification were classified using the [[Cru Bourgeois]] system until 2007. Following legal challenges this category was abolished, and reintroduced in 2010 as an annual "mark of quality" depending on independent annual assessment.

==See also==
* [[Bordeaux wine regions]]

==External links==
{{Commons category|Médoc}}
* [http://www.medoc-wines.com/User/news.aspx?lang=EN&menuOuvert=0 Médoc]
* [http://www.thewinedoctor.com/regionalguides/bordeaux.shtml  The Wine Doctor]
* [http://www.medoc-tourisme.com Visit Médoc]
* [http://www.guide-medoc.com About Médoc]
* [http://fr.calameo.com/read/000001318ca4019b8b0a1 French-English guide book to enotourism in Médoc]

{{Expand French|date=November 2013|Médoc|topic=geo}}
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[[Category:Geography of Gironde]]
[[Category:Nouvelle-Aquitaine region articles needing translation from French Wikipedia]]