Blaye

Blaye is a French town with 4722 inhabitants (as of 1 January 2011) in the Gironde department in the region of Aquitaine. The city is the seat of the prefecture (French Sous- préfecture ) of the arrondissements Blaye, this consists of four cantons, it is the capital (French chef-lieu ) of the Canton of Blaye.

Blaye is located on the eastern shore of the estuary Gironde, near Bordeaux that arises by the confluence of the Dordogne and the Garonne. Is a ferry across the Gironde between Blaye and Lamarque.

As a tourist attraction, there is a citadel from the 17th century in the city, which has been designed by Vauban.

Blaye wine region

The community Blaye Blaye is the appellation (or Blaye ) the name. The region has since 1938 the status of an Appellation d' Origine ( AOC short ). The area under vine area is 5880 hectares, the lion's share of red varieties. This was not always the case: even at the beginning of the 20th century were primarily white wines vinified, which served for the production of Cognac.

However, the winemakers use this appellation less and switching over to the appellation Côtes de Blaye and Côtes de Blaye Premieres that meet stringent quality requirements. In 2000, only 5070 hectoliters of wine were still 12 740 hl in 2002, however, marketed under the name of Blaye. Recently, an attempt is made to give the appellation a better quality profile. Therefore, a minimum period of 18 months maturation will now be set prior to the sale.

Twinning

• Zuelpich in North Rhine -Westphalia ( Germany )
• Tarrega in Catalonia (Spain )
• Măcin in Romania