Since ancient times, the vine has shaped the landscape of Gironde, according to the nature of its soil: gravel, limestone or clay.

Brought along the ocean, it gained the banks and hillsides of the estuary, and then those of the Garonne and Dordogne rivers. Here, right at the edge, people settled through the centuries.

At Pauillac, they built houses of light-coloured stone to live in; at Blaye and Saint-Emilion a citadel and a fort to protect themselves; everywhere, from Médoc to Entre-Deux-Mers, châteaux and cellars for wine-making; and finally at Bordeaux, an illustrious city where they could trade and surround themselves with culture.