Wines don’t get more classic than Bordeaux and Burgundy, the Hemingway and Huxley of the wine canon. The two French wine regions have survived plagues and seduced generations, divided camps and defined trends.

Debating which wine region offers better wine in general is a minefield. Each region has its own merits – and even prickly issues, for example, a reputable vineyard shared by multiple producers in Burgundy, which can result in wines of varying quality from different producers; and an archaic 19th century, producer-ranked classification in Bordeaux, which has remained largely unchallenged in modern times (more on this later).