The beautiful town of Bourg, at the confluence of the Garonne and Dordogne rivers, gives its name to this appellation - one of the region’s oldest. Established in 1920, with decrees confirming its AOC status signed in 1936 (for red wines) and 1945 (white wines), Côtes de Bourg enjoys a favourable microclimate and a varied soil composition of sand, clay, limestone and gravel. On account of its unique topography - atypically hilly for the [Bordeaux](/region/bordeaux) region - the area is sometimes referred to as ‘Little Switzerland’. The [Merlot](/merlot) variety is the appellation’s principal red grape, accounting for 65% of all plantings. This is followed by [Cabernet Sauvignon](/cabernet-sauvignon) with 20%, [Malbec](/malbec) with 10% (its largest share of any [Bordeaux](/region/bordeaux) AOC) and [Cabernet Franc](/cabernet-franc) with 5%. Of the tiny fraction of vineyard dedicated to white varieties, [Sauvignon Blanc](/sauvignon-blanc), Colombard, [Sémillon](/semillon), [Muscadelle](/muscadelle) and [Sauvignon Gris](/sauvignon-gris) share the vine, with the former three grapes accounting for more than 85% of the approximately thirty hectares. The vast majority of the wine produced within the Côtes de Bourg appellation - which totals around 180,000 hectolitres of red and 1,200 hectolitres of white - is sold within the national boundary although exports are continually rising as wine-makers increase their commercial focus in order to compete with the prestigious neighbouring appellations. The red wines here - increasingly of a softer, more approachable style - are both good quality and good value. Many are intended to be drank within a year or two of vintage, whilst others demonstrate the potential to age in the bottle for up to a decade.