How did the Bordeaux region of France get the terms left bank and right bank for wine from the Medoc?

Question

How did the Bordeaux region of France get the terms left bank and right bank for wine from the Medoc?

Answer 1

Okay, the short course, really short course.  The banks refer to the river Gironde that cuts through Bordeaux.  There are other rivers, but let's stick with Gironde.  Let's also keep it simple.  Most wines coming from the Left Bank tend to be Cabernet Sauvignon based.  Whereas Right Bank tends to be more Merlot.  Left Bank is famous for Medoc, Haut-Medoc and Graves.  Right Bank is famous for Pomerol and St. Emilion.  This is the bare bones intro.  With a zillion or more wine producers in France, an indepth explanation would take a while.