Rohrer and Klingner - Alt. Bordeaux

Rohrer & Klingner - Alt. Bordeaux - Ink drop

Today’s ink, Alt-Bordeaux (Old Bordeaux), is a dye-based ink from Rohrer & Klingner. Producing inks since 1892, they are one of Germany’s most established ink makers. Their writing inks come in 50ml bottles and are very affordably priced.

On the surface, Alt-Bordeaux is a simple name, but it describes a complex color, and was perfectly chosen. I wasn’t sure how I felt about this ink at first, but the longer I use it, the more it reveals, and the more seductive it becomes. This is a beautiful, complex burgundy purple. In the right nib, feed, and paper combination, it almost glows like sunlight captured in a deep, rich glass of red wine. In these moments, it’s quite stunning.

Rohrer & Klingner - Alt. Bordeaux - Ink Swatch Card

As a writing ink, it performs very nicely, and remained legible across a variety of papers. In my tests, it performed best on Apica, Kokuyo, and Rhodia. It produced razor-sharp stroke profiles on all three, with no feather, some shading, and a crisp, dark halo. Drying times on Apica and Kokuyo were 25-30 seconds, and slightly longer on Rhodia (45 seconds). It feathered too much to be usable on Mnemosyne. Results were better on office copy paper. There was slight feathering, but I’d say it’s still usable. It dries almost instantly here, as well.

All-in-all, Alt-Bordeaux is a beautiful, red wine-colored ink that looks gorgeous on paper. It’s more restrained than most purples, making it suitable for both casual and business settings. I think I prefer this to some of the other red wine inspired inks that I’ve previously reviewed. If you’re considering Alt-Bordeaux, don’t hesitate. I think you’ll be impressed.