BEST WINE REGIONS

A high-altitude desert region in the Andean foothills, irrigated by mountain snowmelt and internationally recognized as the world's leading source of rich, deeply colored Malbec.

A warm valley northeast of Adelaide, one of Australia's oldest wine regions with some of the world's oldest surviving vines, famous for full-bodied Shiraz and dry Eden Valley Riesling.

A UNESCO-listed stretch of terraced vineyards along the Danube, celebrated for peppery, mineral Grüner Veltliner and dry Riesling grown on ancient stone-walled terraces.

Chile's premier cool-climate wine valley, cooled by Pacific morning fogs rolling in through a gap in the coastal range. Crisp Sauvignon Blancs and elegant Pinot Noirs with bright acidity define a region that established Chile as a world-class source of white wine.

France's largest fine-wine region, centered on the Gironde estuary and known for structured Cabernet-Merlot blends, sweet Sauternes, and its Left Bank and Right Bank classified châteaux.

A narrow strip of limestone slopes producing single-vineyard Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, where the Burgundian climat system finely divides the land into hundreds of individually named plots.

The cool northern region where the traditional method of secondary bottle fermentation was perfected, producing the world's benchmark sparkling wine from chalky soils around Reims and Épernay.

A long corridor following the Rhône river, split between steep northern granite terraces of pure Syrah and warmer southern gravels where Grenache-led blends like Châteauneuf-du-Pape dominate.

A sheltered strip along the eastern foothills of the Vosges mountains, marked by German-influenced aromatic whites and a picturesque Wine Route linking half-timbered villages like Riquewihr.

A sun-drenched Mediterranean region and the world's benchmark for dry rosé, where Grenache and Cinsault yield pale pink wines across landscapes of vineyards, olive groves, and lavender.

France's longest wine region, tracing the Loire river past Renaissance châteaux and yielding versatile Chenin Blanc, crisp Sancerre Sauvignon Blanc, and light Cabernet Franc reds.

Cradle of the world's wine culture — archaeologists have dated winemaking in the Kakheti region to 8,000 BC. Amber wines fermented in clay qvevri buried underground, full-bodied Saperavi reds, and a still-living winemaking tradition unlike anywhere else make this a pilgrimage destination for wine historians and sommeliers alike.

A region of steep slate slopes on tight bends of the Mosel river, producing delicate, low-alcohol Riesling with vivid acidity, ranging from bone-dry to intensely sweet late-harvest wines.

A compact region on south-facing slopes where the Rhine turns west, historically influential in German Riesling and also known for Spätburgunder, the German name for Pinot Noir.

The Peloponnese's premier red-wine appellation, producing Agiorgitiko (St. George) in styles ranging from silky, fruit-forward rosés to structured, ageworthy reds. The ancient landscape — where Hercules slew the Nemean lion — produces wines with a Mediterranean character distinct from anything else in Greece.

The "wine of kings and king of wines" — a UNESCO-listed region on the volcanic foothills of the Zemplén Mountains, prized for centuries for its Aszú botrytized dessert wines made from Furmint grapes left to shrivel on the vine. The same terroir also produces thrilling dry Furmints now being rediscovered by sommeliers worldwide.

A region of rolling hills and cypress-lined roads whose Sangiovese grape underpins Chianti, Brunello di Montalcino, and the Cabernet-based Super Tuscans of the coast.

A hilly region at the foot of the Alps, famed for the powerful, tannic Nebbiolo wines of Barolo and Barbaresco in the Langhe, alongside sweet sparkling Moscato d'Asti.

A high-volume region stretching from Lake Garda to the Adriatic, source of sparkling Prosecco from Glera, the rich Amarone made from dried Corvina grapes, and crisp Soave whites.

A Mediterranean island where volcanic Etna vineyards grow elegant Nerello Mascalese reds, while the warmer lowlands ripen robust Nero d'Avola and the sweet Zibibbo of Pantelleria.

The world's southernmost commercial wine region, set among dramatic mountains near Queenstown, with a continental alpine climate that yields concentrated, structured Pinot Noir.

One of the world's oldest demarcated wine regions, a dramatic landscape of terraced schist slopes above the Douro river that produces fortified Port as well as dry Douro table wines.

The historic core of South African wine near Cape Town, set among granite mountains, and home to Pinotage, a local crossing of Pinot Noir and Cinsault, alongside widely planted Chenin Blanc.

Spain's most celebrated red-wine region, sheltered by the Cantabrian mountains along the Ebro valley, where Tempranillo is aged in oak through the Crianza, Reserva, and Gran Reserva tiers.

California's most prestigious wine region, a warm valley north of San Francisco Bay known for bold, ripe Cabernet Sauvignon and a dense concentration of wineries along its central corridor.

A cool, rainy valley south of Portland whose marine climate and volcanic soils suit Pinot Noir, making it one of the New World's leading regions for the delicate Burgundian grape.