{"id":2970,"date":"2019-08-02T08:56:44","date_gmt":"2019-08-02T12:56:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wtso.com\/blog\/?p=2970"},"modified":"2020-05-05T12:49:51","modified_gmt":"2020-05-05T16:49:51","slug":"what-you-should-know-about-the-top-wine-regions-of-the-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wtso.com\/blog\/what-you-should-know-about-the-top-wine-regions-of-the-world\/","title":{"rendered":"What You Should Know About the Top Wine Regions of the World"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"What<\/p>\n

In a previous blog, we talked about the best destinations for wine lovers<\/a>, and today we\u2019ll delve deeper into the subject with a list of the top wine regions of the world. As more countries join in on the wine craze, the historically reliable regions still lead the pack. In fact, about 80% of the wine produced comes from just 10 countries. Here, we\u2019ll discuss the main wine regions of the world and what makes them so special. Plus, we\u2019ll identify which grapes and types of wine these countries produce. Check out the list below!<\/p>\n

1.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Italy<\/h2>\n

Italy and France are consistently neck-and-neck in the running for the top wine-producing region. According to the International Organisation of Vine and Wine<\/a> (OIV), in the past year or so, Italy has produced about two million hectoliters (about 55 million gallons) more wine than France, boosting it to the top of the wine region list. Italy is always at the top for a reason: numerous cities in the country produce delicious varieties of wine\u2014and millions of people drink it.<\/p>\n

Top wine cities: Tuscany, Naples, Piedmont, and Veneto
\nMajor grape varieties: Sangiovese, Glera, Montepulciano, Trebbiano Toscano, and Barbera
\nMost popular wines: Trebbiano toscano (also known as ugni blanc) and Chianti classico<\/em><\/p>\n

2.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 France<\/h2>\n

France is the country that most often comes to mind when people think about the top wine countries. For centuries, wine has played a massive role in French culture. From French nobility in the early 18th<\/sup> century to normal families today, wine has permeated into the lives of so many French people. Because of this, the country is teeming with wineries, vineyards, and wine barrels. It\u2019s an iconic Old-World wine region.<\/p>\n

Top wine regions: Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne, Provence, and Loire Valley
\nMajor grape varieties: Cabernet Franc, pinot noir, Gamay, and Carignan
\nMost popular wines: Ros\u00e9 and cabernet sauvignon<\/em><\/p>\n

3.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Spain<\/h2>\n

Although Spain has the largest vineyard acreage in the world, their wine yields are much lower than those of France and Italy, keeping Spain in third place for the top wine region. Nonetheless, wine plays just as significant a role in Spanish culture as it does in French society. Many wines in Spain are defined by their strict aging criteria in both barrel and bottle. The varieties are vast, and almost every bottle has a depth that\u2019s hard to find in other regions\u2019 wines.<\/p>\n

Top wine cities: Rioja, the Sherry Triangle (Jerez, Sanl\u00facar, and El Puerto), Ribera del Duero, Priorat, and Valencia
\nMajor grape varieties: Grenache, Tempranillo, Graciano, Moscato, and Air\u00e9n
\nMost popular wines: Rioja and albari\u00f1o <\/em><\/p>\n

4.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 United States<\/h2>\n

Throughout the years, the United States has really improved its wine-making game and has been a consistent wine region since. The majority of wine producers are found in California, but other states such as Oregon and Washington are making an impact as well. The U.S. is also one of the biggest wine consumers in the world, consistently ranking at the top<\/a> of the list for the past few year.<\/p>\n

Top wine regions: Willamette Valley, OR; Napa Valley and Modesto, CA; and Walla Walla Valley, WA
\nMajor grape varieties: Chardonnay, Merlot, Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Sauvignon blanc
\nMost popular wines: Cabernet sauvignon and chardonnay<\/em><\/p>\n

5.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Argentina<\/h2>\n

Argentina has slowly become a big player in the world of wine. Its wine production rates have grown year after year: OIV shows that their rates went up a whopping 23% in the last year alone. Because of the country\u2019s high altitude and low humidity, vintners are able to cultivate their grapes with little to no pesticides, making organic wine easy to produce.<\/p>\n

Top wine cities: Mendoza, Cafayate, C\u00f3rdoba, Rio Negro, and Patagonia
\nMajor grape varieties: Bonarda, Malbec, Chardonnay, Syrah, and Torront\u00e9s
\nMost popular wines: Malbec and chardonnay<\/em><\/p>\n

6.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Australia<\/h2>\n

Wine exportation in Australia is huge<\/em>. The wine industry has been a massive contributor to the Australian economy; the country relies heavily on exporting to the U.S. and has recently begun exporting to Asia. Wine is produced in every state, but the most popular wines come from the southern parts of the country, which are much cooler and allow for a vast array of wine varieties.<\/p>\n

Top wine regions: McLaren Vale, Hunter Valley, Tamar Valley, Adelaide Hills, and Barossa Valley
\nMajor grape varieties: Shiraz, S\u00e9millon, Riesling, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon
\nMost popular wines: Syrah and chardonnay<\/em><\/p>\n

7.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Chile<\/h2>\n

Chile is well-known for its red wine varieties. The depth and explosion of flavor of the country\u2019s wine consistently has people turning to it for their red wine needs. Chile is most well-known for the red wine variety carm\u00e9n\u00e8re, which is known as the \u201clost varietal\u201d of Bordeaux. The country had a slower wine production year in 2017, but it saw a 36% increase in 2018.<\/p>\n

Top wine regions: Colchagua Valley, Maipo Valley, Cachapoal Valley, Casablanca Valley, and Elqui Valley
\nMajor grape varieties: Carm\u00e9n\u00e8re, Sauvignon Blanc, Syrah, Chardonnay, and Zinfandel
\nMost popular wines: Carm\u00e9n\u00e8re, cabernet sauvignon, and syrah<\/em><\/p>\n

8.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 South Africa<\/h2>\n

South Africa isn\u2019t just beautiful\u2014it\u2019s also one of the world\u2019s most important wine producers. Wine production is concentrated around the populous Cape Town, which has numerous vineyards and production centers. Their wine regulations are actually quite strict, with about 60 different appellations within the Wine of Origin (WO) system.<\/p>\n

Top wine areas: Stellenbosch Valley, Franschhoek Valley, Constantia, and Paarl
\nMajor grape varieties: Chenin blanc, Pinotage, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, and S\u00e9millon
\nMost popular wines: Pinotage and chenin blanc<\/em><\/p>\n

9.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Germany<\/h2>\n

Germany is one of the smaller wine regions, but what lacks in acres, it more than makes up for in robust flavor. Their wines have a mixed reputation: some people find them elegant and aromatically pure, whereas others see the country as the source of mass-market semi-sweet wines. However, Germany is quite well-known for its wines made from the Riesling grape and for the steep vineyards of Mosel.<\/p>\n

Top wine regions: Mosel, Rheingau, Mittelrhein, Palatinate, and Rheinhessen
\nMajor grape varieties: Farberrebe, Riesling, Gew<\/em>\u00fcrztraminer, M<\/em>\u00fcller-Thurgau, and Silvaner
\nMost popular wines: Riesling and pinot noir<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

If any of these regions spark your interest, try out one of their wines. At Wines \u2018Til Sold Out, we offer an online wine store<\/a> that features some amazing wine from the producers above.\u00a0 We offer the best of the best at prices you\u2019ll love. In honor of our anniversary, we\u2019ll have a Cheapskate Marathon from 7 a.m. to midnight EST on August 6th<\/sup>, when new bottles will only cost anywhere from $8.99 to $18.99\u2014you won\u2019t want to miss it!<\/p>\n

\"What<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In a previous blog, we talked about the best destinations for wine lovers, and today we\u2019ll delve deeper into the subject with a list of the top wine regions of the world. As more countries join in on the wine craze, the historically reliable regions still lead the pack. In fact, about 80% of the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":2972,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[335],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2970","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-wine-fun"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wtso.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2970","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wtso.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wtso.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wtso.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wtso.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2970"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.wtso.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2970\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2975,"href":"https:\/\/www.wtso.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2970\/revisions\/2975"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wtso.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2972"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wtso.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2970"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wtso.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2970"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wtso.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2970"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}