Encyclopedia
Regions.
Forty-nine wine regions - geology, history, classification, and the producers we know in each.
This is the reference shelf for places, not bottles. Each entry covers the land, the local classification system, the producers Boulder Wine Merchant works with most, and the vintages currently worth chasing. The regions below are grouped by country and oriented to the way a working sommelier would think about a global cellar.
France
| Label | Region | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| Côte d'Or | Burgundy | The most carefully mapped wine landscape on earth. |
| Médoc & Right Bank | Bordeaux | France's largest fine-wine region - the reference for structured, age-worthy red blends. |
| Méthode Champenoise | Champagne | The world's reference sparkling wine, from the northernmost serious wine region in France. |
| Granite Slopes | Northern Rhône | Eight tiny appellations - Syrah on granite at its most savory. |
| Châteauneuf-du-Pape | Southern Rhône | The Mediterranean half - Grenache-led blends and the famous galets of Châteauneuf. |
| Riesling, Gewürz, Pinot Gris | Alsace | France's most German-feeling wine region. |
| Sancerre to Muscadet | Loire Valley | The longest river-spanning wine region in France. |
| Cru Gamay | Beaujolais | Gamay's spiritual home - granite, schist, and ten named crus. |
| Vin Jaune | Jura | The eccentric region between Burgundy and Switzerland. |
| Bandol & Rosé | Provence | The rosé capital of the world - and home of Bandol Mourvèdre. |
| Old-Vine Mediterranean | Languedoc-Roussillon | The largest wine region in the world - and quietly exciting at every level. |
| Cahors, Madiran, Jurançon | Southwest France | The forgotten fine-wine region - indigenous grapes and serious producers. |
Italy
| Label | Region | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| Barolo & Barbaresco | Piedmont | Nebbiolo on Langhe limestone. |
| Sangiovese country | Tuscany | The heartland of Chianti, Brunello, and the Super Tuscans. |
| Amarone & Soave | Veneto | Italy's largest producer - home of Amarone, Soave, and Prosecco. |
| Orange Wine | Friuli-Venezia Giulia | Italy's serious white-wine region and home of the orange-wine revolution. |
| Alpine Italy | Trentino-Alto Adige | Italy's alpine wine region - German-speaking in the north, Italian in the south. |
| Franciacorta & Valtellina | Lombardy | Italy's most serious sparkling region - and a Nebbiolo home on alpine slopes. |
| Lambrusco & Sangiovese | Emilia-Romagna | Parma, Modena, and the home of real Lambrusco. |
| Verdicchio | Marche | Italy's quiet east-coast wine region. |
| Sagrantino | Umbria | Italy's only landlocked wine region - and home of the world's most tannic red. |
| Volcanic Whites | Campania | Taurasi, Greco di Tufo, Fiano di Avellino - volcanic-soil wines around Naples. |
| Montepulciano | Abruzzo | Italy's mountainous east-coast region - Valentini, Pepe, and serious value. |
| Etna & Nero d'Avola | Sicily | One of the most exciting fine-wine regions in modern Italy. |
| Cannonau & Carignano | Sardinia | The Mediterranean's second-largest island, with serious indigenous grapes. |
Germany and Austria
| Label | Region | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| Slate-Slope Riesling | Mosel and Germany | The most precise terroir-driven white wine made. |
| Classical Riesling | Rheingau | Germany's gentler, riper, more powerful classical Riesling. |
| Riesling & Spätburgunder | Pfalz | Germany's largest serious Riesling region - sunny, dry, diverse. |
| Volcanic & Slate Riesling | Nahe | Germany's most geologically diverse wine region. |
| Grüner & Blaufränkisch | Austria | Central Europe's serious wine country. |
Spain and Portugal
| Label | Region | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| Gran Reserva | Rioja | Spain's historical fine-wine region - long-aged, age-worthy Tempranillo. |
| High-Altitude Tempranillo | Ribera del Duero | Spain's high-altitude Tempranillo zone - Vega Sicilia, Pingus, brutal continental climate. |
| Llicorella Schist | Priorat | Catalonia's mountain-and-schist zone - one of Spain's two DOCa appellations. |
| Albariño | Rías Baixas | Galicia's Atlantic-facing Albariño homeland. |
| Sherry | Jerez | The chalk triangle of Andalucía - home of Fino, Amontillado, Oloroso, and PX. |
| Port & Dry Douro | Douro Valley | The terraced schist hillsides - home of Vintage Port. |
| Atlantic Heat-Aged Wine | Madeira | The Atlantic-island region whose unique heating process produces some of the longest-lived wines on earth. |
Greece and Hungary
| Label | Region | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| Mediterranean Cradle | Greece | The cradle of European winemaking - Assyrtiko, Xinomavro, Agiorgitiko. |
| Botrytized Sweet Wine | Tokaj (Hungary) | The home of the wine of kings - and one of the most historic regions in Europe. |
New World: North America
| Label | Region | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| Cabernet | Napa Valley | California's most prestigious wine region. |
| Pinot, Chardonnay, Zinfandel | Sonoma County | Napa's larger, more Pacific-influenced neighbor. |
| Pinot Noir | Willamette Valley | The Pacific Northwest's most respected wine region. |
| Cool-Climate Pinot | Sta. Rita Hills | Santa Barbara County's cool-climate Pinot zone. |
New World: Southern Hemisphere
| Label | Region | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| Old-Vine Shiraz | Barossa & Eden Valley | South Australia's old-vine heartland. |
| Cabernet & Chardonnay | Margaret River | Western Australia's premium maritime wine region. |
| Sauvignon Blanc | Marlborough | The region that put New Zealand on the global wine map. |
| Pinot Noir | Central Otago | The world's southernmost serious wine region. |
| Old-Vine Chenin & Cabernet | Stellenbosch | South Africa's historical fine-wine heartland. |
| Malbec | Mendoza | The high-altitude Andean wine region. |