Wine Regions of the World
People have been making wine for thousands of years, starting with the ancient Greeks and Romans. The majority of practices continued into modern times. Yet it takes a very specific set of criteria in order for regions to make the best wine.
- There needs to be seasons: warm weather to encourage growth, and cold which allows vines to rest.
- The soil should provide nutrients to the growing grapes, but not too much (think of it like raising children: giving them too much too easily usually results in them being a tad spoiled).
- There needs to be sunshine, but not too much;
- The ideal growing environments in both hemispheres occurs at 30° to 50° latitude, where all of these critieria can be met.
The wine world itself can be divided into two primary categories: The old world (aka Europe) and the new world (everywhere else). However there are a number of up and coming wine regions, which we touch upon in our They Make Wine There?