Winemaking is a complex process, and every aspect of this process has an impact on the final product. The methods and ingredients used to make wine can vary significantly depending on region. As a result, wines from different regions around the world are associated with different textures and taste profiles.
Understanding the various types of wine and how they differ can help you identify the best regional wines for your tastes, but it’s important to know what you’re drinking. Sampling bottles from a reliable source like a wine club can allow you to try different wines every month while learning about what makes each one unique.
However, learning about wine involves more than just exercising your taste buds. To truly understand how regional wines get their distinct qualities, it’s also helpful to learn about the specific factors that affect wine flavor and see how winemaking practices differ around the world.
What Affects Wine Flavor Across Different Regions?
There are a variety of regional factors that can impact winemaking, including climate, soil types, and environmental conditions. These factors help determine what types of grapes can be grown and what flavor profiles can be achieved by the region’s vintners.
Appellations
Broadly speaking, an appellation is a legally defined geographic area within a country where grapes for wine are grown. Each appellation has specific rules that dictate how grapes can be grown and how wine can be made. In some areas, local winemakers must adhere to these rules to list the appellation’s name on their product labels.
Appellations are defined differently in different countries. In France, the system of appellations is known as the Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC). It was developed in the 1930s and has served as a prototype for other systems around the world. French appellations can vary wildly in size, with some containing only a single vineyard.
To carry an appellation in France, winemakers must follow rules describing the geographic area where grapes can be grown, the varieties of grapes that can be used, the ripeness of the grapes, the maximum size of yields, the alcohol volume of the final product, and the methods used in growing the grapes and making the wine.
In the United States, appellations are known as American Viticultural Areas (AVAs). These areas are distinguished by features that impact the way grapes can be grown, including climate, soil, and elevation
According to rules set by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), at least 75% of a wine must be derived from fruit or agricultural products grown in the appellation area indicated on the label.
Additionally, different appellations each have their own rules about the composition of wines and the manufacturing methods that can be used. Some AVAs, such as Napa Valley and Sonoma Valley, contain smaller sub AVAs that have different standards.
Terroir
The term terroir refers to the way that local environmental factors — like climate, soil, rainfall, and topography — affect the characteristics of wine made in a particular region. Terroir helps us understand why wines from different regions have unique tastes, textures, and aromas.
The different aspects of terroir can affect winemaking in different ways. For example, vineyards at higher elevations tend to produce grapes with more acidity because they experience colder nighttime temperatures.
Soil is also an important part of terroir. In the Champagne region of France, for example, the soil has a high limestone content. Limestone soil offers an excellent balance of drainage and water retention, and provides grapes with beneficial nutrients. This can help give wines a crisp, bright taste and a healthy combination of acidity and sweetness.
Unfortunately, climate change is impacting winemaking in some regions by increasing summer temperatures and causing droughts, wildfires, and extreme weather. These climate shifts can limit the size of grape yields and adversely affect the taste of the crops.
For example, hotter temperatures can increase the amount of sugar and decrease the amount of acid in grapes. This can result in wines that contain too much alcohol and have an unbalanced or flabby taste and texture.
Tannins
Tannins are defined as water-soluble polyphenols found in plant foods. Tannins in wine are associated with bitterness and astringency. Common sources of wine tannins include grape skins, grape seeds, and oak barrels. Tannins help give wine structure and balance out the acidity, sweetness, and alcohol.
The amount and quality of tannins in wine can vary from region to region. Cabernet sauvignon from the Bordeaux region of France is commonly aged in oak barrels and is known to have a high yet well-balanced level of tannins. This helps give it a complex flavor profile and maximizes its aging potential.
Conversely, regional white wines like riesling, moscato, and pinot grigio tend to have lower tannin levels because of the way they’re made. This makes them lighter in color and helps give them a sweet, light-bodied flavor profile.
Vinification
The term vinification refers to the process of converting grape juice into wine via fermentation. Around the world, different vinification techniques are used to produce different types of wine.
In white wine fermentation, the grapes are skinned before being fermented. The removal of skins helps ensure that white wines like pinot grigio have a light color and low tannin levels, which yield a lighter flavor profile.
In red wine fermentation, the grape juice, otherwise known as must, is macerated with the grape skins. During this process, the must absorbs tannins, coloring agents, and flavor compounds from the skins, which help give the final product a richer flavor profile and darker color.
The length of the maceration stage helps determine the tannin levels, color, and taste of the wine. Tannin-rich red wines like nebbiolo and cabernet sauvignon have higher maceration times, which helps give them bolder flavors and richer colors.
Meanwhile, medium and low-tannin reds like barbera and pinot noir typically have shorter maceration periods, which helps them maintain a lighter body and fruit-forward flavor profile.
Old World Wine Regions
The term “Old World wine region” is used to describe the parts of the world where winemaking traditions date back the furthest. Winemakers in Old World countries have been using the same techniques for centuries and vintners in these regions must still adhere to strict guidelines based on ancient traditions.
Old World wines tend to have earthier flavors and relatively low alcohol content, though this can vary significantly depending on the type of wine and the specific region where it was made. There are several notable Old World wine countries to be aware of.
France
In France, winemaking has been considered an art form for thousands of years. The influence of French traditions can be seen in modern grape growing and winemaking techniques around the world.
France is the birthplace of legendary grape varieties like cabernet sauvignon, chardonnay, and merlot — which are among the most commonly grown grapes in the world and are widely known as “international varieties.”
The concept of terroir plays a major role in French winemaking. In legendary winemaking regions like Bordeaux, Burgundy, and Champagne, the wines produced are reflections of the local environment.
In Bordeaux, for example, the soils are ideal for growing cabernet sauvignon and merlot grapes, both of which are staples in the region’s wines. Meanwhile, the soils in the Champagne region are well-suited for chardonnay, pinot noir, and pinot meunier grapes, which are used in Champagne.
Italy
Like France, Italy has a long history of winemaking traditions that have influenced vintners around the world. Even today, Italy produces more wine than any other country in the world.
Italy’s three major wine-producing regions are Piedmont, Tuscany, and Veneto. However, wine is produced in every region of the country, and there are many unique styles of Italian wine to explore.
These include sweet wines like passito and moscato, savory medium-bodied wines like Chianti, and complex volcanic wines made in regions like Sicily and Campania, which have a strong structure and distinct minerality due to the volcanic soil where the grapes are grown.
In many cases, the flavor and structure of Italian wines reflect the local cuisine in the regions where they’re made. This makes Italy one of the best places in the world to enjoy wine dinners, as you can sample a variety of classic food and wine pairings.
Spain
Along with Italy and France, Spain is one of the largest producers of wine in the world. It is the home of many different grape varieties and wine styles including sherry, cava, tempranillo, and verdejo.
Spain has 12 main wine-producing regions, the largest of which are La Mancha, Catalonia, and La Rioja. Throughout these regions, there are a variety of different climates where different types of wine are made.
While the hot climate and dry soil in some Spanish wine regions can create excellent wines, these conditions can also limit the size of grape yields and affect the types of wines that can be made.
The sunny climate and limestone-based soil of Andalusia are ideal for producing high-alcohol wines like sherry, while the cooler temperatures in the north are better suited for making crisp wines like verdejo.
Portugal
Portugal has a rich history of making and exporting wine, dating back to the Roman Empire. Portuguese wines are made in a range of styles, using a large array of native grape varietals. The country’s most famous wine variety, port, is sweet with a high alcohol content and is made from grapes like touriga franca and touriga nacional.
However, Portugal is also known for more crisp, refreshing wines like Vinho Verde — named for the region in which it’s produced — and acidic, tannic wines like those from the Barraida region.
New World Wine Regions
The term “New World wine regions” is typically used to describe wine-growing regions outside of Europe. It helps differentiate these regions from countries with more established histories of wine production, such as Italy, France, and Spain.
United States
There are many famous wine-growing regions found in different areas of the United States. In California, Napa Valley and Sonoma Valley are renowned for their chardonnay and cabernet sauvignon.
In Oregon’s Willamette Valley, the climate is similar to that of France’s Burgundy region, which allows for the production of high-quality pinot noir. On the east coast, the Finger Lakes region of New York is known for producing German grapes like riesling and gewürztraminer, which are right at home in the cooler Northeastern climate.
Meanwhile, in the Hill Country wine region of Texas, the dry, sunny conditions are ideal for growing tempranillo, syrah, albarino, cabernet sauvignon, and zinfandel grapes. Visiting wineries in these different regions can help you understand the different styles of American wine and the various factors that influence them.
Australia
Despite a late start, Australia has become one of the major wine producers in the New World. The country’s warm, dry climate is similar to that of the Mediterranean, making it ideal for producing certain wines.
Despite these ideal conditions, Australia has no native grape species of its own, and all varieties found there were either imported or bred by viticulturists. The most popular grape variety in Australia is shiraz, a dark-skinned grape known as syrah in its country of origin, France.
Known for producing wines with dark colors and powerful flavors, shiraz grapes have a tough, thick skin that makes them well-suited for the Australian sun. Other notable grape varieties grown in Australia include pinot noir, cabernet sauvignon, merlot, chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, semillon, and reisling.
Among the most famous wine-producing regions in Australia are the Big Rivers region, known for growing popular grapes like shiraz, chardonnay, and cabernet sauvignon; the Barossa Valley, famous for its shiraz, cabernet sauvignon, grenache, and semillon; and the Clare Valley, known for producing rich, full-flavored rieslings.
Chile
Wine production in Chile dates back to the 16th century when grape vines were first introduced to the area by Spanish conquistadors. Chile’s wine regions have a temperate climate that is often compared to California and the Bordeaux region of France.
The most commonly grown grape varieties in Chile are cabernet sauvignon, merlot, and carmenere. Among the most famous wine regions in Chile is the Colchigua Valley, known for producing malbecs, cabernet sauvignons, carmeneres, and syrahs.
Another notable area for Chilean wine production is the Casablanca Valley, known for producing white grapes like sauvignon blanc and chardonnay, which thrive in the region’s relatively cool climate.
