Wine Territories

World renowned grape varieties, fruit grown over a mosaic of vineyard sites and particularly high standards are some of the defining features of Crémant de Bourgogne, recognised as an appellation since 1975. They have helped establish a reputation for the Burgundy sparkler in wine markets at home and abroad. We dissect the reasons for the wines’ success.

For several decades, red wines from Drôme and Vaucluse have been well-received by the public. Restructuring work began in the vineyards and is already reaping rewards with fresher, less oaky, palatable reds that consumers are embracing.

For many years, Beaujolais was considered a cheap and cheerful wine, and was highly underrated. And yet, it is home to 10 superior growths or Crus which enhance this endearing wine region, that for too long has remained in the shadows of neighbouring Burgundy. Each Cru has a distinctive identity and the sum of their talents creates incredible variety, stemming from highly specific vineyard sites.

Island viticulture has always been judged separately from regions which have not been ‘isolated’ by the sea. Italy has two very important islands which represent two of the most interesting regions from a national winegrowing perspective – Sicily and Sardinia.

Italy has a very particular orographic conformation, in the shape of a ‘T’ formed by the Alpine arc that traces a horizontal line to the North and the Apennines that run longitudinally from North to South. Mountain viticulture has a fundamental impact on the general picture of Italian winegrowing.

Over the past few years, Bordeaux has had to contend with numerous challenges, ranging from ‘Bordeaux bashing’ in France to climate change, Brexit, the political crisis in Hong Kong, Trump taxes and the global pandemic. More than any other wine region, Bordeaux is France’s vinous showcase around the world, so how are markets performing in 2021 and what solutions have been devised to cope with these issues? To find out the real consequences of this string of crises, we interviewed a number of industry players. Here’s what they told us.