Winemeister

Wine is usually known primarily under either the region the grapes were grown in (names like [Napa Valley], Bordeaux or Valpolicella) or the type of grape used to make the wine (as in [Chardonnay], [Merlot] or [Malbec]). As a rule of thumb, [Europe] tends to emphasize area of origin and use the names of the regions as the marketing names. This is reinforced by the European Union's labeling laws. Many new world ([America], [Australia], [South Africa]) wine makers tend to use the type of grape as the main marketing distinction next to the geographical one, thus making it a "Californian Chardonnay" or "Chilean Sauvignon Blanc" rather than a "Chateau Peby de Faugeres from the AOC St. Emilion". This page gives a quick overview for the wine growing countries grouped by major world region. For each country, there is a separate page with information about the wine grown there and its known regions.