Browse the aisles of your local cellar door or liquor store, and you’ll feel like you’ve been around the globe. There are varieties from what seems like every wine-producing country.
Choosing which wine to buy from such a broad selection can be overwhelming. However, you can’t go wrong if you pick up something from any of these five main wine regions:
1. Yarra Valley
If you were looking for an excuse to buy the best Yarra Valley wines online, you now have one. With over 80 vineyards, Yarra Valley is one of Australia’s premier cool-climate wine-growing regions.
Yarra Valley is located east of Melbourne, Australia, and is renowned for its Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Shiraz. Yarra Valley is also famous for being one of Victoria’s first wine-growing districts, with a history dating back more than 170 years.
With nearly 3,000 hectares of vineyards across the Yarra Valley producing a range of delicious wine grapes, you’ll surely find a variety from this region to suit your palate and preferences.
2. Andalucia
Andalucia is the southernmost wine region in Spain, well known for its delicious Sherry wines produced in some of the 40,000 hectares of vineyards across five wine-growing areas. Being surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean on its southeast and southwest sides means it benefits from a mild average temperature and Mediterranean climate. As a result, it’s a prized location for winemaking and viticulture. Andalucia winemakers need never worry about frosts and hailstorms. Instead, they’re treated to long sunshine hours and various microclimates.
With thousands of hectares of fertile growing land, you’re spoiled for choice regarding where you secure the finest drop. Jerez-Xeres-Sherry and Sierras de Málaga are just two of the many standout territories.
3. Lombardy
Despite Italy producing most of the wine we enjoy annually, some wine regions in this beautiful country stand out more than most. Lombardy is undoubtedly high on the list. Lombardy is renowned for its sparkling wine and red Valtellina, mostly produced by family-owned and artisan wineries. However, it’s hard not to notice the diversity in wine types when you explore this region.
The Franciacorta part of Lombardy is where you can pick up a delectable bottle of sparkling wine. If a complex red wine is more to your liking, you’ll find what you’re looking for in Valtellina, with delicious red wines produced from Nebbiolo grapes coming from this area.
4. Champagne
When a top-producing wine region is called Champagne, you just know it’s going to be an exceptional location for a bottle of the finest. Champagne is a wine region in northeast France renowned for its Champagne production. There are five wine-producing districts within the province. These provinces grow approximately 33,500 hectares of wine and are home to 5,000 wine-producing growers and 14,000 grape growers.
Besides sparkling wine, Champagne is also famous for its still wines, rosé, and fortified wine called vin de liqueur.
5. Marlborough
The New Zealand wine industry is impressive, with this small country of five million people boasting 40,000 acres of wine-growing land. While New Zealand has nine wine-growing regions, Marlborough is definitely among the most spectacular.
Marlborough is a leading wine region in the country, with 250,000 hectares of vineyards spanning three subzones: Awatere Valley, Southern Valleys, and Wairau Valley. As a result, it has at least 60% of the entire country’s vineyards. Approximately 4,000 hectares are used to produce red wine varieties like Cabernet, Syrah, and Merlot.
While you might struggle to know which wine variety to buy, it doesn’t have to be that way for long. Purchase a bottle from these wine regions, and you’re bound to be satisfied with your decision.