This page briefly takes a look at some of the world’s larger wine producing nations.
France
France is one of the oldest wine-producing nations in the world, dating back to 6th century BC. France became a large exporter of wine by the mid 19th century, thanks impart by the construction of the rail roads. France is now the leading producer of wine in world, with over 5,329,449 metric tons of it produced in 2005.
Notable Wine Regions of France
- Alsace
- Beaujolais
- Bergerac
- Bordeaux
- Bourgogne
- Champagne
- Jura
- Loire Valley
- Rhone Valley
- Languedoc-Roussillon
Notable Varietals
- Cabernet Franc
- Cabernet Sauvignon
- Chardonnay
- Merlot
- Pinot Noir
- Sauvignon Blanc
Italy
Like France, Italy too is one of the oldest wine regions of the world. Greek settlers were the first to produce wine in the country. By 2nd century BC, Romans started developing their own vineyards and techniques for large scale production. Some of the storage systems pioneered by the Romans include barrel-making and bottling. Today there are over 1 million vineyards under cultivation in Italy. 5,056,648 metric tons of wine was produced by this nation in 2005, about 20% of the global total. Notable Wine Regions of Italy
Notable Wine Regions of Italy
- Valle d'Aosta
- Piedmont
- Lombardy
- Trentino-Alto Adige
- Friuli
- Veneto
- Emilia-Romagna
- Tuscany (Toscana)
- Marche (Le Marche)
- Umbria
- Lazio
- Abruzzi
- Campania
- Basilicata
- Puglia
- Calabria
- Sicily (Sicilia)
- Sardinia
Notable Varietals
- Barbera
- Corvina
- Garganega
- Nebbiolo
- Piniot Grigio
- Sangiovese