Wine Terroirs

Provence is a mecca for tourists with a wide range of scenery from the Southern Alps to the Mediterranean coastline. It enhances its vineyard-clad rolling hills and olive gloves by offering a choice of wine tourism solutions in an enchanting setting. We take a closer look at the most beautiful spots in Provence, which also happen to produce excellent wines…

Producing your own wine is a challenging task where seemingly trivial choices can rapidly become consequential. Winegrowers’ character traits can come into sharper focus and before Champagne becomes an art form, it requires technical skills. Joining forces to produce it may seem like a tall order, but the reality belies this assumption. Co-operative wineries account for a sizeable chunk of production and have met with significant success. To find out more, we questioned six co-operatives producing different styles of Champagne from different areas.

The Côtes de Bordeaux group of appellations is a major player both in France and export markets, but it is increasingly under threat from a fragile, volatile economic climate. We decided to sound out some of the area’s leading lights and hear their testimonials about a wine market that is struggling to reinvent itself.

Alsace is home to varietal wines even though several varieties can sometimes be blended. This apparently simple approach in actual fact belies the region’s remarkable complexity and array of vineyard sites. It promotes multiple combinations that lend the wines their unique characters.

As a premier Spanish wine region, Rioja has scaled the heights of quality and allowed the country to shine in the global wine firmament. Although rival regions such as Priorat and Ribera del Duero may be knocking on the door of vinous fame too, Rioja is not about to relinquish its ranking. It has not rested on the laurels of tradition and in recent times has successfully reinvented itself as evidenced by the relentless growth of its exports. We take a closer look at a trend that shows no signs of abating.

The Savoy wine region has fostered two genuinely complementary appellations with virtually identical names, but flavours that bear little resemblance. Although Chignin and Chignin-Bergeron are grown in neighbouring vineyards, they showcase the qualities and unique characteristics of two different grape varieties and mountain sites that are almost one-of-a-kind in France…