Alsace Alsace is primarily a white-wine region, though some red, rosé, sparkling and sweet wines are also produced. It is situated in eastern France on the river Rhine and borders Germany, a country with which it shares many grape varieties as well as a long tradition of varietal labeling. Grapes grown in Alsace include Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Noir, and Muscat.

Bordeaux Bordeaux is a large region on the Atlantic coast, which has a long history of exporting its wines overseas. This is primarily a red wine region, famous for the wines Château Lafite-Rothschild, Château Latour,Château Mouton-Rothschild, Château Margaux and Château Haut-Brion from the Médoc sub-region; Château Cheval Blanc,Château Ausone ,Saint-Émilion; and Château Pétrus and Château Le Pin in Pomerol. The red wines produced are usually blended from Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and sometimes Cabernet Franc.

Bordeaux also makes dry and sweet white wines, including some of the world's most famous sweet wines from the Sauternes appellation, such as Château d'Yquem.

The Cote de Nuits (from Marsannay-La-Cote down to Nuits-Saint-Georges) Burgundy Burgundy or Bourgogne in eastern France is a region where red and white wines are equally important. Probably more terroir-conscious than any other region, Burgundy is divided into the largest number of appellations of any French region. The top wines from Burgundy's heartland in Côte d'Or command high prices. The Burgundy region is divided in four main parts: The Cote de Nuits (from Marsannay-La-Cote down to Nuits-Saint-Georges) The Cote de Beaune (from north of Beaune to Santenay)

The Maconnais Two parts of Burgundy that are sometimes considered as separate regions are: Beaujolais in the south, close to the Rhône Valley region, where mostly red wines are made in a fruity style that is usually consumed young. "Beaujolais Nouveau" is the only wine that can be legally consumed in the year of its production (Third week end of November)

Chablis, halfway between Côte d'Or and Paris, where white wines are produced on chalky soil giving a more crisp and steely style than the rest of Burgundy. There are two main grape varieties used in Burgundy - Chardonnay for white wines, and Pinot Noir for red. White wines are also sometimes made from Aligoté, and other grape varieties will also be found occasionally .

Champagne Champagne, situated in eastern France, close to Belgium and Luxembourg, is the coldest of France's major wine regions and home to its major sparkling wine. Champagne wines can be both white and rosé. A small amount of still wine is produced in Champagne (as AOC Coteaux Champenois) of which some can be red wine.

Jura Jura, a small region in the mountains close to Switzerland where some unique wine styles, notably Vin Jaune and Vin de Paille, are produced. The region covers six appellations and is related to Burgundy through its extensive use of the burgundian grapes Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, though other varieties are used. It also shares cool climate with Burgundy.

Loire Loire valley is a primarily white-wine region that stretches over a long distance along the Loire River in central and western France, and where grape varieties and wine styles vary along the river. Upper Loire is known for its Sauvignon Blanc, producing wines such as Sancerre AOC, Touraine produces cold climate-styled white wines (dry, sweet or sparkling) from Chenin Blanc and red wines from Cabernet Franc . Anjou-Saumur is similar to the Tourain wines with respect to varieties, often more powerful.

Provence Provence, in the southeast and close to the Mediterranean. It is perhaps the warmest wine region of France and produces mainly rosé and red wine. Some Provence wine can be compared with the Southern Rhône wines as they share both grapes and, to some degree, style and climate. Provence also has a classification of its most prestigious estates, much like Bordeaux.

Rhône Rhone Valley, primarily a red-wine region in southeastern France, along the Rhône River. The styles and varietal composition of northern and southern Rhône differ, but both parts compete with Bordeaux as traditional producers of red wines.

WINE REGIONS OF SPAIN

RIOJA Typically Rioja is a blend of several grape varieties, but Tempranillo dominates, it’s the region’s most widely planted variety, capable of making soft, fruity wines when young, and also more powerful, concentrated wines for long-term ageing. This ageing has always been central to Rioja’s philosophy and nowhere else in the world has such stringent laws governing the time a wine spends in barrel and then bottle before release. Nonetheless, over the past decade a small but growing number of producers have been making wines that don’t conform to these rules. Modern Riojas tend to be richer and more concentrated, with bigger fruit and more obvious new-oak flavours.

NAVARRA Attached to Rioja’s north-eastern border is Navarra. Cooler than its illustrious neighbour, Navarra has long been established as Spain’s best rosé-producing region. But it’s also had plenty of success with red and white wines that blend local grapes such as Viura and Tempranillo with international ones such as Chardonnay and Merlot.

RIBERA DEL DUERO About 150km south west of Rioja lies its big winemaking rival. Ribera del Duero doesn’t produce anything like as much as Rioja, but it certainly makes some of Spain’s most expensive wines. The king here is Tinta del País, a local version of Tempranillo. In this hot, high, dusty land it gives wines of real power and depth, and, when mixed with Cabernet Sauvignon, the wines can last for many years. They’re not cheap, but they can be exceptionally good.

PENEDES Home to Spain’s famous sparkling wine, Cava, but also a good place for reds and whites made from a wide variety of indigenous and international grapes. LA MANCHA This massive, sun-drenched area south of Madrid is the engine room of Spanish wine production and home to some of the most innovative plantings in the country. It’s now making good-quality, good-value wines from Tempranillo (here called Cencibel), Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah.

ITALIAN WINE REGIONS

TUSCANY : The hilly soil and the weather conditions of Tuscany are ideal for grape growing and, with the passing centuries, the numerous types of grapes grown gave rise to some rare and much loved varieties. It produces well-known and appreciated reds, the local production includes a few distinguishable whites. Eg. Chianti Sicily : It has more vineyards than any of the other Italian regions competing with Apulia for first place as the largest wine producer. Sicily is renowned for the many outstanding dessert wines, such as the world-famous Marsala.