WineGuessrPlay →Wine regions of the world
A wine region is an area whose climate, soils and traditions give its wines a shared identity, usually protected by law as one or more appellations. Below are 31 of the great regions, each with its history, terroir, grapes, key appellations and the WineGuessr wines from there on a map. How appellations work.
France
- Bordeaux111 winesBordeaux is the wine region around the city of Bordeaux in south-west France, on the Gironde estuary and the Garonne and Dordogne rivers. It makes mostly red blends of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, plus dry and sweet whites. Its vineyard area fell to about 95,000 hectares in 2024.
- Burgundy50 winesBurgundy (Bourgogne) is the wine region of eastern France stretching about 230 km from Chablis to the Mâconnais. It makes red wine from Pinot Noir and white wine from Chardonnay, sold under 84 appellations, including 33 grands crus, the top of a four-level hierarchy.
- Champagne17 winesChampagne is the sparkling wine region of north-east France, centred on Reims and Épernay. Its wine is made by second fermentation in the bottle from Pinot Noir, Meunier and Chardonnay. The appellation covers about 34,200 hectares across 319 villages, and only wine from this area may be called Champagne.
- Alsace51 winesAlsace is the wine region of north-east France on the lower slopes of the Vosges, facing the Rhine. It makes mostly white wines labelled by grape, chiefly Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris and Muscat. Alsace has 51 grand cru appellations and covered about 15,500 hectares of AOC vineyard in 2022.
- Rhône Valley14 winesThe Rhône Valley is the wine region of south-east France following the Rhône from Vienne to Avignon. It makes mostly red wine, from Syrah in the north and Grenache-based blends in the south, including Côte-Rôtie, Hermitage and Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Its AOC vineyards covered 64,467 hectares in 2023.
- Loire Valley10 winesThe Loire Valley is the wine region following the Loire river from Sancerre to the Atlantic near Nantes. It makes mostly white wines from Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc and Melon de Bourgogne, plus Cabernet Franc reds and sparkling wines. Its AOC vineyards covered 47,475 hectares in 2022.
- Beaujolais10 winesBeaujolais is the wine region of eastern France between Mâcon and Lyon, just south of Burgundy. It makes mainly light, fruity red wine from Gamay, which covers about 97% of the vineyard. The region has 12 appellations, including 10 crus, on about 13,500 hectares (2022).
- Provence4 winesProvence is the wine region of south-east France between the Rhône and the Riviera. It is the leading French rosé region: rosé made up 89% of its three main appellations' 2023 harvest, mostly from Grenache, Cinsault, Syrah and Mourvèdre. Those appellations covered 27,861 hectares in 2023.
- Languedoc-Roussillon5 winesLanguedoc-Roussillon is the wine region of southern France along the Mediterranean from the Rhône delta to the Spanish border. It is the country's largest wine-producing area, making Carignan, Grenache and Syrah reds, sparkling Limoux, and fortified vins doux naturels such as Banyuls. Corbières is its largest appellation.
- South West France5 winesSouth West France (Sud-Ouest) is a scattered group of wine areas between Bordeaux and the Pyrenees. It makes tannic reds from Malbec in Cahors and Tannat in Madiran, Bordeaux-style wines in Bergerac, and sweet whites from Petit Manseng in Jurançon. Cahors became an AOC in 1971.
- Jura2 winesJura is a small eastern French wine region between Burgundy and Switzerland. It is known for vin jaune, a Savagnin white aged six years and three months under a film of yeast, along with Chardonnay whites and light reds from Poulsard and Trousseau. Arbois became France's first AOC in 1936.
Italy
- Piedmont12 winesPiedmont is a north-west Italian wine region famous for Nebbiolo reds such as Barolo and Barbaresco. Barbera is its most planted grape, ahead of Moscato, Dolcetto and Nebbiolo. It had 43,536 ha of vineyards in 2022 and 19 DOCGs, the most of any Italian region.
- Tuscany11 winesTuscany is a central Italian wine region built on Sangiovese, the grape of Chianti Classico, Brunello di Montalcino and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. Sangiovese makes up about two-thirds of its 57,180 ha of vineyards (2022), and 86% of output is red. Coastal Bolgheri is home to Bordeaux-style Super Tuscans.
- Veneto4 winesVeneto is a north-east Italian wine region making Prosecco from Glera, Soave from Garganega and Amarone from dried Corvina grapes. In 2022 it had 97,500 ha of vineyards and produced 11.9 million hl of wine, about 81% of it white, under 14 DOCGs and 29 DOCs.
- Sicily5 winesSicily is an Italian island region with more vineyard area than any other region of Italy. Its featured grapes are Nero d'Avola and Grillo, alongside Catarratto, Nerello Mascalese, Carricante and Zibibbo. Etna became Sicily's first DOC in 1968 and Cerasuolo di Vittoria its first DOCG in 2005.
- Campania5 winesCampania is a southern Italian wine region around Naples, known for Aglianico reds such as Taurasi and for the whites Fiano di Avellino and Greco di Tufo. Aglianico is its leading grape at 34% of plantings. Campania had 25,600 ha of vineyards in 2022 and four DOCGs.
- Lombardy4 winesLombardy is a northern Italian wine region best known for Franciacorta, a bottle-fermented sparkling wine from Brescia province, and for Nebbiolo reds from Valtellina in the Alps. Croatina, Pinot Nero, Chardonnay and Barbera lead its plantings. Lombardy has 5 DOCGs and 21 DOCs.
- Trentino-Alto Adige3 winesTrentino-Alto Adige is an Alpine wine region in north-east Italy, made up of Trentino and South Tyrol (Alto Adige). Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio and Schiava are its most planted grapes, with Lagrein and Teroldego for reds. In 2022 it produced 1,325,000 hl, over 70% white, and Trento DOC sparkling wine.
- Friuli-Venezia Giulia3 winesFriuli-Venezia Giulia is a north-east Italian wine region on the Slovenian border, known for white wines from Friulano, Ribolla Gialla, Pinot Grigio and Sauvignon Blanc. In 2022 it produced over 2.2 million hl of wine, 86% of it white, under 4 DOCGs and 12 DOCs, including Collio.
Spain
- Castile and León6 winesCastile and León is a high-plateau wine region in north-west Spain along the Duero river, known for Tempranillo reds from Ribera del Duero and Toro, Verdejo whites from Rueda and Mencía reds from Bierzo. Ribera del Duero alone had 22,395 ha of vineyards in 2016–17.
- Catalonia6 winesCatalonia is a wine region in north-east Spain on the Mediterranean coast, home of Cava sparkling wine and of Priorat, one of only two Spanish appellations with the top DOQ/DOCa rank. Its key grapes are Xarel·lo, Macabeo and Parellada for whites and Garnacha and Cariñena for reds.
- Andalusia5 winesAndalusia is a wine region in southern Spain, famous for Sherry from the triangle of Jerez de la Frontera, Sanlúcar de Barrameda and El Puerto de Santa María. Palomino supplies about 90% of Sherry grapes, while Pedro Ximénez and Moscatel make sweet wines. Jerez became Spain's first denominación in 1933.
- Galicia4 winesGalicia is a rainy Atlantic wine region in north-west Spain, best known for Albariño whites from Rías Baixas. Its five DOs are Rías Baixas, Ribeiro, Ribeira Sacra, Valdeorras and Monterrei, using Albariño, Godello, Treixadura and Mencía. Annual rainfall exceeds 1,300 mm, yet the region gets over 2,000 hours of sun.
Portugal
Germany
- Mosel6 winesThe Mosel is a German wine region along the Mosel, Saar and Ruwer rivers, famous for light, high-acid Riesling from steep slate slopes. Riesling covered 5,156 of its 8,287 ha of vineyards in 2025, about 62%. Half the vineyard area has a gradient above 30°.
- Rheingau5 winesThe Rheingau is a German wine region in Hesse where the Rhine flows west for about 30 km, giving south-facing slopes below the Taunus mountains. Riesling covered 2,441 of its 3,207 ha of vineyards in 2023 (76%), and Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir) is the main red.