Wine Regions

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Alsace - (Al-zahss)

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Northeastern French province on the Rhine, known for rich dry white wines made from grapes of German heritage, primarily Riesling and Gewurztraminer.

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Alto Adige - (AHL-toe AH-dee-jay)

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Northeastern Italian wine region, near Bolzano.

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Bandol - (Bahn-dole)

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Southwestern French wine region, once rare but gaining increasing attention for its rustic reds, particularly those of Domaine Tempier.

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Barsac - (BAR-zock)

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Sub-region of Sauternes in Bordeaux, France, making sweet wines similar to Sauternes but generally less expensive.

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Beaumes-de-Venise - (BOME da Veh-NEES)

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Southern Rhone (France) region best known for its delicious white dessert wine made from Muscat grapes.

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Bourgogne - (Boor-GON-yeh)

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French for "Burgundy."

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Southwestern French wine region, not far from Bordeaux, best known for inky-dark red wines made from the Malbec grape.

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Corbières - (Cor-b'yare)

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Côtes-du-Rhône - (Coat duh Rone)

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Generic appellation for basic Rhone Valley wines, red and white. Often represent good value, although some drop to jug-wine status.

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Côtes-du-Ventoux - (Coat duh VaN-too)

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Neighbor of Cotes-du-Rhone, sometimes offering exceptional quality-price ratio. Look for La Vieille Ferme, replaced in the mid-'90s by Perrin Reserve.

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Faugères - (Fow-ZHER)

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Languedoc region and the red wine made there.

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Graves - (Grahv)

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Sub-region of Bordeaux, named for its gravelly soil, known for both red wines and Bordeaux's most classic dry, racy whites made from Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon.

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Haut-Médoc - (Oh May-dawk)

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Major subdivision of the Médoc region of Bordeaux, and source of many of its greatest red wines.

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Languedoc - (Lahn-geh-dawk)

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Southern French region, long lightly regarded as the source of simple table wines, more recently gaining recognition for wines of interest and value.

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Loire - (Lwahr)

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Northeastern French wine region along the river of the same name, known for its scenic beauty and impressive chateaux as well as a wide variety of delicious wines.

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Mâcon - (Mah-coN)

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Large region of Burgundy generally known for its good, modest table wines.

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Madeira - (Mah-DER-ah)

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Portuguese island in the Atlantic off the North African coast, producing an unusual fortified wine of the same name. Very popular in the U.S. during Revolutionary War times, the Madeira trade was an important part of the young nation's economy.

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Madiran - (Mah-dee-raN)

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Small but important Languedoc appellation producing particularly robust, ageworthy red wines.

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Margaux - (Mahr-goe)

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One of the top sub-regions of the Medoc in Bordeaux, centered on the first-growth property that shares its name.

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Médoc - (May-dawk)

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The peninsula between the Gironde River and the sea, center of the Bordeaux vineyard area. See "Haut-Médoc."

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Minervois - (Mee-nehr-vwah)

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Languedoc wine region, source of inexpensive, fruity red wine.

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Mosel, Moselle - (Mo-ZELL)

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Beautiful German river valley, tributary of the Rhine, source of some of the nation's best white wines made from Riesling grapes. Also in Luxembourg, where a small amount of wine is produced.

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Pauillac - (Pow-yahk)

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Village of the Haut-Medoc in Bordeaux, central to perhaps the world's greatest vineyard region.

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Penedès - (Pay-nay-DEHS)

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Good Spanish wine district near Barcelona. Dominated by the Torres winery.

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Piemonte - (Pee-eh-MAWN-tay)

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Also "Piedmont," literally "the foot of the mountains," Northwestern Italian wine region in the Alpine foothills, producer of some of the world's greatest red wines.

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Pomerol - (Paw-mehr-ahl)

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Noteworthy village on the right bank of the Dordogne, opposite the Haut-Médoc, known for its Merlot-based red wines, particularly the cultish Chateau Pétrus.

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Priorato - (Pree-oh-RAH-toe)

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Wine region of Northeastern Spain, near Barcelona, gaining an increasing reputation for very hearty, dark red wines.

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Provence - (Pro-vahNs)

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Wine region of Southern France along the Mediterranean coast, south of the Rhone region and east of Languedoc.

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Rheingau - (RINE-gow)

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German wine region along the Rhine ("Rhein" in German) where steep vineyards face directly south along an east-west stretch of the river and thus are considered some of the most favored of the region. The neighboring Rheinhessen (Rine-HESS'n) and Rheinpfalz (Rine-PFALTZ, sometimes abbreviated to "Pfalz") regions are also well regarded.

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Rhône - (Rone)

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Great French wine region along the river of the same name. Best known for hearty red wines based on Syrah, Grenache and others, with a wine history certainly going back to the 14th Century, and at least by local legend, to the Romans.

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Saint-Chinian - (SahN Shee-nee-ahN)

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Another once little-known and lightly regarded region of the Languedoc gaining new attention in recent times as the wines of this region become more well-known.

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Saint-Emilion - (San'Tay-meel-yon)

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Bordeaux region on the right bank of the Dordogne, upriver from Pomerol, and like the latter, best known for its red wines made with Merlot and sometimes Cabernet Franc dominating the blend.

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Saint-Estephe - (San'Tes-teff)

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Northern portion of the Haut-Médoc in Bordeaux, producing wines considered somewhat less "refined" than Pauillac to the south (there are no first growths in Saint-Estephe), but still generally excellent, and perhaps more affordable.

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Sancerre - (SahN-sehr)

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Loire village known for deliciously dry and tartly acidic white wines made from Sauvignon Blanc, a classic match with oysters.

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Savennières - (Sah-ven-YARE)

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Small Loire region making white wines of exceptionally high quality from Chenin Blanc. One of the few white wines that doesn't merely benefit from a few years of age but actually needs time to come into its own.

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Trentino-Alto Adige - (Tren-TEE-noe Ahl-toe AH-dee-jay)

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Mountainous wine region of the Italian North, reaching the Alpine foothills above Trentino and Bolzano. Best known for excellent dry whites.

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Tuscany - (TUSS-can-ee)

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Wine region of Central Italy, surrounding Florence, ancient home of Chianti, Brunello and Vino Nobile, also increasingly known for modern, pricey "high-tech Tuscans" made using creative blends of the local grapes, Cabernet and others.

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Valtellina - (Vahl-tell-LEE-nah)

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Veneto - (VAY-nah-toe)

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Wine region of Northeastern Italy, around Venice and Verona.