18 Fascinating Wine Facts: From Vatican Cellars to Wine Fountains

Wine is now produced, sold and consumed in an extraordinary number of places around the world.

From the rolling vineyards of Tuscany to the cool valleys of New Zealand, from Champagne to California and from South Africa to Japan, wine has become one of the world's great global drinks.

But if you are going to drink it intelligently, it helps to understand where it comes from.

Geography matters. Climate matters. Grape varieties matter. Local regulations matter. And, rather importantly when you are staring at a restaurant wine list, the country on the label can tell you quite a lot about what you are actually buying.

It can also produce some wonderfully strange facts.

So, in no particular order, here are more than 14 things you may not know about the world of wine, from the great European wine powers to American vineyard boundaries, Georgian traditions, Spanish Coke cocktails and a rather enthusiastic Japanese bath.

The Big Players: Europe Still Runs a Rather Large Part of the Wine Show

1. Italy, France and Spain Are Wine's Heavyweights

When it comes to global wine production, Italy, France and Spain consistently sit among the world's largest producing countries.

Between them, they account for an enormous proportion of global production and have shaped the way much of the world thinks about wine.

Italy gives us everything from Barolo and Barbaresco to Chianti, Amarone, Prosecco and Etna wines. France brings Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne, the Rhône, Loire and Alsace. Spain has Rioja, Ribera del Duero, Priorat, Rías Baixas, Cava and a rather impressive list of other regions.

And yes, that is a lot of wine.

These countries also remain fixtures at specialist merchants such as Berry Bros. & Rudd, where the breadth of European wine can become slightly dangerous for both your curiosity and your bank account.

2. Sangiovese Is Italy's Great Workhorse

If Italy were a football team, Sangiovese would be one of the players who turns up every week, never complains and somehow ends up doing most of the work.

Sangiovese is Italy's most widely planted red grape variety and is particularly associated with Tuscany.

It is the principal grape in Chianti and plays the leading role in Brunello di Montalcino, where it is known locally as Sangiovese Grosso.

Its character can range from bright cherry fruit and fresh acidity to savoury herbs, earth, tobacco and considerable structure, depending on where and how it is grown.

It is also famously food friendly.

Which is convenient because Italian cuisine has never exactly struggled to provide it with employment.

3. The Vatican Drinks a Remarkable Amount of Wine

The Vatican City has long appeared near the top of various lists for per capita wine consumption.

But before you imagine the entire population sitting around a gigantic dinner table polishing off bottles of Barolo, there is a slightly less entertaining explanation.

The Vatican's tiny population, combined with its unique purchasing patterns, creates some rather strange per capita statistics. Wine used for religious purposes, institutional purchasing and the spending habits of residents can all have an outsized effect on the calculation.

So, yes, the statistic is amusing.

But no, it does not mean every Vatican resident is quietly working their way through a bottle before breakfast.

Although the image is rather good.

4. Champagne Is Not Just a Style

This one is worth remembering the next time somebody calls every bottle of sparkling wine “Champagne”.

Champagne is a protected geographical name.

Authentic Champagne comes from the Champagne wine region of northeastern France and must meet the region's strict production rules.

That means a sparkling wine made using the same traditional method in England, Spain, Australia or California can be excellent, but it cannot legally call itself Champagne.

For the definitive regional rules and background, the Champagne Wine Region's official site is well worth exploring.

And this is where things get particularly interesting for British wine drinkers.

The chalk geology found in southern England is closely related to the geological formations of the Champagne region, particularly the chalk soils that are so important to Champagne's viticulture.

It is one reason English sparkling wine has become such a serious competitor in the premium traditional method category.

Which brings us rather neatly to the New World.

The New World: Wine Stops Being Quite So European

5. “Old World” and “New World” Are Wine Shorthand

Wine people love categories.

Old World. New World. Cool climate. Warm climate. Natural. Traditional. Modern.

There is a category for almost everything.

In broad terms, Old World wine refers primarily to the traditional wine producing regions of Europe and parts of the Middle East, while New World wine generally refers to wine produced in regions such as the Americas, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

It is useful shorthand, although the distinction has become considerably blurrier as winemaking techniques, grape varieties and styles have travelled around the world.

A modern Californian producer may make wine using techniques that would be perfectly familiar to a French winemaker, while European producers increasingly experiment with approaches associated with New World wine.

Wine, rather inconveniently, refuses to stay neatly categorised.

6. New Zealand Has Become Synonymous With Sauvignon Blanc

New Zealand's international wine reputation exploded through Sauvignon Blanc, particularly from Marlborough in the South Island.

The style is typically intensely aromatic, fresh and vibrant, with flavours ranging from citrus and green fruit to passion fruit, herbs and tropical notes.

New Zealand produces other varieties, including Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Riesling, but Sauvignon Blanc remains the country's signature international wine.

It is a spectacular example of how quickly a country can establish a recognisable identity in the global wine market.

And it also demonstrates something useful when reading a restaurant wine list: sometimes a country's reputation can tell you a lot about what is likely to be in the bottle.

7. America Has Hundreds of Official Wine Regions

The United States does not simply have “California wine”.

Far from it.

The US uses legally defined American Viticultural Areas, or AVAs, to identify distinctive grape growing regions.

The number has continued to grow over time, and the system now encompasses hundreds of recognised areas across the country.

You can explore the fascinating geography of American wine through Wine Folly's American Viticultural Area map.

These AVAs can range from enormous regions covering multiple counties to tiny vineyard areas with highly specific climatic or geographical characteristics.

It is essentially wine geography with considerably more paperwork.

8. Every US State Has a Winery

Yes, all 50 US states have at least one winery.

That includes Alaska.

Which is impressive.

Alaska is not exactly famous for its long, balmy growing season, so producers have had to be creative about what they grow and how they make wine.

Wine production in the United States therefore stretches much further than the famous vineyards of Napa Valley, Sonoma and Oregon.

There are wineries in places you would not necessarily expect to find them, demonstrating just how adaptable both grape growing and modern winemaking can be.

9. California Is Not America's Only Serious Wine Region

California understandably dominates the American wine conversation, but it is far from alone.

Oregon has built an international reputation for Pinot Noir and cool climate wines. Washington State produces substantial quantities of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Riesling and other varieties. New York has important wine regions including the Finger Lakes and Long Island.

Virginia, Texas, Michigan and several other states have developed their own wine industries too.

The result is an American wine map considerably more diverse than the average restaurant list might suggest.

The Geography of Wine Can Tell You What Is in the Glass

10. Appellation Is More Than Fancy French Vocabulary

When you see the word appellation on a French wine label, it is not simply there to make the bottle sound expensive.

An appellation refers to a legally defined geographical area and the rules governing wines produced there.

Those rules can specify which grapes are permitted, how the vines are grown, minimum alcohol levels, yields and winemaking practices.

That is why understanding French appellations can be so useful.

The name on the bottle may tell you much more than the grape variety.

A Burgundy label might tell you the village or vineyard rather than proudly shouting “100% Pinot Noir” across the front. A Bordeaux label may identify an estate or appellation while leaving the actual grape blend for you to investigate.

Wine labels are often a little like puzzles.

The trick is knowing which bits actually matter.

11. Geography Can Be More Important Than the Grape

Two wines made from the same grape can taste dramatically different depending on where the vines are grown.

Climate, altitude, soil, rainfall, sunlight, proximity to the sea and vineyard orientation can all influence the finished wine.

That is one reason wine lovers can become mildly obsessed with particular regions.

Pinot Noir from Burgundy is not interchangeable with Pinot Noir from Oregon. Chardonnay from Chablis does not taste like Chardonnay from Margaret River. Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa is not the same proposition as Cabernet Sauvignon from Bordeaux.

Same grape.

Different postcode.

Sometimes, quite a different personality.

The Beautifully Bizarre

12. Spain Has a Wine and Coke Cocktail

Somewhere along the way, somebody in Spain decided that red wine and Coca Cola belonged together.

That drink is known as Kalimotxo, or Calimocho, and it is exactly what it sounds like: red wine mixed with cola.

Wine purists may now require a moment alone.

But before you reach for the smelling salts, consider the circumstances. Kalimotxo is generally associated with informal drinking, particularly in warm weather and social settings.

It is not attempting to be a Grand Cru Bordeaux.

It is trying to be refreshing, inexpensive and fun.

And on a hot Spanish afternoon, preferably with ice, it apparently works rather well.

We will reserve judgement until we have conducted considerably more research.

For science.

13. Italy Has a Free Wine Fountain

Imagine walking through an Italian village, getting thirsty and discovering that the local wine fountain is dispensing actual wine.

That is essentially what happens at Fontana del Vino in Caldari di Ortona, Abruzzo, which became a notable attraction for visitors to the area.

The fountain was created by the Dora Sarchese winery and has been used to offer free wine to visitors.

We feel it is important to stress that this is not how British public infrastructure works.

You are considerably more likely to find a public drinking fountain dispensing lukewarm water.

Italy, meanwhile, has apparently looked at the concept and thought, “Yes, but what if it were Montepulciano?”

14. Japan Has a Wine Bath

Now we arrive at one of the more unusual intersections between wine and tourism.

At Hakone Kowakien Yunessun in Japan, visitors can experience themed bathing facilities that have included wine baths as part of the resort's unusual spa offerings.

Yes.

A wine bath.

It is the sort of thing that sounds like a joke until you discover that someone has actually built one.

Before you get too excited, however, this is not a giant bathtub full of a particularly expensive Burgundy. The experience uses a specially prepared bathing liquid rather than inviting guests to soak in bottles of Grand Cru.

Probably for the best.

15. The UK Is Now a Serious Sparkling Wine Producer

For decades, English wine was often treated as a charming hobby performed by people with unusually optimistic views about the British climate.

That has changed.

England's sparkling wine industry has become a genuine force, with producers such as Rathfinny and Nyetimber producing premium traditional method sparkling wines that routinely attract international attention.

Climate change, improved vineyard management, investment and the suitability of southern England's soils have all contributed to the industry's growth.

So if someone tells you that proper sparkling wine has to come from Champagne, you can now politely pour them a glass of English sparkling and allow the bottle to make the argument.

16. England and Champagne Share More Than a Love of Bubbles

The chalk landscapes of southern England and the Champagne region have important geological similarities, particularly the presence of chalk and related limestone formations.

This is one factor behind the suitability of southern England for growing the classic sparkling wine varieties: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier.

It does not mean England is simply “the new Champagne”. Wine is never quite that simple.

But it does help explain why the south of England has emerged as such an exciting place for sparkling wine production.

17. Australia Is Home to Some of the World's Oldest Continuously Producing Vines

Australia is one of the world's most important New World wine countries, but it also has something particularly special in its vineyards.

Because Australia avoided the full devastation of phylloxera that affected many European vineyards, it is home to some exceptionally old grapevines.

South Australia's Barossa Valley is particularly famous for old vine Shiraz, Grenache and other varieties.

Some of these vineyards contain vines that have been producing fruit for more than a century.

Old vines do not automatically make better wine, but they are an extraordinary living link to the history of Australian viticulture.

18. Phylloxera Nearly Changed Wine Forever

If you want to understand why modern vineyards look the way they do, you need to know about phylloxera.

This tiny aphid like insect devastated European vineyards during the nineteenth century after being introduced from North America.

It destroyed enormous numbers of vines and caused an agricultural catastrophe across France and other European wine regions.

The eventual solution was ingenious: European grape varieties were grafted onto resistant American rootstocks.

That technique remains fundamental to commercial viticulture today.

So, when you see a beautiful vineyard stretching across a French hillside, remember that beneath many of those vines is an American root system.

Wine history is full of surprises.

Why All This Matters When You Are Buying Wine

You might reasonably be wondering what any of this has to do with buying a bottle in a restaurant.

Quite a lot, actually.

Understanding wine geography helps you understand the bottle.

If you know that Marlborough is famous for Sauvignon Blanc, that Tuscany is central to Sangiovese, that Champagne has legally protected geographical status, that Burgundy is built around highly specific appellations or that English sparkling wine has become a serious category, you can approach a wine list with considerably more confidence.

You do not need to memorise every region on Earth.

You simply need enough knowledge to ask better questions.

And once you know what you are looking at, you can start comparing prices.

That is where Wine Searcher can be useful for establishing retail benchmarks, while merchants such as The Wine Society and Berry Bros. & Rudd can provide useful reference points for individual bottles and producers.

The Savvy Verdict

The world of wine is enormous, slightly ridiculous and considerably more interesting once you stop treating the bottle as simply a drink.

It is geography in a glass.

It is history in a bottle.

It is agriculture, geology, climate, culture, economics and occasionally the combination of red wine and Coca Cola.

Some countries have centuries of winemaking history. Others have built international reputations in a few decades. Some regions have strict geographical rules. Others are still experimenting with what their climate can produce.

And that is exactly why understanding where your wine comes from is so useful.

The next time you are staring at a restaurant wine list, do not simply look for the grape you recognise.

Look at the region.

Look at the producer.

Look at the vintage.

Look at the style.

And, naturally, look at the price.

Use SavvySipper to research the bottle before you order, check the retail context and make your decision with a little more confidence.

Because wine may be thousands of years old, but there is absolutely no reason for your restaurant bill to feel like it came from the Bronze Age.

Know the region. Know the wine. Know the price.

And if you ever find yourself in Abruzzo, do us a favour.

Find the wine fountain.

We have questions.