Wine Regions of the World
Domain 3 - Wine Regions of the World
This domain asks you to place a wine in its legal and physical context: appellation rules, permitted varieties, climate, soil and labelling terms. Advanced candidates should distinguish neighbouring regions by structure alone and explain why a label term is legally meaningful rather than decorative.
Old World anchors
- France: AOC rules fix variety, yield, pruning and minimum alcohol. Chablis is unoaked Chardonnay on Kimmeridgian marl; Côte de Beaune adds oak and body. Bordeaux blends are left-bank Cabernet-dominant on gravel, right-bank Merlot-dominant on clay-limestone.
- Italy: Barolo and Barbaresco are Nebbiolo; Barolo is more tannic and structured, Barbaresco more perfumed and approachable. Chianti Classico requires at least 80% Sangiovese.
- Spain: Rioja ageing terms - Crianza, Reserva, Gran Reserva - refer to time in barrel and bottle, not quality alone.
- Germany: Prädikat levels measure must weight at harvest, not finished sweetness; a Spätlese can be dry (trocken).
- Austria: DAC wines are varietally and regionally defined; Wachau uses Steinfeder, Federspiel and Smaragd for ripeness.
New World anchors
- Labelling is variety-forward, but origin systems still matter: AVA, GI and zone rules define place, not quality.
- Climate signals: coastal fog gives cool-climate Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in California; inland heat gives high alcohol and low acidity.
Worked example
A red is pale ruby, high acidity, high tannin, medium alcohol, with rose, tar, dried cherry and orange peel. Reasoning: pale colour with high tannin and high acid is the Nebbiolo signature; rose and tar narrow it to Piedmont; medium alcohol and dried fruit suggest a cooler vintage or an older bottle. Conclusion: Barolo, Nebbiolo, Piedmont, aged.
Traps that cost marks
- Treating 'Reserva' as a quality guarantee rather than a minimum ageing rule.
- Confusing Prädikat with sweetness.
- Naming a grape without checking the appellation's permitted varieties.
- Using soil as the sole explanation when climate and vintage fit better.