Despite their own complacency, occasional arrogance and impressive challenges from all-comers, France is still far and away the finest wine producing nation in the world. Its famous regions – Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne, Loire, Rhône, Alsace and increasingly Languedoc Roussillon – read like a desert island disc of fine wines, a who’s who of everything you could ever want from a wine.

Full-bodied, light-bodied, still or fizzy, dry or sweet, simple or intellectual, weird and wonderful, for drinking now or for laying down, France’s infinitesimal variety of wines is one of its great attributes. And that’s without even mentioning Cognac and Armagnac.

France’s grape varieties are grown, and its wines copied, throughout the world. It also brandishes with relish its trump card, the untranslatable ‘terroir’ that shapes a wine’s character beyond the ken of human knowledge and intervention. It is this terroir - a combination of soil and microclimate - that makes Vosne-Romanée taste different to Nuits St Georges, Ch. Langoa-Barton different to Ch. Léoville-Barton.

France is a nation with over 2000 years history of winemaking, where the finest grapes and parcels of land have been selected through centuries of trial and error, not through market research. Its subtleties are never-ending and endlessly fascinating. Vintage variation is as great here as anywhere – rain, hail, frost and occasionally burning heat can ruin a vintage. But all this creates interest, it gives the wines personality, and generates great excitement when everything does come together.

However, this is not to say that French wine is perfect. Its overall quality remains inconsistent and its intricate system of classification and appellation controlée based on geography rather than quality is clearly flawed. Appellation Contrôlée is one of France’s great attributes but can also act as a straitjacket to experimentation and improvement.

Nevertheless, the future is bright for France; quality is better than ever before – driven by a young, well-traveled, ambitious generation of winemakers - while each year reveals new and exciting wines from this grand old dame.

Wine and Italy have been entwined since Romulus and Remus, albeit viewed as one of life's necessities rather than something to be treasured. Yes, they were celebrated by Virgil, Pliny and Columella, toasted by the Vatican and, in the case of Barolo, coveted in the latter part of the 19th century by the then monarchy, the House of Savoia, but only in the last 20 - 30 years have the great fine wines of Italy come of age.

Forced by sliding domestic consumption (a 50% drop in 30 years), spurred on by a new generation (often with professional backgrounds) and facilitated by consultants and the latest gizmos, Italy's hillside terroirs are finally being harnessed to great effect.

However, for example, while Barolo's stature as Italy's finest wine may be global, its vineyards are 1% those of Bordeaux and 15% the size of Burgundy. Where top Chateau in the Medoc might produce 40,000 cases per annum of a Grand Vin, a leading Barolo estate makes 800 cases.

Tuscany and the Veneto come close to representing Italy's fine wine engine, with their Chiantis and Valpolicellas, but the bulk (both literally and metaphorically) of Italian production still resides elsewhere. The massive cooperatives of Emilia-Romagna, Puglia and Sicily are still responsible for churning out vast quantities; mostly as blending material for wines based all round Europe....yet even here the worm is turning, with small estates bubbling to the surface.

As in France, so in Italy the best vineyard sites have been planted for two millennia, mostly on limestone based soils delivering low pH wines, often perched among the Apennine or Alpine foothills, 300 - 600 metres above sea level to enjoy the important diurnal shift that prolongs hang-time and builds complexity in their ancient grape varieties.

While the Cabernets and Merlots so prized by the 'Super-Tuscans' (Tignanello, Solaia) are gradually wheedling their way into formerly indigenous-only blends such as the Chiantis and Vino Nobiles (and Brunello given half-a-chance), it is the autochthonous pearls of Italy's rich wine culture that are increasingly cited: the Nebbiolos of Piedmont, Corvinas of the Veneto, the Sangiovese of Tuscany, the Primitivos of Puglia, Verdicchios of the Marche, Pinot Grigio in Friuli etc.

For with the next generation has come a realisation of what differentiates Italy from the vinous crowd and why the quality of their Nebbiolo, Sangiovese, and Corvina-based wines have yet to be replicated anywhere else in the world. And with an unprecedented string of good to great vintages (1995-2001, 2004, 2006) encouraging and urging them on to new heights, there's never been a better time to savour these increasingly modern classics.

For so long, Spain was regarded as a source of inexpensive red wine with only Rioja standing above the parapet. Now there is a plethora of interesting wines in many different styles.

Exciting fresh whites, especially from the Albarino in the Rias Baixas and Verdejo in Rueda, but also with Viura in Rioja, have extended the choice. There have also been interesting developments in that most classical of all wine regions, Jerez, the home of sherry - not so much in modernisation of production, but in developing small scale bottlings of the highest quality sherry at amazingly affordable prices.

Modern techniques and a new appreciation of what might be possible have encouraged pioneers to produce some startlingly attractive reds. There are thoroughly competent wines from La Mancha now and some striking bottlings of Monastrell (known elsewhere as Mataro or Mourvèdre) in Jumilla.

Thankfully, the modernisation of the pedestrian has not held back successful traditional styles of wine. Alongside such modernists as Palacios Remondo and Allende in Rioja, long established houses like La Rioja Alta and CVNE continue to make graceful, old-style wines contingent upon several years barrel ageing before further maturation in the bottle. These Reserva and Gran Reserva wines have the gentle fragrance of well-seasoned fruit in partnership with a dash of vanilla oak. There are also subtle differences between regions of Rioja and in the precise makeup of the grape mix, Garnacha and Mazuelo supporting the dominant Tempranillo.

The only challenger to Rioja's claim to red wine supremacy is the Ribera del Duero, where the same red grape, Tempranillo, defines the wines, though known here as Tinto Fino. Most magisterial of all producers is Vega Sicilia whose Unico wines are not released onto the market before a minimum of 10 years - including at least seven years of barrel ageing.

The 100,000ha of German vineyards produce some of the world’s greatest white wines from the Riesling grape. With a run of excellent vintages, top estate wines are at last fashionable and Riesling is finally getting the acknowledgment it deserves. Its touch of sweetness is underpinned by a racy acidity and a fresh purity of the fruit.

Germany is the seventh largest wine producer in the world. Its vineyards are centred around the major rivers, the Rhine and the Mosel as well as their tributaries. The continental climate with hot summers, cold winters and long, warm autumns is perfect for late-harvest wines. The finest wines are produced on steep, often terraced, south-facing vineyards close to rivers. The maintenance and the harvesting of the vines are often done by hand.

White grapes make up 85% of plantings, but reds are increasing. Riesling has a knack of maintaining its varietal character while reflecting the terroir of its site, so while all German Rieslings have that balance of nerve-tingling pure fruit and refreshing acidity, there are definite regional differences.

The steep slatey slopes of the Mosel Valley produce the lightest, most minerally Rieslings, with firm, steely examples coming from its tributaries, the Saar and Ruwer. The south-facing slopes of the Rheingau are drier and sunnier, so the wines are fuller. The underrated Nahe lies in between the Mosel and Rheingau both stylistically and geographically, while the large Rheinhessen region can produce firm, full and racy Rieslings.

The Pfalz region further south is warmer, so the wines are richer. Traditional wines have a degree of sweetness but there has been a move to dry and medium dry styles (Trocken and Halbtrocken), making up 40% of production.

In a mere 20 years or so since it joined the EU, Portugal has been transformed from a country of flabby, oxidized whites and dried-out, tannic reds to one of the most exciting and innovative wine regions in the world. Investment, modern technology and knowledge have been the key drivers.

Qualitatively-speaking, the Douro leads the way for the reds, epitomised by the Chryseia joint venture between the famous Symington Port family and Bruno Prats, the ex-owner of Ch. Cos d' Estournel. But it is closely followed by its northern neighbours Dão and Bairrada. However, it is the large regions of the south, Alentejo, Estremadura and Terras do Sado, and Beiras in the north, that laid the ground with their excellent value, modern, fruity reds and whites from the mid-1990s onwards.

Portugal has always been a bit different from its neighbours. Historically an ally of England against the French - offering itself at the very least as an alternative source of wine - it isolated itself for much of the 20th century during the 42-year Salazar dictatorship that ended in 1974. It was responsible for some of the most successful mass market wine brands of the 1970s and 1980s - Lancers, Mateus Rosé and Vinho Verde - but holds firmly onto its range of weird and wonderful indigenous varieties.

Pockets of vines cover most of Portugal - a total of 400,000ha - and it is Europe's 4th largest producer (with Germany) behind Italy, France and Spain. The country splits naturally into 2 halves: the north is hillier and wetter (apart from far inland), with granite, slate and schist soil. It is relatively densely populated, with most vineyards owned by smallholders cultivating a hotch-potch of indigenous varieties. The hotter, flatter south has limestone, clay and sand soil, is more sparsely populated, and boasts larger wine estates with monocépage vineyards, cultivating far more international varieties.

Portugal boasts an incredible diversity of wines from the fresh, spritzy whites of Vinho Verde to the rich, full-bodied reds and, of course, powerful fortified Port wines, of the Douro. Portugal's fortified and red wines rule the roost, although the whites show excellent potential, and not just at the cheap and cheerful end. Excellent sweet Moscatels can also be found, in regions like Setúbal in the south. Tannins and acidity remain relatively high here but the wines share a lovely voluptuous fruit that can be seen across the range.

Portugal's finest white varieties are considered to be Loureiro and Alvarinho (aka Albariño) in Vinho Verde, Bical (Bairrada), the aristocratic Arinto (in southern Portugal), the full-bodied Encruzado (Dão). For the reds, the Port grape Touriga Nacional (Douro and Dão) is its trump card, followed by other Port grapes Touriga Franca, Tinta Cão and Tinta Roriz (aka Tempranillo), Baga (Bairrada), Castelão Frances (aka Periquita/João de Santarém in the south) and Trincadeira in the Alentejo.

Portugal's defined appellations are designated DOCs (Denominação de Origem Controlada), along with a second tier IPR (Indicação de Proveniencia Regulamentada) - DOCs in waiting - and a third, more flexible classification for larger regions VR (Vinho Regional).

One of the New World's oldest wine producers dating back to the 17th century & the Dutch East India Company plantings near Table Moutain, South Africa now produces wine from approx. 100,000ha; 40% less than Bordeaux's total vineyard area.

Since being freed from the shackles of apartheid in 1994, the South African wine industry has blossomed into a nation of 4,000 vineyard smallholders averaging 3ha or less. While this has provided the perfect canvas for a burgeoning wine tourism industry, it has been less helpful when it comes to competing on the world stage where appropriately large wine brands in the mould of Penfolds are required - but in South Africa wine landscape they remain conspicuously absent.

Regrettably, years of underinvestment during the KWV cooperative era has resulted in vineyards ravaged by (leafroll) viruses, perpetuated by a system of grape-growers continuing to supply a number of wine estates; contributing perhaps to the infamous Cape fruit character found in far too many red wines...

60% of South Africa’s wine producers have signed up to the Biodiversity & Wine Initiative (BWI) which advocates sustainable wine production. Nature is certainly on South African wine producers' side with plenty of sun in this warm Mediterranean climate, tempered by Oceanic onshore breezes. Climate plays a greater role in determining the style and quality of the Cape's wine, while the predominantly granitic (low pH) soils contributes to a generally fuller, rounder, low acid mouthfeel.

Stellenbosch with 17,500 ha is the most important fine wine producing district, followed by Swartland with 15,000 ha and then Paarl at 18,000 ha. Worcester (20,500 ha), Robertson (13,500 ha), Olifants River (10,000 ha) and Orange River (5,000 ha) make up the difference (and ballast).

Newly created wine regions include the coastal Elim (near Cape Agulhas, Africa's southern-most tip), West Coast, Langloof, and Prince Albert (near the majestic Swartberg - Black Mountain).

The split of white to red wine production was 55/45 in 2005. The white wine grapes are dominated by Chenin Blanc (Steen) with 20% share, with Sauvignon Blanc and Viognier the great white hopes. The red wine grapes are led by Cabernet Sauvignon with 13%, with Merlot and Shiraz close behind.

Pinotage, South Africa's indigenous grape varietal (a cross between Pinot Noir & Cinsaut -spelt “Cinsault” in the Southern Rhône) is at 6% and decreasing.

Australia has come to represent the most 'successful' New World producer to date, the benchmark by which other new world producing countries have come to judge themselves. It has been achieved however not without significant cost to an industry which has been forced to consolidate in every decreasing circles in order to keep the wheels from falling off the Brand Australia juggernaut. In 2003/4, twenty businesses accounted for 86% of all production. The prize has been a 24% share of the UK market (and a rapidly improving one in the USA), a position it ironically held 'before the Wars' as a supplier of fortified 'Empire wine'.

Commercial viticulture was established during the early part of the 19th century, with South Australia the last to plant in the 1840s before quickly establishing itself as the major source of fortified wine. A post (WWII) move towards consumption of still dry table, encouraged by the stream of immigrants, was accelerated by the introduction of (German) pressured fermentation vats, stainless-steel and refrigeration units during the 1970s, enabling the winemaker to ferment to dryness. At the same time, French barrels made their debut, adding complexity & a premium allure, while fruit from the likes of new cooler zones of Coonawarra & Padthaway facilitated a lighter style to be made.

These seismic improvements were not lost on the UK market, itself in near revolution during the early '80s as Thatcher's government bounced the economy back to life. With Neighbours dominating the airwaves, supermarkets were given carte blanche to spread far & wide, immediately creating a demand for a new style of wine, a brand; consumers only too willing to move from Bulgarian plonk to an Aussie fruit bomb (especially one with an Emu on the label). The Australians grasped the opportunity, only too willing to supply the right product at the right price, supported by aggressive pricing & discounts. On the supply side, the structure of their industry allowed them to cross-border blend & so maximise production. Corporate consolidation further improved their effectiveness to compete on volume yet has not hitherto allowed them to grow sales value.

Only the ramifications of a current chronic seven year 'dry'/drought, with saline levels at unprecedentedly high levels & the evaporation of the Murray Darling River (S.Australia's only real source of irrigation since viticulture began) to a virtual trickle has prompted the AWBC (Australian Wine & Brandy Corp.) to finally inflict water quotas. And yet even when an oversupply still exists, key Australian brands are now being forced to import wine from the likes of Chile to meet demand. 40% of wineries are running at a loss, largely the result of over-capitalisation.

Meanwhile there's a significant minority of winegrowers making regionally expressive, terroir wines of real distinction clamouring to make themselves heard; unfortunately it is the corporates not them that control how the marketing budget is spent; the big five being Fosters Wine Estates (Wolf Blass, Penfolds, Rosemount, Lindemans), Hardys Wine Co. (Banrock Station, Leasingham), Orlando Wyndham (Jacob's Creek), McGuigan Simeon, Casella Wines (Yellow Tail). Maybe global warming will have the final say.

Though blending away regional differences has essentially been key to Australia's brands competing, there is a range of regional styles clearly defined & demanding recognition, notably: Barossa Valley Shiraz, Eden Valley Riesling, McLaren Vale Shiraz & Cabernet Sauvignon, Langhorne Creek Cabernet Sauvignon, Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon, Wrattonbully Cabernet Sauvignon, Clare Valley Riesling, Adelaide Hills Chardonnay, Yarra Valley Pinot Noir, Hunter Valley Semillon, Margaret Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.

Climatically the continent could be divided into two: a tropical weather pattern affecting New South Wales & north, while the southern half of the country, covering the key viticultural states of W Australia, S. Australia, Victoria & Tasmania, enjoys a less extreme band of warm to hot weather oscillating between 25 - 35 celsius. But without the cool oceans enjoyed by California or mountain ranges of Italy, the climate does not benefit from significant diurnal shifts in temperature (between day and night). There are however notable cooler spots such as Barossa Valley, Clare Valley, Eden Valley, Coonawarra, Wrattonbully, Adelaide Hills, Macedon Ranges, Yarra Valley, Tasmania. High relative humidity (55% ) seems to be a prerequisite for successful photosynthesis in these climes.'

Of the 167,000 ha, producing 14.3hl of wine, in 2005, the state of South Australia accounts for 43% of the vineyard area (Riverland, Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale); New South Wales 24% (Riverina, Murray Darling, Hunter Valley); Victoria 23% (Heathcote, Swan Hill, Yarra Valley); Western Australia 8% (Margaret River, Great Southern).

Often unfairly lumped together with Australia as the 'Antipodes', or worse 'Australasia', New Zealand's finely-tuned wine industry might only be 13% the size of its neighbour (22,000 ha plays 165,000ha in 2006) but what it lacks in girth, it certainly makes up for in wine quality.

Indeed it continues to command the highest average price across UK supermarkets, New Zealand's single biggest market after its own. And to protect this integrity the industry took the bold decision of adopting the Stelvin screwcap closure, almost unanimously, in 2001, a step that has only consolidated consumer confidence.

While the country's viticultural heritage dates back to Englishman James Busby making wine in the North Island circa 1840, it wasn't until 1973 that New Zealand winemaking took the giant step forward by planting Sauvignon Blanc vines on Marlborough's Wairau Valley. Up till then the nascent New Zealand wine industry was initially focused on the North Island, particularly around Hawkes Bay and Gisborne. However here the humid climate and fertile soils were essentially unsuitable for premium white wine production.

So the brisk maritime climate, constantly refreshed by Antarctic south-easterlies, long sunshine hours and free draining soils of South Island's Marlborough provided the perfect creche for the country's future star: Sauvignon Blanc. And within fifteen years, Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc had surpassed its older-established North Island competitors. Assisted by techonological advances in refridgeration New Zealand was soon exporting its brand of new world Sauvignon Blanc.

It wasn't long before the industry sought to replicate this success with a red varietal. Pinot Noir, planted initially as a blending component of the country's sparkling wine industry (based in Marlborough), found its way to Central Otago during the 1980s. Where, despite being the world's most southerly vineyard, the surrounding Southern Alps created a continental mesoclimate benign enough to enable Pinot Noir to take root. The region is now producing world class examples.

Free draining ancient river beds are still the basis of most New Zealand vineyards, facilitating mechanisation. However as the industry evolves, and space runs out, vineyard owners are being forced to the hills; ironically the source of superior fruit.

Consequently some of the best sites are only just being discovered: the Southern Valleys sub-region of Marlborough; Martinborough's limestone terraces; N.Otago's Waitaki Valley with its limestone escarpment. Little surprise then that the New Zealand industry is in the process of formally identifying particular terroirs and delineating sub-regions (Hawke's Bay and Central.Otago complete, Marlborough to follow).

Other varieties and regions to be aware of include the meteoric rise of Pinot Gris plantings (especially in the South Island), and sales to the Australian and Californian markets; Hawke's Bay's recent success with Syrah (made in a cool black pepper Northern Rhone style) alongside that of its Cabernet Sauvignon blends; Riesling's continued love-affair with parts of Nelson and Central Otago; the appearance of some exceptional Pinot Noirs from the South Island's east coast, notably North.Otago and Waipara.

A viticultural paradise with hot, sunny days, chilly nights, little rain and cooling breezes, Chile is famous for being the only wine-producing country free of the devastating phylloxera bug. Despite the rise of Argentina, which produces twice as much wine, Chile remains South America's (and arguable the world's) finest source of well-priced, excellent quality varietal wines with sleek, fruity reds and ripe, clean whites. Rosés, sparklers and even sweet wines also do well here. As ambitious winemakers search for better sites (especially higher up and in cooler areas), and constantly improve techniques in the winery and vineyard, some truly fine wines are beginning to emerge. Joint ventures like Almaviva, between Concha y Toro and Mouton-Rothschild, lead the way and many are following.

The vine was introduced to Chile's Central Valley by the Spanish Conquistadores in the mid-16th century, but 1851 marked the turning point for the Chilean wine industry when Silvestre Ochagavia Echazarreta imported and planted a range of French vine varieties. As phylloxera ravaged Europe, Chile was left as the only country with healthy vines. Political and economic turmoil combined with falling consumption put the brakes on the country's development in the 1970s and 1980s, but once democracy was restored, investment (both internal and external), equipment and expertise flooded in. With the introduction of temperature-controlled stainless-steel vats, cool storage, and oak barrels, Chile underwent a winemaking revolution.

Chile's most important red grape is Cabernet Sauvignon, yielding increasingly elegant and concentrated wines and some very good Bordeaux blends. Some have seen the discovery of old Bordeaux grape, Carmenère (aka Grand Vidure) as Chile's unique selling point, as Malbec is for Argentina. This remains a moot point but long mistaken for Merlot, with which it is still usually blended, Carmenère produces complex, earthy reds with rich, blackcurrant flavours and firm, ripe, tannins.

Chardonnay is the most popular white, especially from cooler regions like the Casablanca and San Antonio valleys. Thanks to a replanting programme which saw genuine Sauvignon Blanc replace its lower quality imitators, some excellent examples are now produced, offering a halfway house between the grassy herbaceousness of Sancerre and the piercing, tropical fruit intensity of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. Juicy but elegant Pinot Noirs and rich, stylish Syrahs are beginning to make a reputation for themselves while Riesling, Viognier and even Gewurztraminer all show promise.

Hemmed in by the Andes to the east, the Pacific to the west, the Atacama desert to the north and Antarctica to the south, Chile's climate is Mediterranean. The only down side is the lack of rain, with irrigation required virtually everywhere. Most of the country's vines are in the southern half of the country, centred on the 1000km long plateau of the Central Valley south of the capital, Santiago. This area is home to Chile's most famous region, the hot, dry Maipo Valley with its Napa Valley-like Cabernets and ripe Chardonnays with good acidity.

Further south is the larger Rapel Valley, with its Colchagua, Cachapoal and Apalta sub-regions. This hot region produces succulent, full-flavoured reds, the country's best Merlot and some very fine Cabernets. The Central Valley is also home to the slightly less hot Curicó Valley, and the cooler still and wetter Maule Valley, Chile's oldest wine region.

Here, and the areas below it at the foot of the Central Valley, Itata, Bío-Bío and Malleco, are Chile's most undeveloped but also some of its most promising. The hilly, cooler coastal regions of Aconcagua, San Antonio and Casablanca, west and north-west of Santiago, have already shown the way, especially for white wines, with the latter probably producing Chile's best.

As you would expect from the land of the Tango (the dance, not the drink) Argentina produces "full-blooded", seductive wines of spice and passion. Like their neighbours across the Andes in Chile, they produce excellent value, mostly red but increasingly white, varietal wines across all price points.

As the 5th largest wine producing nation in the world Argentina was long renowned for the quantity rather than quality of its wines. Since the 1990s Argentina has benefited enormously from the influx of investment and expertise - seemingly from every famous wine region in the world – combined with modern technology and better vineyard management and winemaking techniques. Apart from a couple of blips - notably the 1998 El Niño and the economic crisis of 2001-2 - it has been a heady rise even if a general unwillingness to reduce yields has meant that its progress has been slower than hoped. So far it has emulated Chile’s success but has not yet, by a long chalk, surpassed it. The next Australia? Only time will tell.

Planted with vines by the Spanish colonisers in the mid 16th century, it was the widespread immigration from Italy and Spain in the mid-19th century (and later France) that bestowed Argentina with such an eclectic mix of grape varieties. The country’s trump card has turned out to be the old Bordeaux variety Malbec which, outside of Cahors, has never really made its mark in its French homeland. In Argentina it seems to have found its spiritual home, producing intense, opulent wines with refreshing acidity and increasing sophistication.In the hands of top producers and in increasingly good (and high) single vineyard sites it is yielding some truly fine wines.

The underrated Bonarda is Argentina’s second most-planted variety, although the next best qualitatively are the improving Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah, followed by Merlot, Tempranillo, Sangiovese, Pinot Noir and Barbera. The most interesting whites come from the fruity, floral Torrontés grape, but the there are some very fine wines from the ubiquitous Chardonnay, and it is the latter that looks set to dominate in years to come. Other white varieties include Sauvignon Blanc (in the coolest sites), Chenin Blanc, Sémillon, Pinot Gris and Viognier.

Much of Argentina is semi-desert and very dry and hot, even in the foothills of the Andes; it is only the high altitude of the vineyards and the cooling influence of the mountains that enables quality wines to be made. Irrigation is a must but it is only now that the vital step of limiting this to reduce yields is being followed by more than a small minority.

The region around Mendoza accounts for about 70% of Argentina’s wine production, although cooler, wetter areas like Patagonia in the south and Salta in the far north (home to the world’s highest vineyards at an astonishing 3000m) are increasingly influential even if quantity remains small. Salta produces very good Torrontés and Cabernet Sauvignon, while Patagonia, and particularly Rio Negro, produces elegant whites and structured reds.

In Mendoza, a lot of poor quality wine is still produced for domestic consumption but the sub-region of Luján de Cuyo produces some lovely velvety Malbecs while the cool, gravelly Maipú is best for Cabernet Sauvignon. The most exciting area in Mendoza for fine reds and whites, however, is the Uco Valley 60km south of the city. Its sub-region of Tupungato also produces Argentina’s best Chardonnay.

The United States is the world's 4th largest wine producing nation after France, Italy and Spain, with double the quantity of 5th placed Argentina. California is far and away the country's most important wine region, accounting for 90% of production. Wine is actually produced in every single one of America's 50 states, even if Utah, Wyoming and North Dakota have only 12 wineries and just over 35ha of vines between them.

The history of the US wine industry is a thorny one. Try as they might, the early East Coast settlers had little success making wine and had to wait until the mid-19th century for their first commercially successful example: Nicholas Longworth's famous Sparkling Catawba from Cincinatti, Ohio. The west coast had a climate far more conducive to vine-growing and from its first vineyard (probably Mission) planted in 1769 at San Diego, the wine industry swiftly flourished, boosted by the influx caused by the Gold Rush.

However, the twin blights of mildew and phylloxera at end of the 19th century, followed by Prohibition from 1920 to 1933, set the wine industry back 100 years. Ever since, wine has endured a somewhat uneasy existence, flourishing despite an obstructive distribution system and often tacit government disapproval.

The US boasts every type of producer, from the tiny `garagiste' producing a couple of barrels of incredibly rare and expensive wine to the monumental producers of cheap brands like Ernst & Julio Gallo who sell 75m cases of wine a year (25% of the total production of the US!). Such progress has largely taken place in the last 40 years through an unquenchable desire for quality, the insistence on the finest expertise and technology, enormous investment and astute marketing.

California produces some of the world's greatest Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Zinfandel, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from famous regions like Napa and Sonoma. Recognition of this really dates back to the 1976 Judgment of Paris where the region's finest trounced the cream of French wine in a blind tasting held in Paris.

After California, New York is actually the second biggest wine-producing state; most are made from Concord (often described as `foxy'- and not in a good way) although increasingly Chardonnay too. From a qualitative point of view, however, California's closest rivals are Washington which specialises in Bordeaux blends, and Oregon which yields some very fine Pinot Noir.

Of the rest, Virginia's reds from Cabernet and Merlot show potential, while Georgia, Missouri, Texas, Idaho, South Carolina, Pennsylvania and Michigan all have significant plantings, mostly of American hybrid varieties.

Although it doesn't yet have an Appellation Contrôlée system per se, the concept of American Viticultural Areas (AVAs) was introduced here in 1980. The first was Augusta in Missouri, and they now number 188. They have none of the restrictive rules of the AC system and are all the better for it. 85% of any wine labeled with a given AVA must come from that region. In addition, every state and county is classified as its own appellation.