Is there a country with more style and creativity than Italy? Even the Greeks called Italy Enotria (land of vines) and in fact it still has the richest variety of wines with unmistakable style. Its peculiar morphological structure allows for an optimal combination of altitude, latitude and sun exposure in each of the regions from which a strong wine personality is derived.

It is impossible to imagine France without wine, as indeed is wine without France. France, in fact, continues to excel in quality and variety thanks to the geographical situation influenced by sea breezes and ocean currents as well as a continental climate from which derives a rich variety of soils. If Paris is the mind of France, Champagne the soul and Burgundy is its stomach.

After a dark period at the end of the 20th century, German whites for freshness, brightness and fragrance are on the rise. The soils are very varied: slate, loess and basalt; while the climate is increasingly cold to the north and continental to the east. Their workhorse is Riesling, a grape variety capable of withstanding a cold climate that manages to combine stimulating vigor and aromatic essence.

After a dark period at the end of the 20th century, German whites for freshness, brightness and fragrance are on the rise. The soils are very varied: slate, loess and basalt; while the climate is increasingly cold to the north and continental to the east. Their workhorse is Riesling, a grape variety capable of withstanding a cold climate that manages to combine stimulating vigor and aromatic essence.

Spain, which has more vines than any other country but few wines of real interest, joined the modern wine renaissance late in the day, but it has made up for lost time: new styles and producers are increasingly making their mark on the wine scene. In terms of climatic conditions it is a country that juggles extremes: in the north with abundant rainfall and cold weather, in the south with drought and very hot seasons.

Viticulture in Denmark is the newest in Europe; it dates back only to 2000. This was made possible by the sudden climate changes of recent periods of which global warming is a part and the legalization of wine production in 1999 when Europe agreed to the cultivation of 99 hectares of vines on Denmark’s soil.

Wine production in the United States began with the first European settlements. California in particular was the first state to achieve the first successes of European species cultivation in the mid-1700s, which was followed by quite a few political and social impediments. To this day it remains the fourth or fifth largest wine producer in the world, with California alone reaching 90 percent of total production, followed by Washington, Oregon, and New York. In fact, thanks to the oceanic influence and its altitude, California is able to produce wines of high caliber, as rich and powerful as Cabernets, as elegant as Pinot Noirs.

Viticulture in Israel dates back to biblical times, with its territory straddling the wine trade route between Mesopotamia and Egypt. However, it has only recently come to attract the attention of markets, with relatively small but quality-oriented production from areas whose vocation has been rediscovered after years of neglect. Israel has a Mediterranean climate favorable for wine production, thanks to hot, humid summers and cold, rainy winters.

In 1788 the first governor of New South Wales planted the first vine, declaring “in such a favorable climate that the cultivation of vines could be brought to any level of perfection.” He was right, and by the end of the 19th century Australia was sending large quantities of fortified wine. In the 1970s, the industry focused on table wines that gained a reputation for their original character and legendary longevity. Production is concentrated along the coasts where the climate appears milder and cooler due to ocean currents.

New Zealand has only recently entered the wine world, but it has immediately distinguished itself with an unmistakable wine with a crystal-clear aroma and invigorating acidity. It was Sauvignon Blanc that made New Zealand wine famous thanks to a maritime climate that makes it a fresh, vibrant wine that has inspired many of the world’s winemakers.

South African vines grow in a cooler climate than latitude might suggest, thanks to cold ocean currents to the south. The mainly granite- and sandstone-based soils are among the oldest morphologically, and their biodiversity is surely one of their most fascinating and distinctive features. One third of the Cape’s vineyards have the potential to produce fine wine, especially Chenin Blanc thanks to ten vines that are more than 100 years old.