The story of Hungarian wine could be played out on the stage of the Budapest opera house. It’s dramatic and action-packed, involving Roman legions, invading Turkish armies, blood and bulls, writers and musicians, myths and legends, vampires and princes. And yet, despite its historical popularity among warriors, kings and artists for both magical and prestigious reasons, one of Hungary's most famous characters, Count Dracula, admitted to never drinking wine himself. In light of some of the recent innovations that have transformed Hungary's wine industry, it can be argued that this was one of the Count's biggest mistakes.

It’s likely that the majority of readers of the Drake Vine will have never tried, let alone know much about Hungarian wine. This is despite the recent sales growth of Hungarian wine to markets such as the UK and Germany. During the period of Communist Party rule (1949-1989), Hungarian wine was an industrial-scale commodity that was primarily supplied to the Soviet Union. Among the state-run conglomerates that ran the local wine industry, there was an emphasis on meeting output quotas, and inevitably quantity was prioritised over quality. However, since the end of communism, the transformation of Hungary’s wine industry has been so extensive that people could be forgiven for assuming that the industry was a relatively new one. This is not the case however, and in fact Hungary has a winemaking tradition that stretches back to Roman times. ​

During the siege of Eger Castle in 1552, the defending soldiers are said to have drunk wine from the castle cellars, which resulted in their beards being stained red. The invading Turks believed a rumour that the wine was mixed with the blood of bulls and that this had given the Hungarians supernatural strength and contributed to their fierce and solid resistance. ​Needless to say, the Hungarians won the day.

The main grape varieties typically used to make Tokaj dessert wine are Furmint, Hárslevelű and Sárga Muskotály (Yellow Muscat). However, in Tokaj and elsewhere in Hungary, these grapes are increasingly being used to make non-botrytis dry wines.

​Although Tokaj and other Hungarian wine regions suffered during the communist years, the country's wine industry has experienced a massive come back over the last 25 years, thanks partly to international investment and the adoption of new winemaking technologies. These include the use of stainless steel tanks for white wine fermentation, the use of oak barriques for maturation and fermentation and the adoption of more innovative approaches to blending. 

Regulation and new laws have also played their part by helping to establish industry benchmarks and set quality standards. For example, a 1997 law established 22 official wine regions. Tokaj and Eger, already discussed, both lie in the north east of the country, along with Hungary's second largest wine region, Mátra, which is known for white wines made from Olasz Rizling, Tramini and Chardonnay.  By contrast, Sopron in the far north east on the Austrian border and next to Lake Neusiedl (Fertő in Hungarian) is known for red wines made from Kékfrankos. This reflects a similar trend seen across the border in Austria, whereby the area around Lake Neusiedl has become famous for its Blaufränkisch wines.

Vienna (Wien) sits in the east of the country and it is here in the east that most of Austria’s wine production takes place – along the valleys of the River Danube and in the plains of Lower Austria (Niederösterreich) and Burgenland (bordering Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic), as well as in the rolling hills of Styria in the south (sometimes described as Austria’s Tuscany). ​

Austria's third most widely grown red grape variety, Blauer Portugieser, produces fresh, fruity red wines that are best drunk young. ​Meanwhile, Pinot Noir (known locally as either Blauburgunder, or Blauer Spätburgunder) can be found in all of Austria's growing regions and typically produces fresh, cool climate style Pinots.

Judging by the number of innovative new wine stores, themed bars and retail initiatives that appeared in 2015, London’s wine scene continues to become more diverse, cosmopolitan and exciting. Many of the most interesting changes to London's wine landscape have occurred in the last 3-4 years and include the introduction by major retailers of wines from new countries and new varieties. London has also seen the arrival of new specialist wine bars and stores, some of which promise to offer visitors a wine tasting and wine appreciation “experience”. All of this seems to enforce the view that wine is steadily broadening its appeal to a larger cross-section of people, and is increasingly associated with fun, travel (both real and virtual) and a new vibrant culture, rather than status and elitism.

Alongside this new vitality of the London wine scene is a recent uptick in the amount of wine consumed in the UK, as well as predictions of sustained growth over the next few years. According to experts the UK ranks sixth in the world in terms of the amount of wine consumed, with 30 million people (or 60% of all adults) drinking wine on a regular basis. However, the UK is the world’s third largest spender on wine and, according to predictions, will spend over $17 billion on still wines in 2018 – second only to the US, whose spending will reach $33.2 billion in 2018. The growing popularity of wine drinking in the UK reflects (i) the media’s considerably expanded coverage of wine, wine tourism and food and wine pairing; (ii) a stronger wine culture in restaurants and gastro pubs with more restaurants offering paring recommendations; (iii) a burgeoning market for online wine retailing; and (iv) the enthusiasm for overseas travel which exposes British visitors to major wine making and drinking cultures. 

However, it’s not only new specialist stores and wine bars that are contributing to the new enthusiasm and appreciation for wine. Many of the long established retailers continue to respond to, and feed, the growing interest in wine, along with consumers’ desire to experiment with new varieties and new wine regions. 

By now, the trend among Londoners (and UK consumers generally) to buy wine for drinking at home is well established. However, in terms of where and how to buy wine it seems that more choices than ever are available. These include buying online to sampling wine in-store prior to purchase. Meanwhile, the geographical breadth of wines that retailers now offer – together with the emergence of stores and bars/bistros that specialise in wines from particular countries and regions – points to a consumer trend to engage with wine as a cultural experience that often complements travel or an interest in travel and experiencing other cultures. 

So, 2016 looks set to be another exciting year for the London and UK wine market. From Smederevka to Seperavi and from Mexico to Moldova, take some time to explore some of the wine scene's latest hotspots and experience some of the diverse wines that are now appearing.

In addition to successfully competing against heavyweight new world producers from Australia, California, Chile and Argentina, New Zealand has been shaping international tastes, particularly through the production and successful promotion of Sauvignon Blanc. This white wizard of the New Zealand winery has worked its magic on international taste buds, helping to establish consumer expectations for this particular variety. New Zealand Sav Blanc has become internationally recognised for combining the best of both new world and old world varietal characteristics. New world characteristics include exotic fruit aromas while old world characteristics include the pungency and limy acidity which are often associated with Loire Valley wines.

So successful has New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc been among international consumers, that demand-fueled production has resulted in Sauvignon Blanc accounting for around half of all vineyard plantings in the country, up from twenty-eight percent in 2003.

Nowhere has the spread of Sauvignon Blanc been more notable than in Marlborough, which accounts for around sixty percent of New Zealand's entire vineyard area. There, on New Zealand's South Island, Sauvignon Blanc represents three quarters of the entire crop. First planted in Marlborough in 1973, Sauvignon Blanc is now also produced in other regions, including Canterbury on the South Island and Martinborough, Gisborne and Hawkes Bay on the North Island .

Such is the dominance of this king of vines and its importance to New Zealand's international wine exports, that some producers are concerned that one grape variety could end up governing the fate of the entire industry. The concern is that the perception of what New Zealand Sav Blanc is about becomes so embedded in the minds of consumers that the market suffers when tastes change. Another concern is that deflationary pressures on the price of even the best-quality wines could emerge if the market perceives New Zealand Sav Blanc to be all the same. As a result, the New Zealand wine industry is increasingly trying to promote an awareness of the stylistic variations of Sav Blanc between and even within different regions.

Of course, New Zealand wine isn't all about Sauvignon Blanc. Chardonnay, New Zealand’s second-most planted variety, is used to produce wines in a range of styles including sparkling wines. Other white New Zealand wines that are seeing increasing production include Pinot Gris, which has risen dramatically in recent years to overtake Riesling in terms of the volume of plantings (see the Growing and Making sections of the website for more information).

Meanwhile, the champion of New Zealand red wines has to be Pinot Noir, New Zealand's very own Dark Lord. Like Sauvignon Blanc, New Zealand Pinot Noir has been critically acclaimed worldwide and wines from the South Island's Central Otago region are internationally considered to be some of the world's best Pinots. Other red grape varieties with significant plantings include Merlot, which is often blended with Cabernet Sauvignon to make Bordeaux-style blends.

As the New Zealand wine industry continues to expand and evolve, it is likely to see more promotion of minority varietals such as Pinot Gris, Gewürztraminer and Syrah, as well as a growing emphasis on new export markets, including China and Singapore where consumption of international wines is growing. It's probably fair to say that, if current demand trends continue, it's only a matter of time before New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc and other varieties are drunk all over Middle Earth.

For more information on the wines and grape varieties of New Zealand have a look at the the Growing and Making sections of the website. 

And there ends the last update of the Drake Vine for 2013. I hope you've enjoyed this introductory journey through the world of wine. The Drake Vine will return in 2014.

There are few people who haven’t tried an Australian wine, or who couldn't name an Aussie wine brand. The Australian wine industry is one of the world’s largest and, thanks to the successful promotion of “big brands" such as Jacob’s Creek, Yellow Tail, Rosemount and Wolf Blass, Australian wine has developed an extensive international reach and reputation.

Australians themselves drink enough of the stuff, with over 530 million litres consumed domestically each year (that’s around 30 litres per person). But it’s the country’s wine exports that have been the real success story and which offer the biggest opportunity for future expansion. Between 1991 and 2007, production more than trebled in size while the value of exports grew from $212 million to $3 billion. Australia is now the world’s fourth-largest exporter of wine, after France, Italy and Spain. China is fast becoming one of the most important markets for Aussie wine and, since 2007, wine exports to China have grown by 333%. Despite this, exports to China still account for just 6% of the total and by far the largest importers of Australian wine continue to be the UK and the USA.

Specifically, there is a growing concern about how Australia can shake-off its association among international wine consumers with mass-produced overly-oaked Chardonnay and jammy Shiraz. Increasingly, it’s recognised that, although there’s still a place for the big brand bulk wines, changing consumer tastes have resulted in growing demand for wines made from alternative grape varieties, as well as new innovative blends and wine styles. And as consumer appreciation and experience of wine evolves, it’s no longer enough simply to drink wine from a particular place; consumers also want to enjoy the drinking experience and to understand more about where the wine comes from and how it’s made. 

The reinvention of Australia's image as a wine exporter, and its efforts to market a broader range of wines to international consumers, will shape the next phase of the country's evolution as an international wine heavyweight. Oh, and for more about "Chateau Chunder" watch the video above!

I'm writing this week's update while drinking a Washington state Spätlese ("late harvest") Riesling. According to wine expert Jancis Robinson, Washington State is busy styling itself as a Riesling specialist. Thanks to a longstanding cooperation between Washington's largest wine company, Chateau Ste. Michelle, and Erni Loosen of Germany's Mosel Valley, interest in Riesling and plantings of the grape have grown enormously over the past ten years. Although Chardonnay is still more widely grown, Washington now joins Germany's Rheingau and Australia as organisers of a triennial international Riesling event.

For many people, the Pacific Northwest states of Washington and Oregon conjure up images of rain, pine forests, raccoons, Starbucks, the Killing (AMC version), more rain and repeat episodes of Frazier. Most people have never heard of a Washingtonian Riesling or an Oregonian Pinot Noir, let alone tried one. And yet these north-western US states have an interesting and varied wine scene and a winemaking tradition which stretches back to the mid-1800s when Italian and German settlers planted the first vines for grape cultivation.

Although the Prohibition years at the start of the 20th century destroyed the region’s early wine industry, the establishment of new vineyards by Californian producers in the 1960s spearheaded a revival in wine production which has continued to the present day.

Washington and Oregon are respectively the second and third-largest wine producing states in the US, although total wine production is a fraction of California’s. Washington produces a full range of wine styles and varieties, from bulk to premium-priced boutique wines. The main grapes used in wine production are Cabernet Sauvignon, Riesling, Chardonnay, Merlot and Syrah, although 80 different varieties are grown in the state.

There's a lot of exciting stuff happening in the wine industries of the Pacific northwest. So move over Starbucks. Washington and Oregon are now building their reputations on Riesling, Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris. Oh, and by the way, the rain is good for the grapes!

Over the past couple of weeks, the Drake Vine has been in Canada where it has battled bears, racoons and rattlesnakes in order to discover the secrets of Canadian wine. Mention Canadian wine to most non-Canadians and you’re likely to receive a surprised expression and a raised eyebrow. Canada? Wine? How can a country with sub-zero winter temperatures, famous for ice hockey, moose, bears and beaver hats produce wine? It does though, and in a recent trip to the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia (BC), Canada’s second-largest wine producing region, the Drake Vine discovered that Canada’s wine industry is both diverse and increasingly dynamic. True, the industry is still small by global standards – Canada has just 11,000 hectares under vine, compared with New Zealand’s 34,000 hectares.

However, Canadian winemakers are experimenting successfully with an impressive number of grape varieties, including the classic Bordeaux varieties (Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot) and those of Burgundy (Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Gamay), Alsace (Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Riesling and Gewürztraminer), the Loire (Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Franc) and the Rhone (Viognier and Syrah).

 Canadians are also making impressive wines from less well-known French and German varieties (Madeleine Angevine, Siegerrebe, Kerner, Ortega and Bacchus), as well Austrian grapes (Zweigelt and Blaufränkisch) and hybrids such as Vidal Blanc, Baco Noir and Maréchal Foch. In Quebec, a range of grape varieties are cultivated which are not commonly found elsewhere, and which can withstand winter temperatures of minus 35 degrees (has anyone ever heard of an Elmer Swenson 517?). And in BC’s Okanagan Valley, there are even winemakers experimenting with South Africa’s Pinotage grape.

And despite the ice hockey and igloo stereotypes, it’s wrong to generalise about Canada’s climate. It’s true that in Quebec and Ontario, grape varieties are selected and cultivation techniques adopted with minus 35 degrees winter temperatures in mind. However, parts of BC and Nova Scotia, maritime influences help to moderate winter temperatures which, together with warm summers, result in climates that are suitable for grape cultivation. The same is true of parts of Ontario located close to the Great Lakes.

Meanwhile, in BC’s Okanagan region, a continental climate, together with the rain shadow created by the Cascade Mountains, contributes to hot, dry and even arid conditions. In this sun-soaked valley, renowned for its peaches and beaches, the Drake Vine discovered rattlesnakes which had also heard about the growing excitement surrounding Canadian wine.

The Drake Vine also discovered powerful red blends, full-bodies buttery Chardonnays, exotic and aromatic Gewürztraminers, international award-winning sparkling wines and even Pinotage ice wine.  

Until the 1980s, the Californian wine scene was dominated by Chardonnay and Bordeaux varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon (Cab Sav) and Merlot. Not all of it was prize-worthy however, and overindulgence in these 1980s wines of choice led to popular backlash with the rise of the Anything But Chardonnay (ABC) club and reactions similar to that Miles Raymond in the 2004 film Sideways when confronted with the awful possibility of being served Merlot.

As American wine-drinkers developed more sophisticated tastes (and grew ever more bored with Chardonnay and Merlot), new wine pioneers such as the Rhône Rangers and Cal-Ital movement refreshed the industry with wines made from alternative grapes such as Syrah, Viognier, Sangiovese and Pinot Grigio. This experimentation has continued and, in recent years, some winemakers have started reviving varieties such as Trousseau Gris, once widely grown in California under the name Gray Riesling, and Valdiguié, a red wine grape grown primarily in France's Languedoc-Roussillon region, which, in California, has sometimes gone by the name of Napa Gamay.

Although most Californian wine is produced in new world styles with ripe, fruit-forward flavours which benefit from the reliably warm weather, some winemakers are experimenting with “Old World” or European styles which are more earthy and mineralic. For example, although Californian Pinot Noir has traditionally been dominated by ripe, full-bodied wines, there has, more recently, been a move towards planting Pinot Noir on cooler sites and on applying winemaking techniques used in Burgundy to produce lighter, less heady wines with more finesse.

The heat wave in London over the past few weeks has had me reaching, on more than one occasion, for a glass of Chilean Sav Blanc (that’s Sauvignon Blanc if you’re unfamiliar with the lingo). Sav Blanc from the Casablanca region is just one of the big wine success stories from Chile’s wine industry, having contributed to its rising star status in the international markets.  Sav Blanc grapes were brought to Chile in the 19th century along with several other, mainly French, grape varieties. However, these grapes and the wines they produce have developed their own unique characteristics in Chile, thanks to the specificities of the country’s geography and “terroir”. Key influences include the Pacific Ocean and the coastal and Andes Mountains – the latter two forming the natural “walls” of Chile’s Central Valley, the largest of the country’s wine regions. 

Both the mountains and the ocean have played an important role in shaping the history and fortunes of Chilean wine. The Andes provided a crucial source of irrigation for the first vineyards, which were planted by Jesuit priests in the 16th century with grapes brought from the established Spanish vineyards in Peru. Later in the 19th century, the mountains, which isolate Chile geographically, helped protect the country’s vineyards from the Phylloxera louse which laid waste to most of the world’s other the wine regions.

Meanwhile, the Pacific Ocean has been both a help and a hindrance to Chilean wine. On the one hand, cooling Pacific breezes help Chile’s winemakers produce successful Sav Blancs, Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs in vineyards close to the coast. On the other hand, it was Spanish and English control over early ocean shipping routes which almost eliminated Chile’s wine industry in the 16th century. During Spanish rule in South America, Spain banned wine imports from Chile and Peru, while both countries were forced to import wine from Spain.

Some readers of the Drake Vine will remember that Sir Francis Drake, a famous ancestor of the Drake Vine, had a penchant for wine, having previous raided Spanish ports for their wine stocks. In 1578 Drake intercepted a shipment of Chilean wine  destined for Peru (I’m not sure what it was, but my bet is on wine made from País, one of the oldest grapes to  be cultivated in Chile and still the second most planted variety in the country). On hearing the news of Drake’s wine haul, the Spanish reportedly ordered Chile to uproot most of their vineyards. Fortunately for Chilean Sav Blanc enthusiasts this edict was ignored.

Although Chile is the ninth largest producer of wines, it is the fifth-largest exporter. The wine industry has grown, thanks largely to the production of low- to mid-priced wines, many of which originate in Chile’s Central Valley. Chile's recent winemaking revolution has been enabled partly by a massive increase in foreign investment and by the arrival of new winemaking talent and technology. Relatively new techniques, now widely used, include the use of stainless steel tanks and oak barrels for wine maturation. Alongside the low- to mid-priced wines, Chilean winemakers are also producing premium wines, especially Cab Savs (Cabernet Sauvignon).

Chile has also discovered a point of difference in the production and export of Carménère, a grape which is originally from France’s Bordeaux region and which appears to have been brought to Chile by accident, mixed with a bunch of Merlot cuttings. Carménère gets its name from the French word for crimson (“carmin”) which refers to the brilliant crimson colour of the vine’s autumn foliage prior to leaf-fall.

This week’s Drinking and Pairing sections of the Drake Vine focus on the characteristics of, and best foods to pair with, Carménère, one of the classic “Bordeaux six” red grape varieties. The Growing and Making sections of the website explore the country's main wine production regions, grape varieties and wine styles (remember to scroll to the top of the page and click on the links).

The Drake Vine will be back in two weeks time, with a trip back to the northern hemisphere to look at the wines of the USA.

Argentina is yet another New World wine producer whose winemaking history is older than some European countries. The Spanish are thought to have established the country’s first vineyards in the 1550s – cuttings brought from Chile by missionaries were planted in what are now Argentina’s Mendoza and San Juan regions.

Early wine production in Argentina was an isolated affair. For around 300 years wine made in the west of the country, in the foothills of the Andes Mountains, had to be transported by wagon to major population centers such as Buenos Aries in the east. All that changed in the 1880s when the completion of railroads to Mendoza helped connect Argentina’s winemakers to Buenos Aries and the international markets. Unfortunately however, it appears that nobody was producing anything worth buying.

The arrival of large numbers of European immigrants with winemaking skills in the late 19th and early 20th centuries helped to turn Argentina into the world’s largest wine producing nation outside of Europe. However much of the wine produced in Argentina was of mediocre quality and most of it went to supply a domestic market with a seemingly insatiable appetite for cheap vino de mesa.

However, the 1990s saw a revolution within Argentina’s wine industry. The industry benefited from a new wave of foreign investment, an increasingly aggressive export policy and a growing emphasis on quality and the application of new winemaking techniques. Today Argentina is the world’s fifth-largest wine producer and, increasingly, the wine industry is capturing a growing share of international exports. This transformation of fortunes for Argentina’s wine industry has been described in Ian Mount’s book, The Vineyard at the End of the World. In it, he tells the story of how wines which once had a reputation for being highly unpalatable experienced a dramatic turnaround to the extent that, in 2001, a Cabernet Sauvignon-Malbec blend beat all of its contenders in a blind tasting contest, which included top wines from Bordeaux and California’s Napa Valley.

I’ve always been a bit puzzled by distinctions between “old world” and “new world" wine producers. Although South Africa’s wine industry is usually categorised as “new world”, its history dates back to 1659 when Dutch settlers in Cape Town planted the country’s first vineyards. South African winemaking started when the Dutch East India Company established a supply station for ships travelling between the Netherlands and the Dutch East Indies (present day Indonesia). The first harvest took place in 1679 and, in 1685, Cape governor Simon van der Stel established a large wine estate in Constantia, just outside Cape Town.

By the late 1700s, Constantia had become internationally famous thanks to vin de Constance, made from a blend mostly of Muscat de Frontignan (Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains), Pontac, red and white Muscadel and Chenin Blanc (known locally as Steen). In addition to becoming a popular drink among European kings and emperors – including Napoleon Bonaparte who reportedly lived on the drink during his forced exile on St Helena – Vin de Constance was immortalised by authors such as Charles Dickens and Jane Austin.

In Jane Austin's Sense and Sensibility, Mrs Jennings  recommends Vin de Constance as the “cure for a broken heart”. More recently in the novel 50 Shades Darker, the follow-up to 50 Shades of Grey, the famous Klein Constantia dessert wine is served at an extravagant masked ball, along with a third course of sugar-crusted walnut chiffon candied figs.

Although the South African government established the Koöperatieve Wijnbouwers Vereniging van Zuid-Afrika Bpkt (KWV) cooperative in 1918 to manage the impact of market vagaries, South Africa’s wine industry suffered from isolation for much of the 20th century. This isolation was exacerbated by the Apartied-related international boycotts from the 1970s to the 1990s.

Since the 1990s however, South Africa’s wine industry has experienced a rennaisance, having benefited from both investment and access to international markets. The industry has become characterised by considerable innovation and widespread experimentation in both winemaking processes and styles. South African winemakers have also sought to establish “points of difference” in international markets, capitalising on the production and marketing of signature grape varieties such as Chenin Blanc (South Africa’s most widely-planted white grape) and Pinotage, a red grape which was first created in South Africa in 1925.

A South African national invention, Pinotage was born out of a cross between Pinot Noir and Cinsault grapes (the latter being known in South Africa at the time as Hermitage). Although global Pinotage production remains largely confined to South Africa, although there have been some plantings of the grape outside the country, notably in Brazil, Canada, Israel, New Zealand, the US and Zimbabwe.

South Africa produces a wide diversity of wines of varied styles. Of these, only a small fraction makes it into international markets. In addition to dry still wines, South Africa has a well-established tradition for making fortified and sparkling wines, as well as sweet wines and brandy (see Making section of the website for more information).

In addition to exploring the grapes, wines and wine-producing regions of South Africa, this week’s update of the Drake Vine introduces the main characteristics of two grapes, Pinotage and Muscat. While Pinotage has gained a reputation as the red wine to bring to a barbeque, the latter grape Muscat is responsible for a wide range of dessert wines, including Vin de Constance (see the Drinking and Pairing sections of the website for more info).

I hope you enjoy this week's update. Remember to scroll up to the very top of the page and click on the Growing, Making, Drinking and Pairing tabs to visit the other sections of this website - they contain a lot more information about South African wine and the other countries already covered by the Drake Vine. Next week we're staying within the southern hemisphere and off to another "new world" wine country.

According to legend, the iconic Sangiovese, which is Italy’s most widely-planted grape variety - accounting for 10% of all vineyard plantings - was named after Jove or Jupiter, the king of the Roman gods. Sangiovese (sanguis Jovis) literally means “blood of Jove”, a reference to the colour of the wine made by the Romans from Sangiovese grapes.

Although Sangiovese was cultivated in Italy for centuries, it was not until the 18th century that it became one of the most widely planted grapes in Tuscany. In the wines of Chianti, Brunello di Montalcino and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano (see Making section of website), Sangiovese grew in popularity during the 19th and early 20th centuries. Today, Chianti wines are among Italy’s most widely-exported, a statistic which hides the huge variations of quality that exist among Chianti wines.

Together with France, Italy is the world’s largest producer of wine, having more than one million vineyards under cultivation. However, this has been both a blessing and a curse, with the widespread availability of relatively cheap, mass-produced wines having contributed to a negative perception of Italian wine in international markets (how many of us have experienced disappointment in the presence of watery Italian white or an excessively acidic red?). In contrast to these negative experiences, the variety and quality of wines produced in Italy is truly extensive. However, many of the best wines don't even make it out of the country.

This week I’ve updated the various pages of the Drake Vine to look at the grapes, wines and wine-producing regions of Italy. The Drinking and Pairing sections of the website put Sangiovese and Nebbiolo in the spotlight. Meanwhile, the Growing section of the website explores key production regions such as Piedmont and Veneto in northern Italy, Tuscany in central Italy and Puglia and Sicily in the south.

Although hundreds of different grape varieties are grown across Italy, a handful of varieties stand out as being popular and/or commercially significant. These include the white grapes such as Pinot Grigio, Cortese and Garganega (the latter two being respectively used to produce Gavi and Soave) and red grapes such as Sangiovese, Nebbiolo and Corvina (respectively used to make Chianti, Barolo and Valpolicella). In recent years, grapes from southern Italy such as Puglia's Primitivo and Sicily's Nero d'Avola have also been gaining popularity and commercial reputation.

I hope you enjoy this week's trek through Italy. Next week we're leaving the so-called "Old World" wine regions of Europe and heading to the first of the "New World" regions, South Africa.

When asked to name a Portuguese wine too many people still automatically think of port. Port-drinking became popular in England during the 18th century wars with France. Because war deprived the English of access to French wine, fortifying Portuguese wine became the only way of ensuring it would survive the longer shipping journey to England. It was through this fortification process that port was created.

No longer a wartime tipple, these days the English are more likely to see port as a popular last minute Christmas gift, to be ordered online along with slabs of stilton cheese. 

However, Portuguese wine is about much more than port. Although Portugal has produced dry red and white wines for centuries, it is only recently that the country’s intenational reputation for dry wines has started to eclipse that of port. Portugal is currently benefiting from a modernisation program which has encouraged the adoption of modern grape cultivation and winemaking techniques – including gentle crushing, stalk removal and temperature control. Portugal’s “Viticultural Strategy for the Future” is also overseeing the reorganisation of thousands of tiny vineyards into larger estates and Quintas (boutique wineries). In addition to making Portugal’s wine industry less labour intensive, these reforms are enabling winemakers to produce sustainable quantities of quality wines.

Since joining the European Union in 1986, Portugal’s wine industry has also benefited from substantial foreign investment, especially from the EU but also from private investors. One of these investors, the English performer Cliff Richard (pictured), inadvertently became a winemaker after setting out on a summer holiday to the Algarve in southern Portugal. While there, he bought a 28-acre Quinta and later began producing award-winning wines under the Vida Nova, “new life” label.

Portugal has developed a reputation for making wines made from indigenous grape varieties, and the country has largely resisted the trend elsewhere to replace local varieties with international ones such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay. The poster child of Portuguese wine, Touriga Nacional, continues to be one of the main grapes used in the production of port. However, in some regions – especially the Douro and Dão – Touriga Nacional is also used to produce some of the dry red wines for which Portugal is gaining such great recognition.

Other wines for which Portugal is acquiring growing renown include the "peanut wine" Fernão Pires and the crisp white wine blends from the Vinho Verde region which often include local grape varieties such as Loureiro and Arinto (see Growing and Making sections of the website for more information). Remember that to check out these and other sections of this website, you need to scroll to the top of this page and click on the Growing, Making, Drinking and Pairing tabs.

Along with its wine, Portugal’s importance on the global wine map is influenced by its role as major producer of cork, used for bottling wine. Made from the bark of cork trees (pictured), Portugal is responsible for over 60% of the global cork harvest.

I hope you enjoy this week’s visit to the winelands of Portugal. Next week we’re in Italy!

In 1587 an ancestor of the Drake Vine, Sir Francis Drake, went on a booze cruise to Spain. In a famous raid on the port of Cadiz in southern Spain, Drake reportedly “singed the beard of the King of Spain” and made off with almost 3,000 barrels of wine.

The Drakes’ enthusiasm for Spanish wine has continued through the centuries and, almost 430 years later, we’re returning to Spain, this time not to plunder but instead to explore the country’s wine treasures.      

If Spain’s wine industry was competing for the vini-world cup, it would surely be a contender for gold trophy status. This is a land of wine superlatives. For starters, it is responsible for some of the spiciest, most powerful red wines in Europe (if not the world). The grapes for these wines are grown in some of hottest and driest conditions in Europe. Spain also wins in the category of producing the world’s most widely-planted grape variety. This is actually a white grape and, astonishingly, it’s one which most of us have probably never heard of before (see Growing section of the website for more information).

Yet another superlative: Spain’s wine industry is one of the world’s oldest, dating back to between 4,000 and 3,000 BC. During the period of the Roman Empire, Iberia (modern day Spain and Portugal) was reportedly an important supplier of wine to other parts of the Empire, including Gaul (France) and the Roman garrisons in Britannia (England). Some of the grapes which are today commonly associated with the south of France – notably Grenache, Mourvèdre and Carignan – actually originated in Spain where they are known respectively as Garnacha, Monastrell and Cariñena.

This week I’ve updated the various sections of the Drake Vine to focus on Spain’s key growing regions – including Rioja, Navarra and Rias Baixas – and the country’s leading grape varieties, Tempranillo, Garnacha and Monastrell. The Drinking section of the website examines the main characteristics of wine made from these grapes, while the Pairing section explores some of the best food matches for these wines – these include tradional Spanish casseroles made from peppers and chorizo. Finally, in the Making section of the website, I outline the main styles of wine that are produced in regions such as Rioja, Jumilla and Calalunya.

As this week’s update of the Drake Vine shows, Spanish wine is about much more than just Sherry and Sangria. Next week we’re going to head over the border to neighbouring Portugal.

It’s funny how many people say they find French wine confusing, disappointing or both. My theory is that this is something to do with the way French wines are named after the region and/or village in which they’re made and often don’t even mention the grapes on the bottle.

In Germany they do things differently and, in some ways, it’s a lot more straightforward. For starters, they grow fewer grapes, with three varieties in particular – Riesling, Müller-Thurgau and Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir) – dominating plantings. Furthermore, the Germans tend to include the name of the grape on wine bottles, alongside other information. This makes it easier to know what you’re buying (unlike in France where you first need a degree in French geography).  

However, despite the fewer grapes and helpful labelling, German wines present us with other challenges. One is the elaborate system for marking the style and quality of wines – see the Making section of the Drake Vine for an explanation which hopefully makes sense of this. German wines also present us with tricky words such as Prädikatswein, Trockenbeerenauslese and Qualitätswein bestimmter Anbaugebiete. If we’re not careful, mispronuncing some of these could see us being escorted out of a bar, store or restaurant.  

Germany is the home of the (in)famous Blue Nun, a light-bodied semi-sweet white wine which was first launched in the 1920s and which, by the mid-1980s, had become one of the most widely-sold wines internationally. Traditionally made predominately from Müller-Thurgau grapes, Blue Nun has, since the late 1980s, fallen well out of favour and is now a popular target of so much TV comedy.

However, Blue Nun is not all frivolity and, in recent years, the drink has attempted a comeback with innovations such as Blue Nun Gold, a sparkling wine which contains flakes of 22-carat gold. When not devising Eurozone bailout agreements, even German Chancellor Angela Merkel is rumoured to enjoy a glass of this sugary pick-me-up.   

Semi-sweet wines like Blue Nun have been widely accused of tarnishing the image of German wines internationally. That may have once been true. However, more recently German wines have become associated increasingly with Riesling. Riesling has been dubbed the “Metrosexual” grape because of the easy and self-assured way it carries off so many different styles (see the Making and Drinking sections of this website for more info). Riesling’s ability to look good in a range of outfits extends to the company it keeps: it is sometimes described as the food and wine pairer’s “best mate” because it works so well with a wide range of foods (see the Pairing section of this website).

The impact of Riesling on the potential of German wine shouldn’t be underestimated. Indeed, it’s interesting that many of the German Rieslings currently available in the shops come from the 2011 vintage – said to be one of Germany’s best since the 1970s.

I hope you enjoy this week’s brief Drake Vine stopover in Germany. Next week we’re off to Sunny Spain.