Category Archives: Regional Profile

Regional Profile: Beaujolais

Posted on April 26, 2013 by stevie

Where: About 75 miles south of the city of Beaune, Beaujolais caps the southern end of France’s Burgundy region.   What: Classic Gamay with climbing quality. For a while, Beaujolais had an oversimplified reputation. Quantity trumped quality in many parts, … Continue reading →

Regional Profile: Eden Valley, Australia

Posted on January 24, 2013 by stevie

Where: Start in South Australia’s Barossa Valley and move about 300 meters up — not north but east: literally up, into the hills.    What: Historically, the Eden Valley was just an extension of the Barossa Valley. Though the first … Continue reading →

Regional Profile: Barossa Valley, Australia

Posted on January 22, 2013 by stevie

Where: Barossa Valley is a “Geographical Indication” (or GI, basically an appellation) set within the Barossa zone in the state of South Australia. It’s a valley set back from the coast, following the North Para River and surrounded by the … Continue reading →

Regional Profile: Hunter Valley

Posted on January 17, 2013 by stevie

Where: Hunter Valley is technically a “zone” within the state of New South Wales (on the southeastern side of Australia, a quick two-hour jaunt north of Sydney). It’s a river valley in between the Tasman Sea and the Brokenback Range. … Continue reading →

Regional Profile: Elqui Valley

Posted on December 20, 2012 by stevie

Where: At the edge of the Atacama desert in the Coquimbo region, Elqui is Chile’s northernmost wine-producing area (which, since we’re in the southern hemisphere, means it’s pretty warm). Isolated from urban life and nestled in between the Andes and … Continue reading →

Regional Profile: Maipo

Posted on December 19, 2012 by stevie

Regional Profile: Maipo Valley, Chile   Where: Maipo is within Chile’s large Central Valley, which is appropriately named as it’s relatively in the center of the country from north to south as well as situated in the valley between the … Continue reading →

Regional Profile: Jura

Posted on December 13, 2012 by laura

Where: East of the Burgundy region in France, pushed right up against the border with Switzerland. Heard of the Jurassic era? It’s actually named after the Jura region, because its limestone soils were first studied in this neck of the … Continue reading →

Regional Profile: Chablis

Posted on November 23, 2012 by stevie

Where: Two hours southeast of Paris on the A6 autoroute, this is the northernmost sub-region of Burgundy.    What: A one-of-a-kind wine region known for three specific things: a chilly climate, chalky limestone-and-clay soil, and 100% Chardonnay. This unique combination … Continue reading →

Regional Profile: Casablanca Valley

Posted on November 13, 2012 by laura

Where: About halfway down the length of the skinny, seaside country of Chile, the Casablanca Valley rests only 20 miles from the ocean. It’s technically a sub-region of the larger Aconcagua region.   What: Vines weren’t even planted in Casablanca until the … Continue reading →

Regional Profile: Burgundy

Posted on October 17, 2012 by laura

Where: In the middle of France, running roughly north to south from the town of Dijon to Lyon.   What: A collection of five individual sub-regions, all focused on the red grapes Pinot Noir and Gamay or the white grapes Chardonnay and … Continue reading →