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Not really, there's some basic information in what is popular - say Sauvignon Blanc in NZ or Zweigelt in Austria, but that doesn't mean these need to be the best regions in terms of taste.
Generally, some grapes do better with sun and warmth, while others (like Pinot Noir or Riesling) do better in moderate climate. Beyond that, I am not sure if one can trust a simple list.
I think this is because region can be very narrowly defined - sometimes "side of this hill, vs. that side". Then, each year also produces different quality. I think there are certain prototypes per region that you could learn about. But even that is a challenge.
So for France, for example, the regions you want to learn don't stack hierarchically in a nice fashion (like you start with 4 broad regions and break them down). But it can be done.
In realiy, however, different wines are made in each region (see "region" above) so you are not guaranteed to get something like the prototype, nor can you guarantee that the wines of a given year will be like the prototype at all.
Another good example is Italy, which has fewer prototypical examples one might be able to learn. But then, Italy also has a great number of wine makers that do something very different, sometimes something better, so again it doesn't help you find a good wine. Best bet is to pick a region and really get into it. Like, learning stuff about Bordeaux can keep you busy, but at least you'll have a solid idea.
The wrong approach would be to do stuff like say: "oh Bordeaux has Merlot, while Germany has Pinot" which is sort of true in ratios of averages, but individually, and also generally, incredibly wrong. I personally believe that identifying a good wine in all cases basically requires you to know about the wine maker and the year. I.e. - it's a full time job. |