Wine Regions of the World: A Country-by-Country Guide

Most of the world’s wine comes from Europe, with the European Union alone making around 60% of it, but great wine regions also span the Americas, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. France, Italy and Spain make the most wine, and each region is tied to a few signature grapes: Bordeaux to Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, Burgundy to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, Mendoza to Malbec, Marlborough to Sauvignon Blanc. This guide gives you the key regions in 11 countries and what to drink from each, so you can read a wine list or a shelf with more confidence.

Wine regions of the world at a glance

Country	Key regions	Signature grapes and wines
France	Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne, Loire Valley, Rhône Valley	Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Syrah, Grenache
Italy	Piedmont, Tuscany, Veneto, Sicily	Nebbiolo (Barolo), Sangiovese (Chianti Classico), Glera (Prosecco), Nero d’Avola
Spain	Rioja, Ribera del Duero, Rías Baixas, Priorat, Jerez, Rueda	Tempranillo, Albariño, Garnacha, Palomino (Sherry), Verdejo, Cava grapes
Portugal	Douro, Vinho Verde, Dão, Alentejo, Madeira	Touriga Nacional (Port), Alvarinho (Vinho Verde)
Germany	Mosel, Rheingau, Pfalz, Ahr, Baden	Riesling, Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir)
United States	Napa and Sonoma, Paso Robles, Willamette Valley, Columbia Valley	Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Merlot, Syrah
Argentina	Mendoza, Salta, Patagonia	Malbec, Torrontés, Pinot Noir
Chile	Coastal valleys, Andes foothills	Carménère, Bordeaux blends, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Syrah
Australia	South Australia, Western Australia, Victoria	Shiraz, Cabernet blends, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir
New Zealand	Marlborough and other regions	Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris
South Africa	Western Cape	Chenin Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Grenache

Regions and grapes in this table come from Wine Folly’s wine maps and country guides, Wines of Germany and the Comité Champagne.

Which countries make the most wine?

The OIV (International Organisation of Vine and Wine), the intergovernmental body for the wine sector, estimates world wine production at 227 million hectoliters in 2025, just 0.6% above the historically low 2024 harvest. It was the third low year in a row, which the OIV links to weather extremes such as frost, heavy rain and drought, plus more cautious production as demand softened. A hectoliter is 100 liters, or about 133 standard bottles.

Rank	Country	Wine production, 2025 (million hl)
1	Italy	44.4
2	France	36.1
3	Spain	28.7
4	United States	20.0
5	Australia	11.3
6	Argentina	10.8
7	South Africa	10.2
8	Chile	8.4
9	Germany	7.6
10	Portugal	6.0

Source: OIV, State of the World Wine Sector in 2025 (May 2026). New Zealand made 3.7 million hl, its second-largest harvest on record.

Vineyard area tells a different story. Spain has the largest vineyard in the world, about 919,000 hectares in 2025, ahead of France (740,000 ha), China (733,000 ha) and Italy (726,000 ha), according to the OIV. Those figures count vines for every use, including table grapes, and the world total fell for the sixth year running, to 7.0 million hectares.

France

France is the reference point for much of the wine world, and the OIV ranks it the second-largest producer. Its wines are named after places, not grapes, so it helps to know which grapes go with which region. According to Wine Folly’s maps:

• Bordeaux: red blends of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Our Merlot wine guide covers the Right Bank, where Merlot leads.
• Burgundy (Bourgogne): Pinot Noir for reds, Chardonnay for whites.
• Loire Valley: Sauvignon Blanc in Sancerre, Cabernet Franc in Chinon and Melon in Muscadet. Start with our Sancerre wine guide.
• Rhône Valley: Syrah, Grenache and Mourvèdre for reds; Viognier for whites.

Champagne is France’s sparkling wine region. The Comité Champagne says three grapes cover almost all of its vineyards: Pinot Noir (about 38%), Chardonnay (31%) and Meunier (31%). Five other permitted varieties (Arbane, Petit Meslier, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris and Chardonnay Rose) together cover only about 0.3%.

Italy

Italy is the world’s largest wine producer, with 20 wine regions and, according to Wine Folly, more than 500 officially recognized grape varieties. The names to know:

• Piedmont: Nebbiolo, the grape of Barolo, plus Moscato d’Asti and Dolcetto.
• Tuscany: Sangiovese, the grape behind Chianti Classico, and the Super Tuscan blends.
• Veneto: Prosecco, made from Glera, and Amarone della Valpolicella, made from partly dried grapes, mainly Corvina, Rondinella and Molinara, according to Wine Folly.
• The south and islands: Nero d’Avola in Sicily, Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, Primitivo in Puglia and Aglianico in Campania.

In our view, Italy is the best country for adventurous everyday drinking: so many local grapes means plenty of good wine that isn’t priced on fame.

Spain

The OIV ranks Spain third for production and first for vineyard area. Wine Folly’s map of Spain highlights:

• Rioja and Ribera del Duero: Tempranillo, Spain’s best-known red grape. Wine Folly notes that Rioja reserva wines are aged in American oak.
• Rías Baixas: Albariño, a fresh, Atlantic-influenced white.
• Priorat: full-bodied reds from Garnacha and Carignan, often with Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Merlot.
• Jerez: Sherry, made from Palomino, in styles such as fino and oloroso.
• Cava: traditional-method sparkling wine from Macabeo, Parellada and Xarel·lo.
• Rueda: crisp, dry Verdejo.

Portugal

Portugal’s strength is its native grapes. Wine Folly points to the Douro Valley for Port made with Touriga Nacional, alongside Touriga Franca and Tinta Roriz (Tempranillo); the cool northwest region of Vinho Verde for zippy, low-alcohol whites, including Alvarinho; the mountainous Dão for spicier, more tannic reds; the Alentejo for whites from Antão Vaz and bold Alicante Bouschet reds; and the island of Madeira, where single-varietal wines such as Sercial, Verdelho, Malmsey and Bual are the best styles. We’d suggest a Touriga Nacional red if you like big reds and want something different from Cabernet.

Germany

Germany has 13 official wine regions, according to Wines of Germany, including the Mosel, Rheingau, Pfalz, Rheinhessen, Nahe, Franken, Baden and Ahr. Riesling is the main focus, says Wine Folly, while Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir) shines in the Ahr and Baden. Wines of Germany calls the Mosel, along the Moselle, Saar and Ruwer rivers, Germany’s oldest wine region, and puts the Rheingau at 3,117 hectares of vines as of 2025.

United States

The US is the world’s fourth-largest producer, according to the OIV. The best-known US regions are on the West Coast:

• California’s North Coast: Napa and Sonoma.
• California’s Central Coast: Santa Barbara and Paso Robles. Our Paso Robles wine tasting guide covers its 11 smaller districts and how to plan a visit.
• Oregon: the Willamette Valley, for Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris and Chardonnay.
• Washington: the Columbia Valley, for Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Merlot and Riesling.

We find US labels easier to read than many European ones, because they usually name both the grape and the region.

Argentina

Argentina is South America’s largest wine producer, the OIV says. Mendoza is the heart of it and the home of Malbec: Argentina’s wine institute, the INV, counts 47,064 hectares of Malbec at the end of 2024, 84.7% of it in Mendoza. Wine Folly also points to Salta for the aromatic white Torrontés and Patagonia for Pinot Noir. Read more in our Malbec wine guide.

Chile

Wine arrived in Chile with Spanish conquistadors in the mid-1500s, according to Wine Folly. Today Chile is known for Carménère, a grape Wine Folly describes as once nearly extinct, and for Bordeaux-style blends. Coastal areas give Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, while inland areas near the Andes suit Syrah. The OIV notes Chile’s 2025 output, 8.4 million hl, was its lowest since 2007, largely because of water scarcity.

Australia

The OIV puts Australia as the largest producer in the Southern Hemisphere in 2025. Wine Folly’s map links South Australia to Shiraz and Cabernet blends, Western Australia to Bordeaux-style blends and unoaked Chardonnay, and Victoria to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Shiraz is the Australian name for Syrah; our Syrah vs Shiraz guide explains the difference in style.

New Zealand

New Zealand is small in volume but well known abroad, above all for Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. Wine Folly also highlights Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay and Riesling across its main regions. In our view, Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc is the easiest way to taste how much a region shapes a grape: put it next to a Sancerre and the difference is clear.

South Africa

Wine Folly’s South Africa map runs from Cape Agulhas to the Central Orange River and highlights the Western Cape, with granite hills more than 65 million years old. The signature grapes include Chenin Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Grenache. The OIV reports a full recovery in 2025, with 10.2 million hl, 16.2% more than in 2024.

How to use regions when you buy

• In Europe, the region is the grape. A bottle labeled Chianti Classico, Rioja or Sancerre won’t always name the grape, so the table above is your decoder.
• In the New World, the grape comes first. A Mendoza Malbec or a Columbia Valley Merlot tells you both.
• Try the same grape from two regions. We’d compare a French Sauvignon Blanc with a New Zealand one, or a Cahors Malbec with a Mendoza one, to learn how climate changes a wine.
• Look beyond the famous names for value. We’d check the neighbors of famous regions first, such as the smaller Loire appellations around Sancerre.

For more region guides as we publish them, see our wine regions hub.