Wine appellations

31 appellations covering the wine world's most editorially significant regions. AOC, DOCG, DO, AVA, and GI designations from Médoc and the Burgundy Grand Crus to Napa Valley, Barossa, Mendoza, and Maipo.

Appellations
31
Countries
5
Foundational
25
Climate buckets
9
55 appellations

France

20 appellations

French appellations — Bordeaux subregions including Médoc, Margaux, and Sauternes; Burgundy's Côte de Nuits with Vosne-Romanée; Champagne; the Rhône's Côte-Rôtie, Hermitage, and Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

France Foundational
Chambolle-Musigny AOC
Burgundy — Côte de Nuits
Often called the most perfumed and 'feminine' of the Côte de Nuits villages, Chambolle-Musigny yields silky, floral red Pinot Noir crowned by the grand crus Musigny and Bonnes-Mares.
France Foundational
Champagne AOC
Champagne (Reims + Épernay + Aube)
The reference appellation for traditional-method sparkling wine. Chalk-soil vineyards produce three principal grapes blended (or single-varietal) into the world’s benchmark sparkling category.
France Foundational
Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Southern Rhône
France’s first AOC. Mediterranean-climate blend region using up to 13 grape varieties on rounded-stone terroir. Grenache-dominated, powerful, age-worthy.
France Foundational
Côte de Nuits
Burgundy
The greatest Pinot Noir appellation in the world. Contains 24 of Burgundy’s 33 Grand Crus, including Romanée-Conti, La Tâche, Chambertin, and Musigny.
France Foundational
Côte-Rôtie
Northern Rhône
Northern Rhône’s most prestigious appellation. Syrah-led wines (sometimes co-fermented with Viognier) grown on impossibly steep terraced hillsides.
France Foundational
Gevrey-Chambertin AOC
Burgundy — Côte de Nuits
The largest of the Côte de Nuits village appellations and home to nine grand crus, Gevrey-Chambertin produces some of Burgundy's most powerful and structured red Pinot Noir.
France Foundational
Hermitage AOC
Northern Rhône
The most powerful Northern Rhône Syrah appellation. Single hill (~135 hectares) producing concentrated, age-worthy reds and rich whites.
France Foundational
Margaux AOC
Bordeaux — Médoc
The most southerly and most elegant of the Médoc commune AOCs. Famous for perfumed, refined Cabernet-led blends — the stylistic counterpoint to powerful Pauillac.
France Foundational
Meursault AOC
Burgundy — Côte de Beaune
The largest white-wine commune of the Côte de Beaune, Meursault yields rich, buttery, nutty Chardonnay — and, uniquely among the great whites, has no grand cru.
France Established
Morey-Saint-Denis AOC
Burgundy — Côte de Nuits
An often-overlooked Côte de Nuits commune whose red Pinot Noir bridges the power of Gevrey and the finesse of Chambolle, anchored by five grand crus.
France Foundational
Médoc (Haut-Médoc)
Bordeaux
Bordeaux’s most prestigious left-bank zone. Cabernet Sauvignon-led blends from gravel terroirs. Home to four of the five First Growths (Lafite, Mouton, Latour, Margaux).
France Foundational
Pauillac AOC
Bordeaux — Médoc
The most aristocratic of the Médoc communes, Pauillac is home to three of Bordeaux's five First Growths and a byword for powerful, age-worthy Cabernet Sauvignon.
France Landmark
Pessac-Léognan AOC
Bordeaux — Graves
The aristocratic top tier of the Graves, Pessac-Léognan is the only Bordeaux commune equally renowned for both its reds and its barrel-aged dry whites.
France Landmark
Pomerol AOC
Bordeaux — Right Bank (Libournais)
A tiny right-bank appellation with no official classification, Pomerol produces some of the world's most coveted and expensive Merlot-based wines.
France Foundational
Puligny-Montrachet AOC
Burgundy — Côte de Beaune
One of the world's greatest white-wine appellations, Puligny-Montrachet yields taut, mineral, age-defining Chardonnay and shares the legendary Montrachet grand cru.
France Established
Saint-Estèphe AOC
Bordeaux — Médoc
The Médoc's northernmost commune, Saint-Estèphe makes sturdy, structured reds whose clay-rich soils give them notable depth and longevity.
France Landmark
Saint-Julien AOC
Bordeaux — Médoc
A compact Médoc commune prized for the consistency and balance of its classed growths, Saint-Julien bridges Pauillac's power and Margaux's finesse.
France Foundational
Saint-Émilion Grand Cru AOC
Bordeaux — Right Bank (Libournais)
The flagship right-bank appellation, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru pairs a UNESCO-listed medieval town with Merlot- and Cabernet Franc–led reds and its own evolving classification.
France Foundational
Sauternes AOC
Bordeaux
The world’s greatest sweet wine appellation. Sémillon-Sauvignon Blanc affected by noble rot (Botrytis cinerea). Home to Château d’Yquem, the only Premier Cru Supérieur.
France Foundational
Vosne-Romanée
Burgundy — Côte de Nuits
The most prestigious commune in Burgundy. Contains five Grands Crus: Romanée-Conti, La Tâche, Richebourg, Romanée-Saint-Vivant, and La Grande Rue.

Italy

7 appellations

Italian appellations covering Tuscany (Bolgheri DOC, Chianti Classico DOCG, Brunello di Montalcino DOCG) and Piedmont (Barolo DOCG, Barbaresco DOCG).

Italy Foundational
Barbaresco DOCG
Piedmont (Langhe hills)
Barolo’s sister appellation — Nebbiolo from the Tanaro river hills. Generally more aromatic and earlier-drinking than Barolo. Home to Angelo Gaja’s historic single-vineyard work.
Italy Foundational
Barolo DOCG
Piedmont (Langhe hills)
100% Nebbiolo from the Langhe hills. The most powerful, tannic, and age-worthy Italian red wine. Traditional vs modernist debate has defined the appellation since the 1980s.
Italy Foundational
Bolgheri DOC
Coastal Tuscany
The founding Super Tuscan appellation. Coastal Tuscany terroir suited to Cabernet-led blends. Home to Sassicaia (which has its own monopolio DOC) and Ornellaia.
Italy Foundational
Brunello di Montalcino DOCG
Southern Tuscany
100% Sangiovese from the Montalcino hill town. Created in the 1880s by Ferruccio Biondi-Santi using a particular Sangiovese clone. Among Italy’s most age-worthy red wines.
Italy Foundational
Chianti Classico DOCG
Central Tuscany
The historic original Chianti zone in central Tuscany. Sangiovese-dominated wines with the black-rooster (Gallo Nero) seal of authenticity. The reference for traditional Sangiovese.
Italy Landmark
Taurasi DOCG
Campania
Campania's flagship red, made from the late-ripening Aglianico grape and often called the 'Barolo of the South' for its power and longevity.
Italy Landmark
Valpolicella DOC / Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG
Veneto
The Veneto's celebrated red-wine valley north of Verona, home to the appassimento-dried wines Amarone and Recioto della Valpolicella.

United States

9 appellations

California AVAs — Napa Valley with its Oakville sub-AVA, the cool-climate Sonoma zones (Russian River, Sonoma Coast), the Santa Cruz Mountains, Dry Creek + Alexander Valley, and Rhône-style Paso Robles.

United States Established
Alexander Valley AVA
Sonoma County, California
Sonoma’s warmer Cabernet Sauvignon zone. Includes the historic Geyserville and Pagani Ranch sources for Ridge Vineyards’ Zinfandel field-blend bottlings.
United States Foundational
Dry Creek Valley AVA
Sonoma County, California
California’s reference Zinfandel AVA. Sixteen-mile valley with historic dry-farmed Zinfandel vines, some 100+ years old.
United States Foundational
Napa Valley AVA
California — North Coast
The most editorially significant American wine region. Cabernet-dominant Mediterranean valley with 16 nested sub-AVAs spanning dramatically different terroirs.
United States Foundational
Oakville AVA
Napa Valley, California
Napa Valley’s most prestigious sub-AVA. Mid-valley terroir balancing cooling and warming influences. Home to Opus One, Screaming Eagle, and the historic To Kalon vineyard.
United States Established
Paso Robles AVA
California — Central Coast
California’s leading Rhône-variety AVA. Limestone-soil western Paso (Adelaida District) is the Rhône Rangers stronghold; eastern Paso produces serious Cabernet and Zinfandel.
United States Foundational
Russian River Valley AVA
Sonoma County, California
California’s reference Pinot Noir and cool-climate Chardonnay AVA. Morning fog through the Petaluma Gap creates ideal Pinot growing conditions.
United States Foundational
Santa Cruz Mountains AVA
California — Central Coast / Bay Area
California’s reference high-elevation cool-climate AVA. Ridge Vineyards’ Monte Bello vineyard at 2,000-2,700 feet is the editorial center.
United States Established
Sonoma Coast AVA
Sonoma County, California
Northern California’s coolest serious AVA. True Sonoma Coast Pinot and Chardonnay from extreme-coastal sites; petitioned for sub-AVA recognition.
USA Landmark
Stags Leap District AVA
California — Napa Valley
Napa Valley's silken Cabernet powerhouse, the first American AVA approved on the basis of soil and climate, home to the wine that won the 1976 Judgment of Paris.

Spain

5 appellations
Spain Foundational
Jerez-Xérès-Sherry DO
Andalusia
The world’s reference fortified-wine appellation. Solera-aged sherries from Palomino (dry styles) and Pedro Ximénez (sweet styles). The albariza chalk soil is uniquely suited to high-acid sherry base wines.
Spain Landmark
Priorat DOQ/DOCa
Catalonia
Catalonia's prestigious mountain region of old-vine Garnacha and Cariñena grown on slate llicorella soils — one of only two Spanish DOCa appellations.
Spain Foundational
Ribera del Duero DO
Castile-León
Spain’s most prestigious red wine DO. High-altitude (700-1000m) Tempranillo zone producing powerful, age-worthy wines. Home to Vega Sicilia and major modern reference producers.
Spain Foundational
Rioja DOCa
La Rioja / Basque Country / Navarre
Spain's most famous red-wine region and its first DOCa, built on Tempranillo and renowned for oak-aged reds and traditional barrel-aged whites.
Spain Established
Rías Baixas DO
Galicia
Galicia's cool, Atlantic-influenced white-wine region, the benchmark home of crisp, aromatic Albariño.

Portugal

1 appellation
Portugal Foundational
Porto DOC (Douro Valley)
Douro Valley
The world’s reference fortified-wine region (Port). Terraced schist slopes of the Douro valley produce Vintage Port that ages 30-50+ years.

Germany

2 appellations
Germany Foundational
Mosel (Mosel-Saar-Ruwer)
Mosel river valley + Saar and Ruwer tributaries
The world’s reference Riesling appellation. Steep slate slopes along the Mosel river produce wines of unmatched aromatic intensity, mineral character, and acid balance.
Germany Established
Nahe
Rhineland-Palatinate — Nahe River valley
Germany's most geologically diverse Riesling region, where steep slopes along the River Nahe yield wines of crystalline precision rivalling the Mosel and Rheingau.

Australia

5 appellations
Australia Foundational
Barossa Valley GI
South Australia
Australia’s reference Shiraz GI. Hot-climate region with some of the world’s oldest Shiraz vines (Henschke Hill of Grace; 1860s-era plantings).
Australia Established
Coonawarra GI
South Australia (Limestone Coast)
Australia’s reference Cabernet Sauvignon GI. The terra rossa (red clay over limestone) soil produces distinctively minty-eucalyptus Cabernets.
Australia Landmark
Eden Valley
South Australia — Barossa zone
A cool, high-altitude Barossa-zone GI famous for steely, age-worthy Riesling and some of the world's oldest Shiraz vines.
Australia Landmark
Margaret River
Western Australia — South West Australia
Western Australia's premier maritime wine region, renowned for structured Cabernet Sauvignon, elegant Chardonnay, and crisp Sauvignon Blanc–Semillon blends.
Australia Established
McLaren Vale GI
South Australia
Australia’s cooler, maritime-influenced Shiraz/Grenache GI. Old-vine Grenache plantings (some 100+ years) make McLaren Vale a serious Grenache region.

Argentina

1 appellation
Argentina Foundational
Mendoza (Malbec)
Cuyo (western Argentina)
Argentina’s most significant wine region and the world’s reference Malbec zone. High-altitude (700-1500m+) sub-zones produce dramatically different Malbec expressions.

Chile

2 appellations
Chile Established
Aconcagua Valley DO
Valparaíso Region — Aconcagua
A warm interior Chilean valley north of Santiago renowned for powerful, age-worthy Cabernet Sauvignon and Carmenère, and home to icon wine Seña.
Chile Established
Maipo Valley DO
Central Chile
Chile’s most prestigious Cabernet Sauvignon DO. The Puente Alto sub-zone (high-altitude eastern Maipo) is the source for Don Melchor, Almaviva, and Viñedo Chadwick.

New Zealand

2 appellations
New Zealand Established
Central Otago
South Island — Otago
The world's southernmost wine region, a high-country continental enclave famed for concentrated, perfumed Pinot Noir and racy Riesling.
New Zealand Landmark
Marlborough
South Island — Marlborough
New Zealand's largest wine region and the global benchmark for pungent, zesty Sauvignon Blanc, with serious Pinot Noir and Chardonnay alongside.

South Africa

1 appellation
South Africa Landmark
Stellenbosch WO
Western Cape — Coastal Region
South Africa's most celebrated red-wine district, the granite-slope heartland of Cape Cabernet, Bordeaux blends and Pinotage around the historic university town of Stellenbosch.
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