The Region

In Europe (the “Old World”), by contrast, wines are generally known by the place where they were made rather than their grape variety. So, despite the fact that many European wines are made from the same grapes as those used in the New World, the bottles will read Burgundy or Rioja rather than Pinot Noir or Tempranillo. This practice isn’t as irrational as it sounds, because wines take on the character of the place where they were grown. The soil, climate (frosts, sunshine, rainfall) and topography of a vineyard all affect the taste of the grapes - so much so that vines of the same variety can yield startlingly different wines even when the vineyards are directly next to each other.