Armenia
Armavir and the Ararat plain
Armavir, Armenia: the hot Ararat plain below the mountain, nearly half the country's vines, Karas Wines at 400 hectares and the brandy heritage behind them.
Wine regions
Guides to the wine regions on my tours, from Vayots Dzor and Kakheti to the Langhe, Jura, Wachau and South Moravia: grapes, styles, seasons, how to get there.
These are the places I drive or fly to every year, not a survey of everywhere grapes grow. Six countries: Armenia and Georgia for karas and qvevri wines, the Armenian ones at real altitude; Italy and France for the classics and the cellars that quarrel with them; Czechia and Austria because the Moravian cellars are 30 to 60 minutes from my door in Brno and the Wachau is two and a half hours.
Every guide follows the same order: the land and its altitude, the grapes, who is working naturally and who classically and why I pour both, what arrives on the table, and the months worth travelling. Where a region has a scheduled tour, the guide says so.
Region guide
Armenia
My guide to Armenia's wine country: Areni Noir in the Vayots Dzor canyons, Voskehat under Mount Aragats, karas cellars, and how I run a wine tour from Yerevan.
Armenia
Aragatsotn wine region: Voskehat below Mount Aragats
Armenia's Aragatsotn wine region: Voskehat and Kangun on volcanic soils below Mount Aragats, karas at Voskevaz, Van Ardi and ArmAs, 40 minutes from Yerevan.
Armenia
Vayots Dzor: Armenia's Areni Noir country
Vayots Dzor, Armenia's high-altitude wine region: Areni Noir, karas cellars in Rind and Aghavnadzor, the Areni-1 cave and Noravank, and how my wine tour runs.
Region guide
Georgia
My guide to Georgia's wine country: qvevri cellars in Kakheti, Chinuri in Kartli, churi in Imereti, Khvanchkara in Racha, and my wine tours from Tbilisi.
Georgia
Racha-Lechkhumi: Khvanchkara and Georgia's mountain reds
Racha-Lechkhumi, Georgia's mountain wine region: Khvanchkara from Aleksandrouli and Mujuretuli, rare Usakhelouri, and how my wine tour reaches it from Kutaisi.
Georgia
Imereti: Georgia's gentler qvevri country around Kutaisi
Imereti, western Georgia: Tsitska, Tsolikouri and Krakhuna from churi buried in garden yards around Kutaisi, Terjola and Obcha, and how my wine tour runs there.
Georgia
Kartli: Chinuri, Mukhrani and Georgia's sparkling tradition
Kartli, Georgia's wine region beside Tbilisi: Chinuri in qvevri at Chardakhi, a palace cellar at Mukhrani, a sparkling tradition and how my wine tour runs.
Georgia
Kakheti: Georgia's Saperavi and qvevri heartland
Kakheti, Georgia's main wine region: Saperavi and Rkatsiteli in qvevri, the Tsinandali and Kindzmarauli PDOs, Sighnaghi and Telavi, and how my wine tour runs.
Region guide
Italy
My guide to Italy's wine country: Nebbiolo in the Langhe, amber Ribolla in Oslavia, Nerello on Etna's lava, Chianti hills, and how I run a wine tour in each.
Italy
Tuscany: Chianti Classico, Radda and Montalcino
Tuscany's Sangiovese hills: Chianti Classico from Radda and Panzano, Brunello di Montalcino, Montevertine and Fontodi, and how I add it to an Italy wine tour.
Italy
Etna wine region: Nerello Mascalese on the volcano
Etna wine region, Sicily: Nerello Mascalese and Carricante on lava at 600 to 1,000 m, the contrade of Randazzo and Passopisciaro, and how my wine tour runs.
Italy
Friuli Collio: orange wine country on the Slovenian border
Friuli's Collio and Carso, north-east Italy: Ribolla Gialla on skins in Oslavia, Gravner's qvevri, Radikon's botti, osmize above Trieste, and my wine tour.
Italy
Piedmont: Barolo, Barbaresco and the Langhe hills
Piedmont's Langhe hills around Alba, Italy: Nebbiolo in Barolo and Barbaresco, Barbera and Dolcetto, white truffle season, and how my wine tour runs.
Region guide
France
My guide to French wine country: vin jaune in the Jura, Beaujolais Gamay, Burgundy climats, grower Champagne, Loire Chenin, and how I run a wine tour in each.
France
Loire: Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc, Vouvray to Chinon
Loire Valley, France: Chenin Blanc in Vouvray and Montlouis, Cabernet Franc in Chinon and Saumur, tuffeau cellars, La Dive Bouteille and how my wine tour runs.
France
Champagne: Vertus, Avize, Aÿ and the chalk beneath Reims
Champagne, France, from the chalk up: grower cellars in Vertus and Avize, the houses of Reims and Épernay, Pinot Noir in Aÿ, and how my wine tour runs.
France
Burgundy: Beaune, Gevrey, Meursault and Chablis
Burgundy's Côte d'Or and Chablis, France: Pinot Noir and Chardonnay on 1,247 climats, négociants beside domaines, and how my wine tour from Beaune runs.
France
Beaujolais: Morgon, Fleurie and Gamay on granite
Beaujolais, France: Gamay on granite in Morgon, Fleurie and Côte de Brouilly, the natural pioneers of Villié-Morgon, and how my wine tour from Lyon runs.
France
Jura: Arbois, vin jaune and the two schools of Savagnin
Jura, France: Savagnin ouillé and sous voile, vin jaune from Château-Chalon, Poulsard, Trousseau around Arbois and Pupillin, Comté, and how my wine tour runs.
Region guide
Czechia
My guide to Czech wine country: Pálava limestone whites, Frankovka from the Blue Hills, painted cellar lanes, and how I run a Moravian wine tour from Brno.
Czechia
Bohemia: Mělník, Litoměřice and the Prague vineyards
Bohemia, Czechia: Pinot Noir and Riesling at Mělník, Litoměřice, Prague's Troja vineyards, biodynamic Kutná Hora. A wine tour day 40 minutes from Prague.
Czechia
Slovácko wine region: painted cellars and Blatnický roháč
Slovácko, South Moravia's folk wine country: painted cellars of Petrov Plže and Mutěnice, Blatnický roháč, Bzenec sekt, and how I tour it from Brno, Czechia.
Czechia
Velké Pavlovice: Frankovka country and the Blue Hills
Velké Pavlovice, South Moravia, Czechia: Frankovka and André on loess hills, the cellar lanes of Velké Bílovice and natural winemakers of the Modré Hory.
Czechia
Znojmo: Šobes, the blue cellars and Grüner Veltliner
Znojmo, South Moravia, Czechia: the Šobes vineyard in Podyjí national park, the blue cellars of Nový Šaldorf, Grüner Veltliner, Sauvignon and my wine tour.
Czechia
Mikulov wine region: Welschriesling under the Pálava hills
Mikulov wine region, Czechia: Welschriesling and Pálava on limestone hills, Sonberk's terrace at Popice, Pavlov's cellar lane, and a wine tour day from Brno.
Region guide
Austria
My guide to Austrian wine and how I tour it: Grüner Veltliner in the Wachau, Blaufränkisch by the Neusiedlersee, Styrian Sauvignon Blanc and Vienna Heurigen.
Austria
Vienna wine region: Gemischter Satz and the Heuriger
Vienna's wine region inside the city: Gemischter Satz DAC from the Nussberg, Bisamberg and Mauer, Heuriger evenings, Wieninger and Christ, 1.5 h from Brno.
Austria
Styria: Sauvignon Blanc, Opok and South Styria's wine road
Styria, Austria: Sauvignon Blanc and Morillon on Opok marl, Schilcher, Buschenschank tables and the natural cellars above Leutschach on a private wine tour.
Austria
Burgenland: Blaufränkisch, Gols, Rust and the Neusiedlersee
Burgenland, Austria: Blaufränkisch round the Neusiedlersee, Gols and Rust, Ruster Ausbruch, cellars at Gut Oggau and Preisinger, and how my wine tour runs.
Austria
Kamptal and Kremstal wine region: Heiligenstein to Krems
Austria's Kamptal wine tour: Grüner Veltliner on loess, Riesling on the Heiligenstein's Permian sandstone, Langenlois, Krems and Stein, an hour from Vienna.
Austria
Wachau wine region: Grüner Veltliner and Riesling on gneiss
Wachau wine region, Austria: Grüner Veltliner and Riesling on gneiss terraces above the Danube, Dürnstein, Spitz and Loiben, and a wine tour day from Vienna.