30-Second Wine

Barossa is synonymous with red gutsy wines, typically made from Grenache, Shiraz and Mourvèdre.

Located on the north-eastern tip of South Island, Marlborough is New Zealand’s biggest wine region. Its name in Maori means ‘the place with the hole in the cloud’, in reference to the intense sunshine. Sauvignon Blanc rules here

International varieties including Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chenin Blanc and Chardonnay feature prominently in blends from Stellenbosch. This region is also famous for Pinotage (a cross between Pinot Noir and Cinsaut), a grape that is unique to South Africa that makes typically dark- hued wine with pronounced berry and liquorice flavours.

Tempranillo is the chief grape used in red Rioja, although as a style that is typically blended, Garnacha is also of huge importance.

Hippocrates famous for believing wine to be an integral part of a healthy diet

To maintain impeccable standards, Baron Philippe did not release the disappointing 1930 vintage as Mouton Rothschild but as a brand he created and named Mouton Cadet.

First-century naturalist Pliny the Elder (CE 23–79) authored the 37-volume encyclopaedia Naturalis Historia; book 14 deals exclusively with wine, including a ranking of the First Growths of Rome, and book 17 includes viticultural techniques and the concept of terroir. In his ranking of the best Roman wines, he concludes the vineyard has more influence than grape variety on the finished wine, a view shared by most modern experts.

There are five First Growth properties: Mouton-Rothschild, Latour, Lafite-Rothschild, Margaux and Haut-Brion, the last of which was upgraded (which seldom happens) in 1973/74.

All red Bordeaux wines are given the moniker ‘claret’, and although much everyday claret is made, it is the upper echelons that take the lion’s share of attention – whether it’s the painstaking analysis over weather conditions each year, its performance as an investment wine or the influence of American critic Robert Parker on prices.

The first six MWs qualified in 1953. By 2014 there were still only 319 MWs worldwide.