The best thing about wine may be that it lets you travel without leaving the house. You sit at home on a cold winter day, pour a glass of Alexandria Premium Cuvée Red, and the weather outside stops mattering quite so much.
So here are some of the best wine regions in the world. The planet is full of them, each with its own character. Travelling to all of them would burn a hole in your pocket, but a bottle gets you a reasonable way there for a fraction of the price.
No need to pack. Let's go.
France
France is one of the leading wine-producing countries in the world. Wine has been made there for two thousand years and the country grows several hundred varieties. It also produces somewhere in the region of 45 to 50 million hectolitres a year, which runs to billions of bottles. What makes France iconic is the diversity, and the fact that the regional rules force producers to make something specific rather than something generic.
Loire Valley
Known as the Garden of France, and the wines are as varied as that suggests: crisp aromatic whites at one end, serious reds at the other. The highlights are the whites, Sauvignon Blanc and Chenin Blanc above all, though Cabernet Franc is a strong contender.
Bordeaux
In south-west France, with well over 100,000 hectares under vine, Bordeaux is hard to argue with. It's split by the Gironde and the Garonne on one side and the Dordogne on the other, and the wines vary as much as the landscape. Bordeaux reds are typically dry and structured, with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot the icons of the region.
Burgundy
Burgundy is famous for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, which make up most of what's grown. What makes it unusual is the structure: holdings are tiny and fragmented, so négociants buy grapes or wine from small growers and finish it themselves. Owning both vineyard and winery at scale is rare and expensive here.
North Macedonia
It may come as a surprise, but North Macedonian wine is very good and badly underrated. Part of that comes down to geography: it sits at a latitude and in a set of conditions with a good deal in common with Bordeaux.
The country has plenty of producers. Tikveš is the largest and the best known, and it is where our Macedonian wines come from. We are a London company and we do not make these wines. We buy them direct from the winery and check the vintage on every bottle when it lands. Two to start with: T'ga za Jug, a soft semi-dry red named after a poem, and Alexandria Premium Cuvée White, which is fruity and zesty and takes a chill well.
Italy
Italy produces more wine than anywhere else, across more than 700,000 hectares. It's divided into twenty wine regions. Here are three.
Piedmont
Wine lovers fall hard for Piedmont. The Alps sit on three sides, and the Barolo made from Nebbiolo is the reason most people come. The same grape makes Barbaresco, which is a little softer and quicker to come round.
Like North Macedonia, Piedmont's position does the work. Cold air off the Alps meets Mediterranean warmth, and the conditions for viticulture follow.
Tuscany
This one needs no introduction. If you've ever been recommended a honeymoon destination, it was probably here, and mostly because of the food and the wine.
Tuscany has poor soil, which suits vines, and production leans red. Sangiovese is the signature grape and it's what's in Chianti and Brunello di Montalcino. Keep an eye out too for the Super Tuscans from Bolgheri, which broke the regional rules on purpose and turned out to be right.
Sicily
Beyond the coastline, Sicilian wine deserves attention. Grapes have grown here for thousands of years, historically with a focus on fortified Marsala. The range has widened considerably since, and Nero d'Avola is now the grape to know.
Spain
If you want something with fruit and warmth, Spain delivers. Many regions are worth your time, but La Rioja is the crown jewel.
Rioja splits into three sub-zones: Alta, Alavesa and Oriental, each with its own character. The wines are classified by how long they age. Joven is young and barely oaked. Crianza, Reserva and Gran Reserva each demand progressively longer in barrel and bottle, with Gran Reserva the longest of the lot.
Chile
Chile has gained real recognition over the last couple of decades and is now one of the leading New World regions. With the Andes running the length of the border, the country has a great many zones suited to growing.
The signature grape is Carménère, and it has an odd history. It was originally planted in Bordeaux, thought extinct after phylloxera in the nineteenth century, and grown in Chile for decades under the belief that it was Merlot. It was correctly identified only in 1994.
New Zealand
Staying in the New World, New Zealand earns its place on the strength of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc alone. The cool climate and varied terrain produce some genuinely distinctive wine.
New Zealand producers also take sustainability seriously, and the country has been an early adopter of eco-friendly growing practice. If that matters to you, it's a good place to look.
Beyond Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, look at New Zealand Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Riesling.
That's the tour. Ours come from two of these: North Macedonia, and the Southern Rhône in France, where our three French wines are made estate-direct at Château de Gourdon. Have a look at the full range and pick a starting point.