Mendoza, located in mid-west of the Argentine Republic and at the feet of the Andes, is Cuyo Region's most important city. With over 1,6 million inhabitants, it is the country's 4th largest city. Its exceptional climate allows the bests grape ripen, basis of its excellent wines.

Mendoza is the center of Argentina’s wine industry and accounts for approximately 70% of the country’s total output. Nearly all the major wineries are concentrated in this province. Its signature grape is the Malbec. The climate and terroir in Mendoza are the ideal setting for the full expression of this grape variety.

Widely known by its beautiful landscapes, Mendoza enjoys a strategic geographical location and becomes a real link by connecting Chile with the Mercosur countries (Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay).

Next to the manufacturing, commercial and agriculture development, the city is distinguished by its intense cultural life around its universities, theaters, museums and art galleries.

Events related with the Viticulture's world and Aconcagua, highest peak of America (6.959 m. / 22,841ft) are interests that turn Mendoza into one of the favorite international tourism destinations. Its proximity to the Andean mountain range turns this city into an unbeatable destination for the adventure tourism: trekking, rafting, skiing, mountaineering and astounding landscapes to carry out photographic safaris, among other activities.

Mendoza territory is crossed by important rivers, carrying snowmelt water from the Andes, which is funneled since Incas times into an intricate irrigation system used for agriculture. This particular way of cultivating the land has given birth to a culture of hard work supported by a careful and intelligent use of natural resources.

Mendoza has a temperate, semi-desertic continental climate, with copious amounts of intense sunlight – some 320 days per year on average – and rainfall that rarely exceeds 8 to 10 inches per year. With intense sun and little rain, Mendoza yields ultra-ripe grapes. The bone-dry air means that Argentine vineyards are mostly free of fungal diseases, virtually eliminating the need to spray preventive chemicals. The flip side, of course, is that Argentine vineyards rely heavily on irrigation. Rivers originating in the Andes Mountains provide plentiful water for irrigation. Harvest normally happens between February and early April turning the whole city into its atmosphere: numerous cultural events, celebrations and Parades crowned by Vendimia Festival take place then.

The Californian city of San Francisco is situated on North America’s west coast. With its rugged coastline, magnificent icons such as the Golden Gate Bridge, and its world-class wining and dining, it is one of the country’s most popular tourist destinations. Several wine regions are close by, but of these the best known must be the Napa Valley located within easy driving distance from San Francisco and admired the world over for the quality of their wines.

The Californian climate and topography influence viticulture in the region more than soil types, which vary markedly. The climate is largely Mediterranean – dry, sunny and warm. The sea breezes off the Pacific Ocean is often mitigated by the two major mountain ranges, the Coastal Range and Sierra Nevada Range.

California wine – of which the Napa Valley is one of the most well known producers – accounts for over 90% of wine production in North America, and make it the fourth largest wine producer in the world.

The Napa Valley is distinguished by the extraordinary range of appellations and wine styles, which range from rich red wines with soft tannins and intense fruit, to spicy zinfandels and rich creamy chardonnays.

The Napa Valley Wine Region is also a very popular tourist destination, with accommodation ranging from Victorian bed & breakfast inns to luxurious golf resorts, and significant food and wine festivals occurring throughout the year.

Bilbao, the most important city in northern Spain, is located on the coast of the Bay of Biscay. It was originally a seaport and in the 15th and 16th centuries became a centre of commerce between Spain, Europe and America. Today, over 1.1 million inhabitants live in Bilbao and its metropolitan area.

In the middle of the 19th century, the city developed industries such as iron, steel, shipbuilding, ship-owning companies, chemical products, banking and electricity, followed later by paper, cement and glass. In the 20th century it added the machine tool, automotive components and aeronautical industries. More recently the city has created important technological centres.

Bilbao has undergone an important transformation by developing an urban model combining new industries, services and technologies with art and culture. The most recent example is the Guggenheim Museum.

The Bilbao-Rioja geographic area displays first-class economic dynamism. It is considered a top tourist destination because of the wide range of its cultural sites, its world-famous cuisine and the excellent Rioja wines.

The first written words in Castilian Spanish were in praise of Rioja wines. The magical Rioja landscape seems completely dedicated to the creation of some of the finest wines in the world.

The climate, soil and geographical features of the region form an ideal environment, so it's not surprising that Rioja has produced wine since early Roman times.

Since the middle of the 19th century Rioja has realised its true potential by producing outstanding red wines. The classic blend of soft, mellow vanilla and rich, deep fruit are a tribute to the winemaker's skill when ageing wine in oak casks.

Bordeaux, formerly called Burdigala, is located in the Gironde department in south-western France. The Gironde is crossed by the Dordogne and Garonne rivers, which meet at and flow into the Gironde Estuary on the Atlantic coast. Bordeaux’s population is 220,000 inhabitants (Bordeaux urban area : 880 000 inhabitants).

Rich in history, culture, arts, music, legendary wines and gastronomy, Bordeaux is not only the fine wines capital of the world, it is also a vibrant centre of trade, industry, services and business.

The international airport, the European station and the Atlantic sea front with the “Moon Port” give Bordeaux a huge international opening. The key sectors of the economy are wine, aeronautics and services. The GDP of the Aquitaine region represents 5% of the national GDP and it is the 6th French region.

The city is a significant European industrial and aeronautics centre in the new and high technologies. Bordeaux is the administrative capital of the Aquitaine region. The tertiary sector dominates in the region (70%) with a strong commercial attraction and a concentration of services links to firms. Bordeaux is also an important university and research centre.

The name of Bordeaux is worldly known as an exceptional brand image of great wines. The wine trade was started by the English during the reign of Eleanor of Aquitaine. Bordeaux is the largest fine wine-producing vineyard in the world, as well as the most legendary. This reputation is mostly built on red wines, especially those from Médoc, Saint Emilion, Pomerol but also on the famous sweet whites Sauternes. The wealth of Bordeaux wines rests on some fifty seven “Appellations d’Origine Contrôlées” (A.O.C.).

The most prestigious names of the region are first-class châteaux (such as Margaux, Lafite and Petrus), even though they usually represent only a small part of the region’s total production. The rest of the area produces a vast range of excellent offerings from the major appellations and petite appellations alike.

Cape Town is South Africa’s second largest city, with a population of around 3.5 million. It is the southern-most metropolis on the African continent, and enjoys a pleasant Mediterranean climate.

The Western Cape’s major wine-growing areas stretch from the heart of Namaqualand, north of the majestic Cederberg mountains in the north-west, to the Klein Karoo, well east of Cape Town. However, most of the 13 wine growing regions are within easy reach of Cape Town, ranging from a 20 minute drive (Constantia) to a two-hour journey (Robertson).

The culture of wine is well developed in the Western Cape, as the region has been producing wine for some three and a half centuries. Jan van Riebeeck, who arrived in Table Bay on 6 April 1652 to establish a refreshment station for the Dutch East India Company, saw his first vintage pressed in 1659.

Most of the Western Cape’s wine-growing areas enjoy a Mediterranean climate, with winter rainfall and warm dry summers. Both climate and soil variations ensure a wide range of wine types and styles are produced. Red and white wines of high quality are made, along with an increasing number of sparkling wines. The province’s fortified wines – including sherry, port and muscatel – are renowned for both good quality and pleasing prices.

Gracious estates with distinctive Cape Dutch architecture, surrounded by verdant vineyards and a backdrop of mauve mountains, are as quintessentially Cape as Table Mountain. There are, however, several equally impressive cellars that are as modern as any in the world, some sunk into hillsides, other state-of-the-art steel and glass structures that soar skyward.

Florence is located in the heart of Tuscany – a region of rolling hills, stately cypress trees, ancient olive groves and endless vistas of vineyards. An ancient Medieval city, famous world-wide for its museums and art galleries, Florence is also the ideal city from which to explore the wine-regions of Tuscany.

Tuscany itself extends east from the shores of the Mediterranean sea to the Apennines and south from the Ligurian gulf to the gentle hills of the Maremma, however its heart is in the central hills of Chianti, producer of the world-famous Chinati Classicos and Rufinas.

The soul of Tuscany is the sangiovese grape, with its fruity aromas and spicy notes, balanced by acidity and ripe tannins. The primary white variety of the region is trebbiano toscano, which provides a good neutral base for blending with chardonnaiy or malvasia del chianti. For sweet wines, moscadello is used, and malvasia and trebiannao are also used in Vin Santo.

While the Chianti district is the lynchpin of Tuscan wines, and only a short drive South of Florence, other key areas are Montalcino, Monepulciano, Bolgheri and the Maremma, all located a few hours away.

A wine tour of Tuscany rewards the visitor not just with spectacularly beautiful scenery along the way, but with some of the finest gastronomic experiences to be found in Italy.

Melbourne is Australia’s second-largest city, with a population of around 3 million people. It is located in the south-east of the country, and enjoys a pleasant, temperate climate. The major wine regions closest to Melbourne can all be found within an hour to an hour and a half’s drive from the city.

The areas surrounding Melbourne are renowned as some of the major wine-producing areas in Australia. Within a couple of hours drive of the city one finds sea-side resorts, gentle rolling hills and higher snow-capped mountains, and the diversity of climate and geography make for a wide range of fine wines.

The local wine regions have earned a reputation for their world-class wines of an extraordinary diversity of style. These range from some extraordinarily complex and intensely flavoured shiraz wines and elegant cold-climate pinot noirs, to fruity chardonnays and crisp sparkling wines.

A little further a field, the area around Rutherglen to the northeast of Melbourne produces the uniquely Australian fortified Tokays and Muscats.

The wine industry around Melbourne has some of the longest established and some of the most technologically advanced and innovative wineries in Australia.

Today nearly all wineries are very well set up for visitors with cellar door tasting and purchasing opportunities.

From late October through to March there are wine and food festivals all around the region. The city of Melbourne itself is also host to several major international wine fairs and trade shows. 

Porto is to be found in the northwest corner of Portugal in the heart of Vinho Verde country. It is also a short drive to Port country – some of the most beautiful and spectacular landscape in the world.

A relative newcomer on the world wine scene, Portuguese wines have been rediscovered and promoted only in the last 20 years or so.

Porto is the largest city in the northern region of Portugal, which is noted for the great contrast between the light, fresh and often fizzy wines of Vinho Verde and the heavyweights of the Douro, which include Port.

Vinho verde ‘sparkling wine’, is grown in the northwest corner. Country wines from the northeast are made in the area between the Spanish border to the north and east and four mountain ranges to the west. The northern part is high with hot summers and cold winters. The southern part includes the Douro valley and is known as terra quente – or hot land.

The Vinho verde region is best known for its slightly under-ripe wines, with a slightly sparkling character. They are mainly white, and the best are made from the alvarinho grape, as well as the azal, ljurerio and rabigato.

Wines from the Douro region are beginning to be accepted as some of Portugal’s finest. Although excellent white wines are produced here, the area is best known for its great reds.

Source: GWC