There are a great many people who consider themselves as something of a wine connoisseur these days. You cannot blame them for being hooked by some of the wonderful wines out there, and lots of people find they develop it as a hobby without really realizing it. They’ve invested in a vintage collection of wine wines, they’ve converted their spare room into a storage cellar, bought a selection of different wine glasses so that they can get the maximum enjoyment of each wine variety, and have all the required tableware gadgets for opening and pouring their wine.
The one thing that very few wine buffs have however is a wine map, which can show you more about wine regions that most books can. There have been some big leaps forward in wine map production in recent years and they are now meticulously researched. The California wine map for example is updated every year due to the complicated layout of the area, especially after Napa Valley was officially recognized as an American Viticultural Area in 1981. In total then there are 108 AVA’s in this region alone, with myriad terrains, varieties of grape and production methods.
You could of course just rely on the information on each bottle or the recommendations of friends when buying a bottle, but the true wine expert should know exactly where the grapes came from and why they taste the way they do. It is even more important if you decide to visit and area of wine production to have a wine map with you as things can get a little confusing if you don’t. It is not always clear to see where one vineyard or region ends and the next begins, and that’s without evening considering which varieties of grape and growing conditions each is known for. A wine map will allow you to not only understand the wines better but also identify where the tastes and aromas coming from your wine glasses came from
