wine: Quick Facts

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The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

Oct. 27, 2026

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Photos and Videos

Workers empty buckets of harvested grapes into a large bin in a vineyard surrounded by grapevines in Tuscany, Italy.

Bordeaux vineyard

Map of France highlighting major wine-producing regions in purple, including Champagne, Alsace, Loire Valley, Bordeaux, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Cotes du Rhone, Provence, Languedoc, Roussillon, Cognac, Armagnac, Bergerac, Chablis, Jura, Savoy, and the island of Corsica. Major rivers and surrounding seas are also labeled for geographic context.

Rows of grapevines and olive trees stretch across a sunlit hillside in the Arno valley, Tuscany, with rustic buildings and cypress trees in the background.

vineyards in Napa Valley

vineyards in Cape Town

wine-producing processes

Rows of new oak barrels filled with wine are stacked on metal racks in a storage facility, arranged neatly in parallel lines.

Three wine glasses in a row, filled with white, rose, and red wine from front to back.

How wines get their unique flavors and aromas

A hand holds a magnifying glass over an Absolut Vodka label, highlighting “80 PROOF” with question marks in the background.

Two bottles of red wine and a glass full of red wine sit on a bar.

The tradition of wine production in Chile

Why is champagne bubbly?

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Topics

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Key People

Robert Mondavi

Robert Mondavi

American winemaker

Fruit. Grape. Vitis vinifera. Blauer Portugieser. Wine. Wine grape. Autumn. Grape leaves. Two clusters of Blauer Portugieser grapes on the vine.

Drink to This

Fruit. Grapes. Grapes on the vine. White grape. Riesling. Wine. Wine grape. White wine. Vineyard. Cluster of Riesling grapes on the vine.

Quick Quiz: Champagne

Fruit. Grapes. Grapes on the vine. White grape. Riesling. Wine. Wine grape. White wine. Vineyard. Cluster of Riesling grapes on the vine.

Wining and Dining Quiz

Beer glasses on dark table

The History of Beer, Wine, and Some Foodstuffs Quiz