Know the grape, plan the trip

Aglianico

Track down bold, tannic Aglianico in Campania's Taurasi DOCG — the "Barolo of the South" — with Naples, Amalfi, and Salerno all within reach.

Where it grows: Italy, Campania, Southern Italy, Basilicata

Albariño

Follow Albariño to Rías Baixas, Spain, where Atlantic breezes keep this bone-dry white bright and briny — best paired fresh, right there, with the region's legendary seafood.

Where it grows: Europe, Rías Baixas, Spain, Uruguay

Alicante Bouschet

Seek it out in Portugal's sun-baked Alentejo, where this once-French grape found its true home and became the region's flagship red — deep, structured, and worth the trip.

Where it grows: Alentejo, Languedoc, Provence

Antão Vaz

Seek out Antão Vaz in Portugal's sun-baked Alentejo, especially around Vidigueira and Évora, where this drought-tough grape has become the region's signature white.

Where it grows: Alentejo, Portugal, Vidigueira, Évora

Arinto

Chase Portugal's zesty native white to its source: the small DOC of Bucelas near Lisbon, or the Vinho Verde coast where it's poured as "Pedernã."

Where it grows: Alentejo, Douro Valley, Bucelas, Vinho Verde

Assyrtiko

Taste Assyrtiko where it was born: Santorini's volcanic vineyards, home to ungrafted vines up to 250 years old.

Where it grows: Australia, Greece, Santorini

Barbera

From Piedmont's Barbera d'Asti DOCG to California's Amador County—home to an annual Barbera festival—this deep-colored, food-friendly Italian red rewards the trip.

Where it grows: Italy, Piedmont, Barbera d’Asti, California

Blaufränkisch

Austria's signature red grape - a spicy, bright-acid pour worth chasing to its source, from Burgenland's cellar doors to Hungary's Bull's Blood country.

Where it grows: Finger Lakes, Austria, Hungary, Slovenia

Cabernet Franc

Follow Cabernet Franc from its Loire Valley birthplace—Chinon, Bourgueil, Saumur—to Bordeaux's St-Émilion and Pomerol, where it built the Right Bank's finest blends.

Where it grows: Bordeaux, Finger Lakes, Loire Valley, Washington State

Cabernet Sauvignon

Trace this bold, age-worthy red from its birthplace in Bordeaux to Napa Valley, Walla Walla, and Chile's Colchagua Valley, where new-world winemakers put their own stamp on it.

Where it grows: Bordeaux, Chile, Napa Valley, Paso Robles

Carignan

Seek out old-vine Carignan in Spain's Priorat, where 80-year-old vines dug into slate and schist yield deep, flavor-packed wines — or trace its roots through Rioja and France's Languedoc-Roussillon.

Where it grows: Priorat, Rhône Valley, Sardinia, Lebanon

Carménère

Chile's quintessential red grape — taste it at the source in the Colchagua, Rapel and Maipo valleys, with small outposts to seek out in Italy's Veneto.

Where it grows: Bordeaux, Chile, Veneto, Italy, Aconcagua Valley

Chambourcin

No longer allowed in French AOC wines, Chambourcin now thrives in Virginia, Ohio, New York, and British Columbia—seek it out where it's actually grown.

Where it grows: Pennsylvania, Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee

Chardonnay

Trace Chardonnay from lean, mineral Burgundy — birthplace of Chablis — to riper, richer expressions in Napa Valley.

Where it grows: Burgundy, Napa Valley, Lake Erie, Columbia Valley

Chasselas

Where it grows: Geneva, La Côte, Lavaux, Valais

Chenin Blanc

Trace Chenin Blanc from its ancestral home in Vouvray along the Loire to South Africa's Swartland, where old-vine growers gave the grape a bold second life.

Where it grows: Loire Valley, South Africa, Mendoza, Stellenbosch

Cinsault

Follow Cinsault to the sun-baked vineyards of the Rhône Valley, Languedoc, Roussillon, and Provence, where it fills those famous Provençal rosés that taste like summertime in a glass.

Where it grows: Languedoc, Provence, Rhône Valley, Lebanon

Corvina

Corvina is the heart of Valpolicella and Amarone in Italy's Veneto — go to taste the light, floral solo bottlings against the rich, ripasso-made Amarones side by side.

Where it grows: Veneto, Valpolicella

Falanghina

Gamay

Gamay is the signature grape of France's Beaujolais region — seek out its Crus for vibrant, easy-drinking reds straight from the granite and schist hillsides.

Where it grows: Burgundy, Loire Valley, Willamette Valley, Finger Lakes

Garganega

Taste Garganega where it rules: the Veneto's Soave region, source of this ubiquitous Italian white, plus its Sicilian twin, Grecanico Dorato.

Where it grows: Veneto, Sicily, Friuli, Lombardy

Gewurztraminer

Seek out Gewürztraminer's spicy, lychee-scented wines where they're most at home — Alsace's storied villages, Italy's Alto Adige, and California's cool Anderson Valley.

Where it grows: Alsace, Marlborough, Central Otago, Sonoma County

Graciano

Once nearly abandoned, Graciano is being revived by determined winemakers in Rioja Baja's warmth — seek out single-varietal bottlings there and in Spain's Navarra region.

Where it grows: Priorat, Rioja, Ribera del Duero, Rioja Baja

Greco di Tufo

Grenache

Follow Grenache from Priorat's slate-and-schist terraces to France's sun-baked Rhône Valley, where soft tannins and spicy, fruit-forward character reach their fullest expression.

Where it grows: Australia, France, Priorat, Santa Cruz Mountains

Grenache Blanc

Follow Grenache Blanc from Châteauneuf-du-Pape and the Côtes du Rhône to Spain's Priorat and Terra Alta, where this rich, nutty white shows off its terroir.

Where it grows: Languedoc, Priorat, Rhône Valley, Paso Robles

Grüner Veltliner

Trace Grüner Veltliner to Austria's Danube vineyards—Wachau, Kremstal, and Kamptal—then sip it fresh in a cozy Heurigen wine-garden, the way locals do.

Where it grows: Austria, Central Otago, Wachau, Kremstal

Lambrusco

Taste this fizzy Italian red at its source in Emilia-Romagna, hopping between Modena and Sorbara wineries alongside the region's balsamic vinegar and Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Where it grows: Emilia-Romagna, Lombardy, Modena, Sorbara

Malbec

Argentina's signature red — inky and bold from Mendoza's high-altitude vineyards, lighter and brighter back in France's Cahors and Loire Valley.

Where it grows: Argentina, Bordeaux, France, Loire Valley

Malvasia

From Greece's Monemvasia to Italy's Lazio and the vineyards of Madeira and California, Malvasia's many faces make it a grape worth chasing across borders.

Where it grows: Rioja, Tuscany, Lazio, Greece

Marsanne

Marsanne "shines brightest" in France's Northern Rhône, especially Hermitage — seek out the lush, layered single-varietal bottlings that define its heartland.

Where it grows: Paso Robles, Rhône Valley, Languedoc, Provence

Melon de Bourgogne

Seek out Muscadet in France's Pays Nantais, where Melon de Bourgogne grows near the Atlantic and delivers a briny, seaside minerality best paired with oysters at the source.

Where it grows: Loire Valley, Willamette Valley, Burgundy, Muscadet

Merlot

Merlot is Bordeaux's most-planted red grape, softer and fruitier than its Cabernet cousin — seek it out along the Médoc's gravel soils or in Pomerol and St-Émilion for the blends that age beautifully.

Where it grows: Bordeaux, Washington State, Columbia Valley, Sicily

Mourvèdre

Seek out Mourvèdre in Bandol, Provence — widely regarded as the pinnacle of this grape, where it must make up at least half the blend and turns spicy, earthy and gamey.

Where it grows: Provence, Rhône Valley, Alicante, Almansa

Muscadelle

Chase the world's rarest sweet-wine secret to Bordeaux — Sauternes and Barsac wouldn't be the same without Muscadelle's honeyed lift, or trace it on to Rutherglen, Australia's surprise Muscadelle capital.

Where it grows: Bordeaux, Sauternes, Sweet Bordeaux, Barsac

Muscadine

Native to the hot, humid American South, Muscadine makes sweet, chilled reds and whites—seek out Florida wineries crafting sparkling and Port-style pours from this thick-skinned native vine.

Where it grows: North Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, Mississippi

Muscat

From Asti's Piedmont hills to Alsace, the Rhône's Beaumes-de-Venise, and Spain's Penedès, Muscat rewards travelers who chase its sweet, heady wines to the source.

Where it grows: Alsace, Piedmont, Languedoc, Rhône Valley

Nebbiolo

Track down Nebbiolo at its source in Piedmont, where Barolo and Barbaresco — the grape's "king and queen" — are grown in the Langhe hills.

Where it grows: Italy, Piedmont, Barbaresco, Barolo

Nero d’Avola

In Sicily's hot, rugged terroir, Nero d'Avola grows into a full-bodied, jammy red — reason enough to seek it out at the source in Southeastern Sicily.

Where it grows: Italy, Sicily

Norton

Track down America's oldest native wine grape at its modern stronghold in Virginia—Norton's inky, deep-purple pours (with a gold-medal pedigree dating to 1873) anchor wineries near Washington DC.

Where it grows: Virginia, Arkansas, Missouri

Pedro Ximénez

In Spain's Sherry Triangle south of Seville, Pedro Ximénez ages in centuries-old solera stacks — a rare chance to taste this sticky, raisiny classic where it's made.

Where it grows: Andalusia, Malaga, Sherry Triangle, Jerez de la Frontera

Petit Manseng

Follow Petit Manseng from its birthplace in Jurançon and Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh in Southwest France to Virginia, where it's become the state's golden grape.

Where it grows: Virginia, South West France, Jurançon, Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh

Petit Sirah

Seek out Petite Sirah in Suisun Valley — the self-declared capital of the grape — or the Napa backroads where its deep, blackberry-rich reds still thrive.

Where it grows: Napa Valley, Paso Robles, Lodi, Sonoma County

Petit Verdot

Seek out Petit Verdot where it's rare and real: a handful of Bordeaux estates in the Médoc still bottle it 100% varietal, while Virginia and California vineyards are giving this deep-purple grape a bold new home.

Where it grows: Bordeaux, New Zealand, Virginia, Haut-Médoc

Picpoul Blanc

Sip the "lip-stinger" where it's been made for centuries — Languedoc's Picpoul de Pinet AOC — or seek out its riper, new-world twist at Paso Robles' Tablas Creek.

Where it grows: Languedoc, Rhône Valley, Paso Robles, Catalonia

Pinot Grigio

Taste the difference terroir makes: crisp, citrusy Pinot Grigio from Italy's Friuli-Venezia Giulia versus tropical-leaning Pinot Gris from Alsace, home to rare age-worthy late-harvest bottlings.

Where it grows: Alsace, Italy, Willamette Valley, Sicily

Pinot Gris

Where it grows: Alsace, Central Otago, New Zealand, Colorado

Pinot Meunier

Taste the secret behind Champagne on its home turf — Pinot Meunier makes up nearly 40% of the region's plantings, adding bright fruit to the blend.

Where it grows: Burgundy, Champagne, Marlborough, Loire Valley

Pinot Noir

Pinot Noir's home is Burgundy, France — but its cooler-climate expressions in Oregon's Willamette Valley and New Zealand make for a world-spanning tasting trip.

Where it grows: Burgundy, France, Willamette Valley, Central Otago

Pinotage

Taste South Africa's own grape at its birthplace, Stellenbosch — smoky, dark-fruited Pinotage born from a 1925 Pinot Noir–Cinsault cross.

Where it grows: South Africa, Stellenbosch

Primitivo

Seek out Primitivo in Puglia, the sun-baked heel of Italy's boot where it's the local star — and worth a detour for its rare, vine-dried Dolce Naturale dessert wine.

Where it grows: Puglia, Veneto, California, Washington

Riesling

Chase Riesling to its source: Germany's Rhine, Austria's Wachau, and Alsace, France, where terroir-driven bottles range from bone-dry to lusciously sweet.

Where it grows: Alsace, Australia, Austria, France

Rkatsiteli

Taste one of the world's oldest grapes at its source in Georgia's Kakheti region, or seek out the Finger Lakes vines Dr. Konstantin Frank pioneered in the 1950s.

Where it grows: Finger Lakes, Georgia, Kakheti, Ukraine

Roussanne

Seek out Roussanne in the sun-baked hillside villages of the Northern Rhône — Saint-Joseph, Hermitage, and Crozes-Hermitage — where it's been grown for generations.

Where it grows: Paso Robles, Rhône Valley, Languedoc, Provence

Sangiovese

Sangiovese is synonymous with Tuscany, its believed birthplace — from Chianti's hills to Brunello di Montalcino, this is a grape worth chasing to its Italian homeland.

Where it grows: Chianti, Italy, Tuscany, Mendoza

Sauvignon Blanc

Taste how terroir transforms this grape — herbal and crisp in Bordeaux and Sancerre, vivid and tropical in Marlborough, New Zealand and Napa Valley.

Where it grows: Bordeaux, Loire Valley, Marlborough, Napa Valley

Semillon

Trace Semillon from its Bordeaux homeland — birthplace of "liquid gold" Sauternes — to the dry, age-worthy bottlings of Australia's Hunter Valley and Margaret River, absolutely worth seeking out.

Where it grows: Barossa Valley, Bordeaux, Mendoza, Margaret River

Seyval Blanc

Track down this crisp French-American hybrid along the East Coast's wine trail — from New York's Finger Lakes to Canada's Ice Wine vineyards and the chalky vineyards of England and Wales.

Where it grows: Finger Lakes, Loire Valley, New Jersey, Canada

St. Laurent

Trace this rare, rose-and-cherry red to Burgenland, Austria — home to dozens of small producers keeping this obscure grape alive.

Where it grows: Austria, Pfalz, Burgenland, Czech Republic

Syrah

Where it grows: Barossa Valley, Paso Robles, Rhône Valley, Washington State

Tannat

Trace Tannat from its Basque French roots in Madiran to Uruguay, its unlikely adopted home and now the grape's top producer worldwide.

Where it grows: Mendoza, South West France, Paso Robles, Argentina

Tempranillo

Trace Tempranillo's bold, spice-edged red wines to Rioja and Ribera del Duero in Spain, where wide day-to-night temperature swings shape its signature structure — or seek out its surprising new home in Texas Hill Country.

Where it grows: Europe, Rioja, Spain, Texas Hill Country

Teroldego

Seek out Teroldego where it's still a local secret — the vineyards of Trentino and South Tyrol in Northern Italy, home turf of this deeply colored, food-friendly red.

Where it grows: Alto Adige, South Tyrol, Trentino

Torrontés

Argentina's only native grape thrives in high-altitude vineyards from Cafayate to Mendoza — seek out the "Torrontés Triplets" where each sibling shows its true, distinct character.

Where it grows: Mendoza, Cafayate, Salta, Tupungato

Touriga Nacional

Portugal's signature red grape — chase its rustic, earthy character from the Douro Valley to Alentejo, where it powers everything from table wines to iconic ports.

Where it grows: Alentejo, Douro Valley, Dão, Algarve

Traminette

Seek out Traminette in Indiana, where this cold-hardy, spice-and-floral white — a Gewürztraminer descendant — has become the state's signature grape.

Where it grows: Finger Lakes, Virginia, New Jersey, Indiana

Trousseau

Seek out Trousseau in France's isolated Jura hills between Burgundy and Switzerland, or follow it to Portugal's Douro Valley, where it's grown as Bastardo.

Where it grows: Alentejo, Jura, Portugal, Douro Valley

Vermentino

Vermentino thrives along Italy's coastal maritime regions — visit Cinque Terre's terraced vineyards in Liguria or the island of Sardinia to taste its mineral, tree-fruit character at the source.

Where it grows: Bolgheri, Italy, Languedoc, Piedmont

Vidal Blanc

Chase Vidal Blanc from Virginia and the Finger Lakes north into Ontario and Nova Scotia, where it's harvested late for lush, honeyed ice wine.

Where it grows: Finger Lakes, Virginia, Lake Erie, Southeastern New England AVA

Viognier

In the Northern Rhône, Viognier is worth the trip: a thick-skinned, sun-loving grape that hits its aromatic peak in a narrow harvest window around Condrieu and rare Château Grillet.

Where it grows: Finger Lakes, France, Rhône Valley, Paso Robles

Zinfandel

Chase bold, spicy Zinfandel to its California heartland in Lodi and Paso Robles, or trace its Old World twin, Primitivo, through the sun-baked vineyards of Southern Italy.

Where it grows: Paso Robles, Napa Valley, Sonoma County, California