Nemo Classic Comics Library

New Zealand's wine industry has grown rapidly over the last thirty years, with the world's wine drinkers falling particularly hard for the Marlborough region's distinctive Sauvignon Blancs. But New Zealand wine goes far beyond the exuberant whites grown in the north of its South Island.

The Languedoc is a land of mountains, sea and Cathar castles in the south of France. For much of its history the region has also been seen as the home of rustic table wines with no international reputation. However, over the last 40 years the wines have improved enormously, with innovations in both vineyards and cellars, helped by the development of appellations and IGPs recognizing the individuality of its different areas. Now boasting more than 2,500 wine producers, the Languedoc has attracted interest from around the world, thanks to its affordable land and exciting creative possibilities.

Over the last few decades Spain has become one of the most exciting wine-producing countries in the world. Indeed, such has been the growth in the number of producers that it is no longer possible to cover the whole country in one book. Although rightly famed for the wines of Rioja, the north of Spain has even more to offer the wine adventurer. Criss-crossed by rivers, its landscape ranges from the dramatic Pyrenees in the north-east to the low inlets of the Atlantic coast in the west. Growers - and consumers - can enjoy a diversity of terroirs and an exciting array of native varieties.

The history of wine production in Greece dates back more than four millennia, yet for many consumers and aficionados Greek wine is still synonymous with the retsina they drank in tavernas as tourists. Here, Master of Wine Konstantinos Lazarakis argues that to dismiss Greek wine in this way today is to miss out on an array of varied and vibrant wines – even retsina, in the hands of boutique producers, has become a drink worthy of a second chance.