Five Great Wines From Surprising Countries By Jürg Widmer Probst
Wine is now a global business. It has expanded far beyond its original Mediterranean and European markets, out into the New World and beyond.
Most of us will have tried Californian, Chilean, Argentinian and Australian wines. But there are also plenty of slightly more surprising wine producing countries that are often overlooked.
An Irish white wine anyone? Here’s our guide to some of the best wines from unusual places.
England
Back in Roman times, the south of England was well and truly wine country. Vineyards in the south east in particular supplied dinner tables in villas across the country.
The UK’s increasingly inclement and unreliable weather might have put a dampener on wine production in the intervening years, but now it is experiencing something of a renaissance. The south east is once again the focus, but there are also a number of great producers along the south coast and in Devon and Cornwall.
England is particularly good at whites, often based on the robust Bacchus grape which can handle the UK’s climactic ups and downs. So, our pick of the best of English wines is the Lyme Block Signature White Cuvée – a zesty, citrusy delight.
Lebanon
Tragically, Lebanon is better known for its conflicts than for its beautiful wines. Which is a real shame, because it has the perfect growing conditions to produce some gorgeous wines. The Bekaa Valley is a particular hotspot and the Lebanese actually have deep rooted wine-making tradition – they’ve been doing it since around 7000BC!
Many of the grape varieties are French (think Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot) but the wines are distinctly Lebanese. One of our favourite Lebanese wines is another white. The spicy ‘Ixsir, Altitudes’ is a beautifully fragrant wine made from Muscat grapes.
Thailand
This one might come as something of a surprise to some of you, but bear with us. Tropical climates aren’t ideal for wine-making but Thailand has been gradually growing in reputation over recent years and it’s no surprise.
The north of the kingdom in particular is well suited to wine production (relatively speaking) and we are beginning to see some great wines coming out of the region. One of the best in our view is the sparkling Brut Blanc de Blanc from the Monsoon Valley vineyard near to Chiang Mai.
Ireland
While Ireland has a well-established reputation for making great beer, its wine production is less well known. But it the wine-making industry there is steadily growing and we are beginning to see some very encouraging wines coming out of the Emerald Isle.
Many of the producers are small scale operators, and in fact the one we’ve chosen – David Dennison – has only just recently started selling a very limited run of wines.
We love the great wines that are coming out of his Co. Waterford vineyard. It’s an organic operation and you can taste the love and expertise that goes into making high quality wines like these.