Wine is a global phenomenon.  It’s not just about Napa and Bordeaux or South Africa and Argentina… grapevines are the largest fruit producing plant known to man, and occupy a place in the heart of many farmers. 

Did you know that Turkey has twice as many acres dedicated to wine production as does the United States?  It’s hard to believe, but very true.

Did you know that China produces roughly the same amount of wine grapes by total volume?  they also have a few more mouths to feed.

Our recent trip to the Czech Republic was, for me, a further illustration of how wide reaching the wine world spans.  Blessed with a wine growing region Moravia, with just the right elevation, climate, sunshine, and soil, the Czech’s have been making wine for centuries.  They grow the usual suspects (Cab, Chardonnay) in addition to some obscure varietals that sounded native to the area.

One of my favorite memories from our trip was in the little resort town of Celadna.  On a rainy afternoon, I wondered into a storefront that sported a small vinoteca sign on the curb in front.  Greeted by a communal table in the middle of the room, wine shelves on the right, and a bar on the left, I stepped in a little unsure of myself.  After browsing the selection for awhile, the local owner approached me and we quickly communicated that we had no common language in order to effectively communicate. 
He invited me over to the bar, through a combination of waving and drinking motions, and began to pour me wine out of taps.  I gave him a smile and nod for the wines i liked and a frown and concerned disappointed look for the wines I found un less than delicious. 

The vinoteca owner quickly learned my palate through this exercise and made some recommendations, which were excellent.  After stumbling through pronunciation of the wines, I walked out with two plastic litre bottles of wine – one red and one white.  I think the white was a Gruner… but I had no label to really know for sure.
The experience made me realize the single thing that I love most about foreign travel: discovery.