Introduction

Traditionally the Old World has emphasized regional differences and has restricted both the range of varieties grown in each region and the use of varietal labeling on bottles. In Australia and other New World countries, by contrast, differentiation had been mainly through varietal labeling, although gradually more emphasis has been given also to regional labeling. In both parts of the world, though, producers are also well aware of the impact climate changes (higher temperatures, more extreme weather events) are having on their winegrapes. Adaptation strategies include switching to warmer-climate or more resilient grape varieties, and sourcing more from regions with a higher latitude or altitude to retain the firm's current mix of grape varieties. Especially in recently established regions and sites whose varietal comparative advantages are still unclear, winegrowers are continually searching for attractive and profitable varieties that do well in climates similar to what they expect theirs to become in the future. Where affordable water availability is becoming a more important issue, the drought tolerance of varieties also is influencing varietal (and rootstock) choices.

These marketing and climate/environment adaptation needs are generating a rapidly growing demand for information on what winegrape varieties are grown where and how those patterns are changing over time. Certainly there are great books available on both the varieties and wine regions of major supplying countries, including the latest seminal ones by Robinson, Harding and Vouillamoz (2012) and Johnson and Robinson (2013). Yet none of those resources provides enough empirical information to get a clear view of the relative importance of the various regions and their winegrape varieties in the global vineyard and their changes over time. To respond to the need for more comprehensive empirical information, a global database for 2000 and 2010 was recently compiled (Anderson and Aryal 2013a). The database includes more than 640 regions in 48 countries that together cover 99 percent of global wine production; and it includes more than 2,000 varieties, of which more than 1,500 are ‘primes’ and the rest are their synonyms (according to Robinson, Harding and Vouillamoz 2012).