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The Oxford Companion to

Wine
THIRD EDITION

Edited by Jancis Robinson

Viticulture editor: Richard E. Smart
Oenology editors: A. Dinsmoor Webb, Patrick J. Williams

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Preface to the Second Edition

Maps of the Wine Regions

Algeria
Argentina
Australia
Austria
Bordeaux
Bulgaria
Burgundy: Cte d'Or
California
Chile
Czech Republic and Slovakia
France
Western Germany and Alsace c.1500
Germany and Alsace
Greece
Hungary
Italy
Japan
Appellations of Languedoc-Roussillon
Loire
New York and Canada
New Zealand
Portugal
Rhne
Romania
Roman Italy
South Africa
Spain
Switzerland
France: Vin de Pays
World Distribution of Vineyards
(Former) Yugoslavia

12
33
46
51
87
111
114
125
165
222
284
309
313
335
355
370
378
396
414
484
487
544
575
591
593
649
657
679
745
782
789

H E success of the first, 1994 edition of this book, both in terms of

sales and acclaim, came as the most delightful surprise to all of us
associated with it, not least to its editor. It seemed as though it was
not just wine professionals who welcomed a single, detailed work of reference
with what is nowadays called attitude, but a wide range of readers around the
world, thirsty not just for the most delicious drink of all, but for facts and
opinions about all aspects of it.
The second great surprise to the editor has been the extent of revision needed for this second edition. About half of the original 3,000 entries have been
revised in some way, from a simple correction to a fullblown rewrite. The
most obvious candidates for revision have been entries on wine producing
countries or regions where the pace of change has been most marked in the
last five years such as argentina, australia, south africa, and spain. But wine
scientists have been working every bit as hard as wine producers, enabling
exciting new insights into and complex revisions to entries on subjects as varied as cabernet sauvignon and wine ageing. Thanks to recent DNA analysis
we now know the fascinating secret of the formers parentage, while our
understanding of the latter, the mystery of how simple young fruit juice is
transformed into a complex and ethereal liquid message from the past, is
enlightened by such new entries as flavonoids, flavour precursors, glycosides,
pigmented tannins, and, a thoroughly contemporary concept (and new
entry), mouthfeel.
Wine in all its glory has been evolving at such a rate, almost invariably
(although not exclusively) in a positive direction, that a total of over 500 new
entries have been added. Study of the list of them on page xv provides a
revealing snapshot of recent change in the world of wine, which has expanded to include eight new (or recently identified) wine producing countries:
bhutan, cape verde islands, ethiopia, indonesia, korea, nepal, thailand, and
vietnam. It is no wonder that the oiv, on which we all depend for international wine statistics, is finding it ever more time-consuming to collate and verify them, which is why this book has to depend on many figures which date
from 1996. And if many of these new countries seem to have a theme, that
theme is ref lected in at least two other new entries, one on asia and wines
increasing role there, and the extraordinary recent influence of Asian
investors on the fine wine market which is outlined in a new appendix on

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CLOUDY BAY, seminal winery in the Marlborough region of new zealand the brianchild of David Hohnen of Cape Mentelle in
western austra l i a. Its debut release of
moodily labled Sauvignon Blanc in 1986 on
export markets created a re p u tation fo r
Marlbourgh Sauvignon and a cult for cloudy
bay almost ove rnight even although the
graped were brought in and the wine made
under contract at another winery
CLUSTER, alternative, viticultural term for a
bunch of grapes
CM/CV, abbreviates Classic Methods/Classic
Varietes, the name of a california voluntary
producer association for many of that states
most champagne-like sparkling wine

COAL RIVER, wine region in tasmania

Climate and
Wine Quality
24

C OASTERS, To those intere sted in wine

antiques, wine coasters are small circular,
high sided trays for decanters which prevent
damage or spillaghe. They also help protect
the decanter from damage. The earliest of
them date from 1750s and within 20 years they
had become very popular. Mant are made of
silver with wooden bases, the best quality ones
having silver bases as too. Treen (turned wood)
examples were a cheap alternative, as those in
papier mache. Of the latter many were decorated in gilt againt a black or red background
while others were embellished with horizontal
ribs annd Sheffield plated mounts
Coasters for magnums and half bottles are
hughly outnumbered by those bottle sized
decanters. The 19th century saw a a general
elaboration of design and decanter changed
shape, so coasters followed with progressively
everted sides often accompanied by cast bord-

ders. Sheffield and electro plated coasterts

became very popular from 1820. Like wine funnels, coasters were little made after the mid.
19th century until the modern era when they
became very popular probably because of the
diminishing use of the table cloth
Double coasters, in the form of boats or
wagons in silver and papier mache, enjoyed a
popular run at the turn of the 18th and 19th
centuries. Some Irish examples were for 3
decanters In that country, too there was a
vogue for incorporating coaters into dumb
waiters. In 1847 Richard Redgrave patented a
papier mache tray of shaped outline th a t
incorporated a pair of coasters. at the end of
the century appeared very high sided coaters
in electroplated copper which was designed to
hide the bottle had a long production run.
R.N.H.B.
Butler R. and Walking, G. The Book of Wine

CLOUDY BAY, seminal winery in the Marlborough region of new zealand the brianchild of David Hohnen of Cape Mentelle in
western australia. Its debut release of
moodily labled Sauvignon Blanc in 1986 on
ex p o rt markets created a reputation fo r
Marlbourgh Sauvignon and a cult for cloudy
b ay almost overnight even although the
graped were brought in and the wine made
under contract at another winery
CLUSTER, alternative, viticultural term for a
bunch of grapes
CM/CV, abbreviates Classic Methods/Classic
Varietes, the name of a california voluntary
producer association for many of that states
most champagne-like sparkling wine

COAL RIVER, wine region in tasmania

COA STERS, To those i n t e re sted in wine
antiques, wine coasters are small circular,
high sided trays for decanters which prevent
damage or spillaghe. They also help protect
the decanter from damage. The earliest of
them date from 1750s and within 20 years they
had become very popular. Mant are made of
silver with wooden bases, the best quality ones
having silver bases as too. Treen (turned wood)
examples were a cheap alternative, as those in
papier mache. Of the latter many were decorated in gilt againt a black or red background
while others were embellished with horizontal
ribs annd Sheffield plated mounts
Coasters for magnums and half bottles are
hughly outnumbered by those bottle sized
decanters. The 19th century saw a a general
elaboration of design and decanter changed
shape, so coasters followed with progressively
everted sides often accompanied by cast bordders. Sheffield and electro plated coasterts
became very popular from 1820. Like wine funnels, coasters were little made after the mid.
19th century until the modern era when they
became very popular probably because of the
diminishing use of the table cloth
Double coasters, in the form of boats or
wagons in silver and papier mache, enjoyed a
popular run at the turn of the 18th and 19th
centuries. Some Irish examples were for 3
decanters In that country, too there was a
vogue for incorporating coaters into dumb
waiters. In 1847 Richard Redgrave patented a
papier mache tray of shaped outline th a t
incorporated a pair of coasters. at the end of
the century appeared very high sided coaters
in electroplated copper which was designed to
hide the bottle had a long production run
Butler R. and Walking, G. The Book of Wine
Antiques (Woodbridge 1986).
Clayton, M. Collectors Dictionary of the
Silver and Gold of Great Britain and
North America (new edn, Woodbridge 1985)

COCKBURN, port house which in the second

half of the 20th century made the transition
from bulk shipper to brand leader in the
i mp o rtant British market. The house was
founded in 1815 by Ro b e rt Cock b u rn and
George Wauchope who a year later were joined
by Captain William Creig. A year laterRobert
Cockburns sons Archibald and Alexander
joined the companyand openned up a office
in London. In 1845, the brothers Henry and
John Smithes joined the comany which
became Cock b u rn Smithes and Co. John
Smithes intiated a system for blending. He
married Eleanor Cobb annd both Smithes and
Cobb families remainedin the firm for many
generations. Peter Cobb joined Cockburns in
1960 and became a director of the company in
Oporto in 1980. In 1962 Cockburns became an
associate company of harvers of Bristol and
subsequently part of the Allied Domecq congl o m e rate. A year prev i o u s ly Harveys had
brought Martinez Gassiot, transforming the
two houses from fierce competitors to partners.
S.A. & R.J.M
COFFEE HOUSES. The tradition drink of the
arabs, coffee was introduced to we st e rn
Europe in ther mid 17th century. Like tea and
chocolate it was soon to pose a seroius threat
to the popularity of wine
The first English cooffee house was reputely opened in a room in the Angle Inn in
Oxfords High Street in 1650 and within a couple of years the trend had taken hold in
London.
By 1660s coffee houses wre challenging the
traditional English tavern and not only
because they served this novel beverage which
was very cheap and had the added advantage
of not makinf you dru n k, samuel Pe py s ,
among others visited these penny universities
in order to catch up on the citys gossip or join
a political debate.
The kings government reacted ubeasily to
the coffee houses popularity, fearing them a
hotbed of poloitical dissent and the great
ressort of idle and disaffected persons
but a proclammation to ban them (1675) came
to nothing. Each Coffee house had its own
regular clientelebe in it Litera ry. cleri c a l ,
aristocratic or commercial. Some of the more
popular survive as Gentlemans clubs whilst
coffee houses in Europe evolved into that
ubiquitous instition the cafe
H.B.
Au b e rin-Pot t e r, N. and Bennett, A., Oxford
Coffee Houses 16511800 (Oxford 1987)
Ellis, A., The Penny Universities; A History of
the Coffee Houses (London 1956)

CLOUDY BAY, seminal winery in the Marlborough region of new zealand the brianchild of David Hohnen of Cape Mentelle in
western austra l i a. Its debut release of
moodily labled Sauvignon Blanc in 1986 on
export markets created a reputation for

Wine 2 text

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Page 6

ders. Sheffield and electro plated coasterts

became very popular from 1820. Like wine funnels, coasters were little made after the mid.
19th century until the modern era when they
became very popular probably because of the
diminishing use of the table cloth
Double coasters, in the form of boats or
wagons in silver and papier mache, enjoyed a
popular run at the turn of the 18th and 19th
centuries. Some Irish examples were for 3
decanters In that country, too there was a
vogue for incorporating coaters into dumb
waiters. In 1847 Richard Redgrave patented a
papier mache tray of shaped outline th a t
incorporated a pair of coasters. at the end of
the century appeared very high sided coaters
in electroplated copper which was designed to
hide the bottle had a long production run.
R.N.H.B.
Butler R. and Walking, G. The Book of Wine
Antiques (Woodbridge 1986).
Clayton, M. Collectors Dictionary of the
Silver and Gold of Great Britain and
North America (new edn, Woodbridge 1985)

Climate and
Wine Quality
24

CLOUDY BAY, seminal winery in the Marlborough region of new zealand the brianchild of David Hohnen of Cape Mentelle in
western austra l i a. Its debut release of
moodily labled Sauvignon Blanc in 1986 on
ex p o rt markets created a reputation fo r
Marlbourgh Sauvignon and a cult for cloudy
b ay almost ove rnight even although the
graped were brought in and the wine made
under contract at another winery
CLUSTER, alternative, viticultural term for a
bunch of grapes
CM/CV, abbreviates Classic Methods/Classic
Varietes, the name of a california voluntary
producer association for many of that states
most champagne-like sparkling wine

COAL RIVER, wine region in tasmania

COA STERS, To those i n t e re sted in wine

antiques, wine coasters are small circular,
high sided trays for decanters which prevent
damage or spillaghe. They also help protect
the decanter from damage. The earliest of
them date from 1750s and within 20 years they
had become very popular. Mant are made of
silver with wooden bases, the best quality ones
having silver bases as too. Treen (turned wood)
examples were a cheap alternative, as those in
papier mache. Of the latter many were decorated in gilt againt a black or red background
while others were embellished with horizontal
ribs and Sheffield plated mounts
Coasters for magnums and half bottles are
hughly outnumbered by those bottle sized
decanters. The 19th century saw a a general
elaboration of design and decanter changed
shape, so coasters followed with progressively
everted sides often accompanied by cast bord-

COCKBURN, port house which in the second

half of the 20th century made the transition
from bulk shipper to brand leader in the
important British market. The house wa s
founded in 1815 by Ro b e rt Cockburn and
George Wauchope who a year later were joined
by Captain William Creig. A year laterRobert
Cockburns sons Archibald and Alexander
joined the companyand openned up a office
in London. In 1845, the brothers Henr y and
John Smithes joined the comany which
became Cock b u rn Smithes and Co. John
Smithes intiated a system for blending. He
married Eleanor Cobb annd both Smithes and
Cobb families remainedin the firm for many
generations. Peter Cobb joined Cockburns in
1960 and became a director of the company in
Oporto in 1980. In 1962 Cockburns became an
associate company of harvers of Bristol and
subsequently part of the Allied Domecq congl o m e rate. A year prev i o u s ly Harveys had
brought Martinez Gassiot, transforming the
two houses from fierce competitors to partners.
S.A. & R.J.M
COFFEE HOUSES. The tradition drink of the
arabs, coffee was introduced to we st e rn
Europe in ther mid 17th century. Like tea and
chocolate it was soon to pose a seroius threat
to the popularity of wine
The first English cooffee house was reputely opened in a room in the Angle Inn in
Oxfords High Street in 1650 and within a couple of years the trend had taken hold in
London.
By 1660s coffee houses wre challenging the
t raditional English tave rn and not only
because they served this novel beverage which
was very cheap and had the added advantage
of not makinf you drunk, samuel Pe py s ,
among others visited these penny universities

CLOUDY BAY, seminal winery in the Marlborough region of new zealand the brianchild of David Hohnen of Cape Mentelle in
western australia. Its debut release of
moodily labled Sauvignon Blanc in 1986 on
ex p o rt markets created a reputation fo r
Marlbourgh Sauvignon and a cult for cloudy
b ay almost overnight even although the
graped were brought in and the wine made
under contract at another winery
CLUSTER, alternative, viticultural term for a
bunch of grapes
CM/CV, abbreviates Classic Methods/Classic
Varietes, the name of a california voluntary
producer association for many of that states
most champagne-like sparkling wine

COAL RIVER, wine region in tasmania

COA STERS, To those i n t e re sted in wine
antiques, wine coasters are small circular,
high sided trays for decanters which prevent
damage or spillaghe. They also help protect
the decanter from damage. The earliest of
them date from 1750s and within 20 years they
had become very popular. Mant are made of
silver with wooden bases, the best quality ones
having silver bases as too. Treen (turned wood)
examples were a cheap alternative, as those in
papier mache. Of the latter many were decorated in gilt againt a black or red background
while others were embellished with horizontal
ribs annd Sheffield plated mounts
Coasters for magnums and half bottles are
hughly outnumbered by those bottle sized
decanters. The 19th century saw a a general
elaboration of design and decanter changed
shape, so coasters followed with progressively
everted sides often accompanied by cast bordders. Sheffield and electro plated coasterts
became very popular from 1820. Like wine funnels, coasters were little made after the mid.
19th century until the modern era when they
became very popular probably because of the
diminishing use of the table cloth
Double coasters, in the form of boats or
wagons in silver and papier mache, enjoyed a
popular run at the turn of the 18th and 19th
centuries. Some Irish examples were for 3
decanters In that country, too there was a
vogue for incorporating coaters into dumb
waiters. In 1847 Richard Redgrave patented a
papier mache tray of shaped outline th a t
incorporated a pair of coasters. at the end of
the century appeared very high sided coaters
in electroplated copper which was designed to
hide the bottle had a long production run.
R.N.H.B.
Butler R. and Walking, G. The Book of Wine
Antiques (Woodbridge 1986).
Clayton, M. Collectors Dictionary of the
Silver and Gold of Great Britain and
North America (new edn, Woodbridge 1985)

COCKBURN, port house which in the second

half of the 20th century made the transition
from bulk shipper to brand leader in the
important British market. The house wa s
founded in 1815 by Robert Cock b u rn and
George Wauchope who a year later were joined
by Captain William Creig. A year laterRobert
Cockburns sons Archibald and Alexa n d e r
joined the companyand openned up a office
in London. In 1845, the brothers Henry and
John Smithes joined the comany which
became Cock b u rn Smithes and Co. John
Smithes intiated a system for blending. He
married Eleanor Cobb annd both Smithes and
Cobb families remainedin the firm for many
generations. Peter Cobb joined Cockburns in
1960 and became a director of the company in
Oporto in 1980. In 1962 Cockburns became an
associate company of harvers of Bristol and
subsequently part of the Allied Domecq congl o m e rate. A year prev i o u s ly Harveys had
brought Martinez Gassiot, transforming the
two houses from fierce competitors to partners.
S.A. & R.J.M
COFFEE HOUSES. The tradition drink of the
arabs, coffee was introduced to we st e rn
Europe in ther mid 17th century. Like tea and
chocolate it was soon to pose a seroius threat
to the popularity of wine
The first English cooffee house was reputely opened in a room in the Angle Inn in
Oxfords High Street in 1650 and within a couple of years the trend had taken hold in
London.
By 1660s coffee houses wre challenging the
t raditional English tave rn and not only
because they served this novel beverage which
was very cheap and had the added advantage
of not makinf you dru n k, samuel Pe py s ,
among others visited these penny universities
in order to catch up on the citys gossip or join
a political debate.
The kings government reacted ubeasily to
the coffee houses popularity, fearing them a
hotbed of poloitical dissent and the great
ressort of idle and disaffected persons
but a proclammation to ban them (1675) came
to nothing. Each Coffee house had its own
regular clientelebe in it Litera ry. clerical,
aristocratic or commercial. Some of the more
popular survive as Gentlemans clubs whilst
coffee houses in Europe evolved into that
ubiquitous instition the cafe
H.B.

Marlbourgh Sauvignon and a cult for cloudy

b ay almost ove rnight even although the
graped were brought in and the wine made
under contract at another winery

CLUSTER, alternative, viticultural term for a

bunch of grapes
CM/CV, abbreviates Classic Methods/Classic
Varietes, the name of a california voluntary
producer association for many of that states
most champagne-like sparkling wine

COAL RIVER, wine region in tasmania

COA STERS, To those i n t e re sted in wine
antiques, wine coasters are small circular,
high sided trays for decanters which prevent
damage or spillaghe. They also help protect
the decanter from damage. The earliest of
them date from 1750s and within 20 years they
had become very popular. Mant are made of
silver with wooden bases, the best quality ones
having silver bases as too. Treen (turned wood)
examples were a cheap alternative, as those in
papier mache. Of the latter many were decorated in gilt againt a black or red background
while others were embellished with horizontal
ribs annd Sheffield plated mounts
Coasters for magnums and half bottles are
hughly outnumbered by those bottle sized
decanters. The 19th century saw a a general
elaboration of design and decanter changed
shape, so coasters followed with progressively
everted sides often accompanied by cast bordders. Sheffield and electro plated coasterts
became very popular from 1820. Like wine funnels, coasters were little made after the mid.
19th century until the modern era when they
became very popular probably because of the
diminishing use of the table cloth
Double coasters, in the form of boats or
wagons in silver and papier mache, enjoyed a
popular run at the turn of the 18th and 19th
centuries. Some Irish examples were for 3
decanters In that country, too there was a
vogue for incorporating coaters into dumb
waiters. In 1847 Richard Redgrave patented a
papier mache tray of shaped outline th a t
incorporated a pair of coasters. at the end of
the century appeared very high sided coaters
in electroplated copper which was designed to
hide the bottle had a long production run.
R.N.H.B.

Auberin-Pot te r, N. and Bennett, A., Oxfo rd

Coffee Houses 16511800 (Oxford 1987)
Ellis, A., The Penny Universities; A History of the
Coffee Houses (London 1956)

Butler R. and Walking, G. The Book of Wine

Antiques (Woodbridge 1986).
Clayton, M. Collectors Dictionary of the
Silver and Gold of Great Britain and
North America (new edn, Woodbridge 1985)

CLOUDY BAY, seminal winery in the Marlborough region of new zealand the brianchild of David Hohnen of Cape Mentelle in
western australia. Its debut release of
moodily labled Sauvignon Blanc in 1986 on
ex p o rt markets created a reputation fo r

COCKBURN, port house which in the second

half of the 20th century made the transition
from bulk shipper to brand leader in the
important British market. The house wa s
founded in 1815 by Robert Cock b u rn and
George Wauchope who a year later were joined

Climate and
Wine Quality
25