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A Quick Overview of Where Grapvines are Grown Around the World
Where the Vines Are
Grapes have been grown around the world for thousands of years. Here are a series of maps which take you closer and closer to the tiny corners of the earth where Life in Vine takes place. While every region has its own grape varieties and personality, they all share some commonalities where climate is concerned.

Obviously, these maps are not meant to help you precisely site your own vineyard. While they're generally accurate, they paint the larger picture of life in vine with the broadest of strokes. For more detail than you ever thought possible, try Hugh Johnson's excellent World Atlas of Wine.
As you can see from the map above, there are two sweet spots generally between the 30th and 50th parallels (in both hemispheres) where grapes flourish. These are areas where the growing season is long enough to ripen fruit, but not so hot that the grapes lose all their acidy zing in the heat. We're used to wine being a staple of western civilization, but grapes are grown in all manner of cultures, from China to Kenya. Virtually every state in the U.S. has some manner of wine industry, though the big players are California, Washington, Oregon and New York.

To zoom in to the Northwest U.S., where Life in Vine takes place, click here or on the target on the map.
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