France

France exerts such a strong influence on the wine world that almost everybody making wine has a style of French wine in mind while they’re doing it (even if that’s only because they’re trying to produce something completely different). The classic French regions still provide the benchmarks for wines made from the most popular grape varieties, and all the competition has done French wine good. There are now a host of small producers in lesser-known areas thinking much more carefully about what they do, and doing it better. There are some amazing bargains to be had if you (or your wine company) know where to find them.