Late in April, 2021 we celebrated World Intellectual Property Day at vW Maps. After all, our World Wine Regions atlas is based almost entirely on the official geographical indications or appellations of origin that reveal the origins of the wine in a bottle. These forms of intellectual property —examples include Protected Designation of Origin, Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée, Denominación de Origen Calificada, American Viticultural Area, and many more— can be recognised just within a nation or, depending on treaties, further afield. Among the most famous examples are Champagne and Napa.

But of course wine can be and is made outside of the official regions. Our atlas includes more than a hundred regions that have not (yet?) been given legal protection. These include the emerging regions high in the Himalayas and the Andes, in coastal Thailand and Taiwan, and historic wine-growing areas in all corners of Turkey.

Changhua and Waipu

Colombia

Unofficial in Thailand