Is wine an artisanal creation or industrial product? Extensively illustrated with photographs, maps, and charts, Wine myths and reality goes behind the scenes of winemaking to reveal the truth about what goes into a bottle of wine. From monks treading grapes in the middle ages to the latest research into grapevine DNA, this book presents an authoritative account of how wine is really made. Practices in viticulture and vinification come under the microscope, the tricks of the wine trade are revealed, the methods of the new and the old worlds are scrutinized, and their wines are discussed. Provides an overview of all major wine-producing countries extends from the powerful wines of the new world to the classic wines of France or Italy and addresses important questions: Does terroir really matter? Is the international style taking over? Will global warming destroy the existing wine-producing regions? And extrapolating from current trends, what will wine be like in the next decade?