The previous edition of The World Atlas of Wine was published way back in 2019. Much has changed in the wine world since then.
While the eighth edition already contained a new section on climate change, the ninth treats it as a force reshaping the entire wine map: established regions are having to reassess how they are doing things and commercial viticulture is now possible in places that were previously considered marginal - not least the UK.
The tome’s coverage of northern Europe has consequently increased significantly. This includes England and Wales, the Benelux countries, Scandinavia and the Baltic states, with its mapped wine world now reaching as far north as Estonia. This is perhaps the clearest visual demonstration of how much the landscape has changed since 2019.
The book now runs to 432 pages and contains 240 maps. Of these, 18 are entirely new, every existing map has been revised and eight have been substantially extended. North American coverage has also been expanded, reflecting its rapidly evolving appellation map and vineyard landscape.
There is new photography and illustration throughout, while the text has been overhauled with updated statistics, appellations, vineyard areas and regional assessments. An expanded index make it easier to locate individual vineyards and wineries.
Otherwise, it is business as usual – and that is no bad thing. Hugh Johnson, Jancis Robinson Julia Harding again combine beautiful, exceptionally detailed cartography with concise and authoritative insights into the world’s wine regions.
The maps remain the book’s greatest asset. By placing appellations and individual vineyards in relation to slopes, rivers, coastlines, neighbouring regions and settlements, they make clear why wines produced only a short distance apart can be markedly different.
The ninth edition does not reinvent The World Atlas of Wine. Instead, it redraws it around the two developments that have most altered wine since 2019: climate change and the continuing emergence of credible wine regions beyond the traditional heartlands. It remains essential reading for anyone serious about wine.
The World Atlas of Wine 9th Edition
Number of pages: 432
Publisher and price: Mitchell Beazley, £60