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Step 1
Get to know California. California produces 85 percent of the wine consumed in North and South America. It is by far the most well-known place for American winemaking and is home to the most famous wine region in the United States, Napa Valley. Many famous red wines are produced in Napa. Other popular California wine regions are Sonoma Valley, Central Coast, Mendocino and Monterey.
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Step 2
Fall in love with France. France houses three of the most highly-respected wine regions of all time, Bordeaux, Burgundy and Champagne. Familiarize yourself with these regions by looking at online wine region maps.
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Step 3
Understand Australia. Wine collectors love the red shiraz wines of Australia. The two most popular regions are Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale. Sites for Australian wine regions are readily available on the web.
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Step 4
Study up on Spain and Italy. Aside from France, Spanish and Italian red wines are popular with vino fanatics. These wine regions are more spread out throughout each country, which makes them more difficult to get to know.
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Step 5
Memorize emerging regions. The phrase "emerging regions" is a buzzword for connoisseurs. These places will change as each locale becomes more established, but a few of the current emerging wine regions in the world are South Africa, Paso Robles in California, Ontario, Canada and Baja, Mexico.
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Step 6
Subscribe to Wine Spectator magazine. Wine Spectator is widely considered the go-to place for wine snobs. In addition to having great articles and helpful information, Wine Spectator has big, glossy wine region maps in nearly every issue. The subscription price is well worth it.
