Wines from the Sky

Many of the world’s best vineyards lie along the slopes of mountain chains and their foothills. From Germany’s Rhine and Mosel Valleys to Italy’s Alps and Apennines to the Mayacamas Mountains separating Napa Valley from Sonoma, to Oregon’s and Washington’s opposite sides of the Cascades, the drainage provided by sloping ground tends to yield smaller, more intensely-flavored grapes.