Three of the world’s most renowned—revered, even—wine regions share something very interesting in common. It has nothing to do with soil, what kind of grapes are grown, or winemaking practices. Rather, it is their latitude: Bordeaux, the northern Rhône, and Piedmont all lie in the path of the 45th parallel, the imaginary line that represents the halfway point between the equator and the North Pole.
       Naturally, this shared latitude exerts a fundamental impact on climate. The 45th parallel appears to roughly bisect the northern hemisphere’s grape-growing belt, lying at the crossroads of more marginal climates to the north and warmer zones to the south. And yet, it would be foolish to draw generalizations about the climates of these three great wine regions based solely upon their latitude: other geographical factors, such as altitude and proximity to mountains and bodies of water, have just as strong an impact on local weather systems, and ultimately leave their imprint on the wines.
      Is it possible, then, to draw parallels, if you will, between the wines of Bordeaux, the northern Rhône, and Piedmont? Is the 45th truly, as experts have called it, the “ideal latitude for the world’s great wines*,” or is it merely a fortuitous coincidence?
      When it comes to fine wine, tasting is believing—see for yourself with these six bottles.

* For further reference, “The Magic of the 45th Parallel,” by Olivier Bernard and Thierry Dussard, explores this subject in greater depth.