From Romania to Portugal, skipping France: here are the new (good and affordable) frontiers of European wine

The Slovenian Collio - today increasingly identified with the Brda area - has been producing whites of remarkable precision for at least twenty years and, thanks to marked temperature fluctuations, has been valorising grape varieties such as Rebula, Malvasia and other border aromatics, counted among its best bishops.

From Hungary, we often remember the legendary Tokaji, a meditation wine more suitable at the end of a meal than as an aperitif. However, there are also dry vinifications of Furmint that give rise to whites of great character, a bit like what happened in Sicily when grapes historically destined for Marsala - Grillo and Catarratto - began to shine in purity.

In Greece, one can live very well without slipping into Retsina. In addition to the Assyrtiko, a complex and savoury white wine, made famous by the vineyards of Santorini, the reds are also growing strongly. Two names above all: Agiorgitiko from the Peloponnese, soft and Mediterranean, and the Xinomavro from the North which, when in good shape and vinified with a happy hand, can recall certain great reds from Piedmont in terms of structure and austerity.

Spain boasts a great tradition, but in addition to the renowned Rioja and Ribera del Duero, one should not overlook the whites of Galicia - Albariño at the head, with its classic salty nuances - nor the reds of Priorat, a wild territory where Garnacha and Cariñena give life to powerful but far from rough wines.

The same goes for Portugal which produces excellent red wines at still human prices, especially in the Douro and Alentejo areas. For whites, it is better to go for Vinho Verde (denomination to the north of the peninsula). In short, Portugal is no longer stuck in Lancers and Mateus, since the 1980s it has archived the cassettes and changed its playlist.

Finally, one cannot ignore what for years was the Cinderella of European viticulture: Romania. It boasts a thousand-year-old tradition and today many entrepreneurs in the sector, including Italians, are investing seriously in its wine-growing lands. The reds have reached more than convincing levels and Muntenia remains one of the most promising areas. One should at least try Negru de Drăgășani and Fetească Neagră, indigenous vines that deserve much more notoriety.

Then there is the surprise that until a few years ago would have made more than one sommelier smile: England, now capable of producing increasingly convincing sparkling wines. A sign that global warming is not just a conference headline, but a concrete agricultural factor, capable of modifying hierarchies that seemed immutable.

In short, while many continue to drink with a 1987 map in hand, European wine in 2026 speaks new languages, changes latitude and - a detail that is anything but marginal - often costs less.