Beer – Wine – Beverages

While traveling through Europe you’ll find great beers, wonderful wines and popular local beverages to compliment Europe’s diverse cuisine. For centuries European’s have taken the crafting of beer and the aging of wine to levels of acceptance the world over. When traveling across Europe restaurants will recommend and serve local favorites that won’t disappoint.

Drinking Alcohol in Europe…

Some styles of alcohol are preferred in some parts of Europe over others. While beer may be more widely consumed in Germany, they also drink wine and spirits, like brandy as well. European countries in the east and north who prefer spirits, Vodka dominates their choice. Wine types very greatly from country to country because wine varies from one growing region to the other. Climate, soil and the type of grape they can grow successfully will determine the wine type and taste.

 Legal Drinking Ages in Europe…

Most countries in Europe allow for the consumption of alcohol in private at any age, they may not in public. It is also lawful to consume in public at ages anywhere from 16 or older. Countries may have higher age requirements distilled spirits than those ages allowed for beer, wine and cedar.

While there may be low age, or even no age, requirement for the consumption of alcohol , there may be stricter laws on the sale and or purchase of alcohol. A country may ban the sale to anyone under 18 yet there is no age for the consumption of alcohol.

wine…

The earliest evidence of wine production in ancient times may have started in Armenia around 4100 BC. Wine spread westward throughout the Mediterranean by the Phoenicians and became an important drink in Egyptian, Persian, Greek and Romans cultures. As the Romans expanding their empire they took with them them their knowledge of viticulture, planting vineyards into the conquered areas of Gaul, Iberia and Germania. Monks during the middle ages became major producers of supplying wine for the celebration of mass. In fact Benedictine monks invented sparkling wine near Carcassonne in 1531. Since those early years wine has become a common drink of all social classes. 

Europe makes around two thirds of the world’s wine. This year global production is expected to hit 271 million hectolitres, or 27.1 billion litres. In Europe today there are over 22,000 wine producers who make over 123,000 different wines from over 1,900 growing areas. 

Europe’s Primary Wine Growing Countries & Regions…

Austria

Producers
1721
248,600 Ltr.

Total Wines
16958

Wine Map

Popular Wines
Grüner Veltliner

Wine Regions
Burgenland
Lower Austria
Styria

Wine Web Sites
Austrian Wine
Taste of Austria

Bulgaria

Producers
37
108,000 Ltr.

Total Wines
450

Popular Wines
Cabernet Sauvignon
Kadarka (Gamza)
 Mavrud 
Melnik
Merlot
Muscat
Red Blends

Wine Map

Wine Regions
Black Sea
Danubian Plain
Rose Valley

Wine Regions
Struma Valley
Thracian Valley

Croatia

Producers
201
0.76 mil. hectolitres

Total Wines
32

Wine Map

Popular Wines
Bogdanusa
Grasevina
Grk 
Malvasia
Posip 
Vugava

Wine Regions
Dalmatian Interior
Central & North Dalmatia
Croatian Coast
Istra
Moslavina
Northern Dalmatia

Wine Regions
Plešivica
Podunavlje
Pokuplje
Pirgorje-Bilogora
Slavonia
Zagorje-Medimuje

France

Producers
12865
3,641,900 Ltr.

Total Wines
4526

Popular Wines
Champagne
Bordeuax
Burgundy
Beaujolais
Cabernet Sauvignon
Merlot
Pinot Noir
Rosé
Sauvignon Blanc
Syrah

Wine Maps

Wine Regions
Alsace
Beaujolais
Bordeaux
Bugey-Savoie
Burgundy
Champagne
Côte d’Rhône

Corsica
Languedoc-Roussillon
Loire Valley
Jura
Moselle
Provence
South West 

Germany

Producers
3931
746,200 Ltr.

Total Wines
73124

Popular Wines
Dornfelder
Pinot Noir
Riesling
Spätburgunder

Wine Map

Wine Regions
Ahr
Baden
Franconia
Hessische-Bergstrße
Mitterhein
Mosel-Saar-Ruwer
Nahe

Palatinate 
Rheinhessen
Rheingau
Saale-Unstrut
Saxony
Württemburg

Greece

Producers
316
255,000 Ltr.

Total Wines
1710

Popular Wines
Assyrtiko 
Agiorgitiko
Cabernet Sauvignon
Chardonnay
 Xynomavro 

Wine Map

Wine Regions
Cyclades
Crete
Dodecanese
Epirus
Ionian Islands

Macedonia
North Aegean
Peloponnese
Thessaly
West Greece

Hungary

Producers
341
318,000 Ltr.

Total Wines
503

Popular Wines
Cserszegi Fűszeres
Furmint 
Hárslevelű 
Irsai Olivér
Kéknyelűkekfra
Leányka
 Olaszrizling
Zefír
Zenit

Wine Maps

Wine Regions
Csongrád
Eger
Etyek-Buda
Hajós-Baja
Kunság
Lake Balaton
Mátra
Mór

Neszmély
Pannonhalma
Somló
Sopron
Szekszárd
Tokaj
Villány
Zala

Italy

Producers
8927
4,250,000 Ltr.

Total Wines
19359

Popular Wines
Cannonau
Chianti
Marsala
Montepulciano
Nebbiolo/Barbera
Nero d’Avola
Pinot Grigio
Primitivo
Prosecco
Rosato
Valpolicella

Wine Regions
Abruzzo
Aosta Valley
Apulia
Basilicata
Calabria
Campania
Emilia Romagna
Friuli-Venezia-Giulia
Lazio
Liguria

Lombardy
Marche
Molise
Piemonte
Puglia
Sardinia
Sicilla
Toscana
Trentino-Alto-Adige
Umbria

Portugal

Producers
1104
673,700 Ltr.

Total Wines
598

Popular Wines
Albariño
Madeira
Muscatel
Port
Vinho Verde

Wine Maps

Wine Regions
Açores
Alentejo
Algarve

Centro
Lisboa
Norte

Spain

Producers
3833
3,248,000 Ltr.

Wines

5119

Popular Wines
Cava
Garnacha
Monastrell
Rias Baixas
Ribera del Duero
Priorat
Rioja
Rosado
Rueda
Sherry
Tempranillo

Wine Map

Wine Regions
Andalusia
Aragon
Balearic Islands
Basque Country
Canary Islands
Castile & León
Castile-La Mancha
Catalonia

Extremadura
Galacia
La Rioja
Madrid
Murcia
Navarre
Valencia

Romania

Producers
109
431,700 Ltr.

Wines

450

Popular Wines
Sherry

Wine Map

Wine Regions
Aiud
Alba
Babadag
Banat
Banu Mărăcine
Bohotin
Cernăteşti-Podgoria
Contari
Coteşti
Crişana

Wine Regions
Dealu Bujor
Dealu Mare
Drăgăşani
Huşi
Iana
Iaşi

Lechinţa
Mehedinţi
Miniş
Murfatlar
Nicoreşti
Odobeşti
Oltina
Panciu
Pietroasa
Recaş
Sǎmbureşti
Sarica Niculiţel
Sebeş-Apold
Segarcea
Ştefăneşti
Târnave

Additional minor wine producing countries…

BELGIUM

Producers-N/A
Wines-N/A

BOSNIA HERZEGOVINA

Producers- 1596
Wines-16958

CYPRUS

Producers- 48
Wines-92

CZECHIA

Producers- 21
Wines-7

DENMARK

Producers- 2
Wines-41

LUXEMBOURG

Producers- 6
Wines-168

MOLDOVA

Producers- 17
Wines-34

NETHERLANDS

Producers- N/A
Wines-N/A

SAN MARINO

Producers- 1
Wines-5

 SERBIA

Producers- 22
Wines-39

SLOVAKIA

Producers- 38
Wines-39

SLOVENIA

Producers- 521
Wines-463

SWITZERLAND

Producers- 927
Wines-83

TURKEY

Producers- 28
Wines-53

UNITED KINGDOM – ENGLAND

Producers- 13
Wines-3

beer…

There archaeological evidence that shows forms of barley fermentation around 3500 BC. Recorded history shows beer in ancient Egypt and Iraq. Beer was spread throughout Europe by Germanic and Celtic tribes. Early beer wouldn’t be recognizable from todays beers as they didn’t consist of hops. Early beers would have been made fruits, honey, numerous plants, spices and narcotic herbs. For centuries beer was only produced domestically and by monasteries. Not until the industrial revolution was beer industrially manufactured.

The hub of modern brewing, Europe is home to an estimated 80 beer styles and 50,000 different beer brands. Europe’s estimated 8500 breweries, dispersed across the continent are a major impact on the European economy and lifestyle. They consist of microbreweries, brew pubs, regional players and larger breweries that produce beer for world wide exporting. 

Beer Styles..

ABBEY BEERS

BELGIAN-STYLE WITBIER

BITTERS

CHOCOLATE BEER

CHOCOLATE STOUT

DARK LAGERS

DUNKEL-WIEZEN

EXTRA SPECIAL BITTERS

GERMAN WEISS BIER / WEIZEN

GOLDEN / BLONDE ALES

INDIAN PALE ALE (IPA)

KOLSCH

KRIEK

LAGER

LAMBIC

MILD

PALE ALE

PILSNER

OYSTER STOUT

PORTER

SAISON / BIÈRE DE GARDE

SMOKED BEERS / RAUCHBIER

STOUT

STRONG ALE / BARLEY WINE

TRAPPIST BEERS

Beer brewing produces a diversity of tastes for varied pallets.