Farming vineyards on mountains is not the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about which wine one is going to try next. Yet, mountain wine regions are an important part of European viticulture, with some being the finest wines of the continent.

According to the United Nations Environmental Program, a mountain area is objectively defined as a function of altitude and inclination. Using these criteria, the European Union itself counts 170 NUTS level 3 regions, having more than half of their population living in mountain areas and more than half of their surface covered by mountain areas.