Last time, we explored some of the well-known wine regions in Europe. Today, let’s focus on some others from around the globe.

Argentina

Argentina is said to be the fifth-largest wine region and continues to grow each year. One of the best-known wine regions is Mendoza and is known for its Malbec. San Juan is considerably hotter and drier than Mendoza and is known for its Syrah and Douce noir. La Rioja was one of the earliest wine regions in the country, cultivated by Spanish missionaries.

Australia

Vineyard Kangaroo

Wine is produced in every state in Australia, though the more well-known regions can be found in the southern, cooler parts of the country. The country produces a wide range of varieties (due to the vast climatic and topographic differences) but is best known for Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay.

Portugal

Portugal has 14 distinct wine regions which grow a wide array of grape varieties. The largest region is Alentejo, which is known for both its cork production and its dry red wines. The Douro Valley is a wine region that is protected by UNESCO, and is famous for its fortified Port wines, as well as non-fortified varieties known as “Duoro Reds”.

South Africa

South Africa is known for its excellent Chenin Blanc. (One of my favorites.) The Hemel-en-Aarde Valley also produces Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays in its much cooler climate.  As a side note, South Africa is also the largest producer of brandy in the world.

Chile

Chile is the seventh-largest producer of wines. The Atacama region in the north is famous for its brandy-like Pisco, while the Aconcagua and Casablanca valleys are known for producing red Carménère and Shiraz, as well as Sauvignon blanc and Chardonnay. The Maipo Valley is known for its excellent Cabernet Sauvignon.

New Zealand

Wine-making in New Zealand dates back to the early 19th century. The largest region, Marlborough, is famous for its Sauvignon Blanc, which make up almost three-quarters of the country’s entire wine production. (Trust me. I am addicted to this wine!) Another major region is Canterbury, known for its Pinot Noir.

Next time, I will be taking on the United States. (And there is so much more to the US wine-making than Napa and Sonoma!)

This past year has been a crazy time for most of us. The pandemic changed the way we work and do things, probably forever. And that means we’re more distracted than ever.

So much so I couldn’t get a lot done. My head was swimming in a sea of to-dos and should-dos.  And eventually, I was drowning and not able to keep my head above water. I know this sounds like a great analogy, but it really was how I was feeling.

After a lifesaving break, I realized I needed to go back to a method I used to use in college while working in TV and earning my degree at the same time: focus.

For me, that doesn’t mean meditating, as some recommend. (Trying to quiet my brain is impossible.) It meant going back to planning my day (as much as I can) ahead of time and stopped multitasking.

And it worked. I got more focus. I accomplished more, including producing 30+ videos for a 15- day video creation challenge with video expert Lou Bortone.

A video like this one, which includes tips how to start using the power of focus in your life.

Want more?

You can also get my free planner to help you with 10-minute tasks at http://shannoncherry.com/10Minutes

Believe it or not, there is wine made in just about every country in the world. And some countries have several wine regions, so this could have been a very long post. I decided to highlight some of the world’s top wine-producing regions without the US (my home country) mentioned. I’ll focus on the United States at a later time.

The top three wine regions – France, Italy, and Spain – produce almost half the world’s wine (enough to fill 5,127 Olympic-sized swimming pools!). Let’s start with these three.

France

French wine always gives the idea of status, doesn’t it.  The French take their wine seriously! (If you have ever seen the movie Bottle Shock, you can understand why!) Even their 2 buck (well, euro) chuck is amazing. (Trust me, I bought one in Paris at a pharmacy once. It was divine!)

The country is home to ten major regions, each with their own signature wines. The most well-known include:

• Languedoc
• Burgundy
• Champagne
• Alsace
• Bordeaux

Italy

Ask an Italian winemaker, and they will always say Italian wines are the best. The country has more wine regions than France, and the wines are as unique as the variety of landscapes the grapes cover.

One of the largest and most famous is Tuscany, known for Chianti and Vin Sento. Other regions include:

• Campania
• Piedmont
• Prosecco
• Sicily
• Abruzzo
• Lombardy

Spain

More than one million acres of vineyards span Spain. It is known for its rich and varied red wines and its crisp white wines. Regions include:

• La Rioja
• Priorat
• Galicia

Next time, I’ll focus on some of my other favorite global wine regions, including some up-and-comers giving these top 3 producers a run for their money!

Your mother-in-law called. She’s on her way with Aunt Tilly, and they will over in 10 minutes for a visit.

As you hang up the phone, you turn around to survey the damage in the rest of the house.

Yikes!

You’ve been hammering away at work in your ‘mock office’ on the kitchen table. Papers are everywhere. And your kids? If they are like my twin tornados with remote school, video games, and more, things are scattered everywhere. Then there’s the laundry. Yeah, at least we can throw a load or two in while working from home, but getting it put away (at least in my house) hasn’t happened.

But don’t panic.

You’ve got approximately 10 minutes. What do you attack first to get the most bang for your cleaning buck?

Pick stuff off the floor.

It always makes such a difference to actually “see” the carpet. Close off any rooms that don’t need to be seen, such as bedrooms, playrooms, etc.

For those other rooms, keep an extra laundry basket handy and just fill it up. Don’t bother sorting. Just scoop up all the toys and “stuff” and move on. (I also love the stuff under the bed or in a closet routine. That’s often what happens to my laundry… into the closet on the floor until I can get to it later!)

If your vacuum is easy to use, run it quickly. If it is a pain to find it and deal with the cord, forget about it.

Head into the kitchen.

If you have piles of dirty dishes everywhere, you have two choices. You could try to load the dishwasher. However, it might be easier to rinse everything quickly, fill the sink with soapy water, and pile it all in. Don’t worry about actually washing them. Let your company think they interrupted you.

Give the counters a once over with the sponge or a wipe, so nothing sticky is left for your guests to discover.

Time for the bathroom.

Nothing is more embarrassing than having someone ask to use your bathroom when you just know it is gross. And I can tell you with teen girls, it’s really gross. And what the heck happened to all the toilet paper?

Get everything off the counter and into a drawer. Grab a bleach wipe and wipe down the counter, the faucet, the sink, and the toilet.

Grab a wipe made just for mirrors and get that toothpaste spray that you have been purposely ignoring off the mirror. If you can, clean the toilet bowl as well. Note: make sure there is toilet paper.

Living room quickie.

Straighten the cushions on the sofa. Corral all the stuff in the shoe pile and hang up the coats.

That’s it. That’s all you’ve got time for, but this little list should make everything more presentable. Whether you are a neat freak or on the messy side, we all have days where we get caught off-guard. The point to remember is that you only need to give the “illusion” of clean. No one is going to open your closets or drawers. No one is going to peek behind closed doors. At least, I hope not.

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