The Story of Wine Podcast - Discover the People & Stories Behind Every Glass Mapping the World of Wine: How Steve De Long Brings Wine Regions to Life
In this episode of the Vint Wine Podcast, we sit down with Steve De Long, founder of De Long Wine and one of the wine world’s leading cartographers, to explore his journey from architecture to creating some of the most detailed and visually compelling wine maps available today. Steve shares how he approaches mapping complex regions, the challenges of working with official wine laws and overlapping appellations, and the growing demand for detailed subregional and single-vineyard maps. He also discusses the evolution of his design style, the balance between visual beauty and absolute accuracy, and how maps can deepen our understanding of terroir.
🎧 In this conversation:
- How Steve transitioned from architecture to wine cartography
- The research process behind accurate, accessible wine maps
- Why Italy remains one of the hardest regions to map
- How detailed subregional maps are changing wine education
- The role of thoughtful design in making complex wine regions easier to understand
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction to the Vint Wine Podcast
00:28 Special Guest: Steve De Long, the Wine Map Maker
01:14 Giveaway Announcement: Win a Wine Map
02:19 Wine News: Canary Islands and Phylloxera
04:28 Exploring Austrian Sauvignon Blanc
06:18 Interview with Steve D Long Begins
08:15 Steve De Long's Journey from Architecture to Wine Maps
17:20 Challenges and Details in Wine Map Making
23:52 Transition to New Map Styles
25:50 Current Map Offerings
28:08 Evolution of Wine Mapping
28:24 Relocating to London
29:20 Wine Tasting Tools and Guides
30:42 The Complexity of Wine
39:38 Future of Wine Mapping
45:21 Conclusion and Farewell
Whether you’re a wine student, educator, or collector, this episode offers a fascinating insider’s look at the intersection of geography, design, and wine.
The Vint Wine Podcast is hosted and produced by Billy Galanko. For more content follow Billy on Instagram @BillyGalanko_wine_nerd and for partnerships and collaborations please email billy@sommeliermedia.com.
Cheers!