The World’s Best Vineyards Revealed
Cuppeth runneth over
By Guest Styler | 16th July 2020Fancy yourself as palate player when it comes to wine? Or perhaps you’re less sip-sip, more travel-travel?
Either way, this is sure to impress both wine lovers and globetrotters alike! The 2020 World’s Best Vineyards has revealed the top 50 best wine tourism destinations across the globe in a virtual awards ceremony and some of the destinations may surprise you! Spanning across 18 countries and including first-time winners from India, Japan and Bulgaria, the list is interesting to say the least.
Your mind may wander to the hills of Tuscany, Napa Valley or southern France when it comes to the perfect drop, however the results show we could be overlooking the best wine regions on offer.
And what about our Barossa, Margaret River and Hunter Valley headliners? Have a look how they stacked up amongst the world’s best!
*Drum roll and glass of wine at-the-ready please*
The winner of the 2020 World’s Best Vineyards is Argentina’s Zuccardi Valle de Uco, taking out the title for the second year running! The vineyard started from the first seeds planted in 1963 by Zuccardi’s grandfather and the fruits of his labour have flourished ever since. The vineyard is what architectural dreams are made of with natural materials, stones from the land and cement, both outside and in. The landscape surrounding the vineyard is just as breathtaking as the winery itself, with their wines obviously just as renowned.
Coming in at second place, Uruguay’s Bodega Garzon. The vineyard and winery is just as spectacular at Zuccardi’s so it must’ve been a close call! With innovation, sustainability and history the foundation of the company, it’s a destination that certainly deserves a spot on everyone’s travel bucket list whether you like wine or not!
Now a little north, third place was Austria’s Domäne Wachau which jumped 16 places ahead from the 2019 rankings. This vineyard and winery may closer resemble the visions you have of a traditional landscape featuring a dry stone walled cellar door and mountainous landscapes.
So, how did our Aussie vineyards stack up? Adelaide’s Penfolds Magill Estate came in at number 24, followed by Henschke at number 25 and d’Arenberg at number 34.
See the full list, below.
Position
Vineyard name
Country
2019 position
1 The World’s Best Vineyard & The Best Vineyard in South America
Zuccardi Valle de Uco
Argentina
1
2
Bodega Garzón
Uruguay
2
3 & The Best Vineyard in Europe
Domäne Wachau
Austria
=19
4
Montes
Chile
=6
5 & The Best Vineyard in North America
Robert Mondavi Winery
United States
12
6
Bodegas de los Herederos del Marqués de Riscal
Spain
9
7
Château Smith Haut Lafitte
France
16
8
Quinta do Crasto
Portugal
4
9
Antinori nel Chianti Classico
Italy
18
10
VIK Winery
Chile
14
11
Catena Zapata
Argentina
5
12
Fürst von Metternich-Winneburg’sche Domäne Schloss Johannisberg
Germany
21
13 & The Best Vineyard in Australasia
Rippon
New Zealand
8
14 & The Best Vineyard in Africa
Delaire Graff Estate
South Africa
=39
15
Weingut Dr. Loosen
Germany
10
16
Ridge Vineyards Monte Bello
United States
NEW
17
Craggy Range
New Zealand
11
18
González Byass – Bodega Tio Pepe
Spain
NEW
19
Château Pichon Baron
France
NEW
20
Opus One Winery
United States
=19
21
Ceretto
Italy
NEW
22
CHÂTEAU MARGAUX
France
22
23
Bodegas Salentein
Argentina
=26
24
Penfolds Magill Estate
Australia
13
25
Henschke
Australia
NEW
26
Bodega Bouza
Uruguay
44
27
Clos Apalta
Chile
=6
28
Champagne Taittinger
France
NEW
29
Champagne Billecart-Salmon
France
NEW
30 & The Best Vineyard in Asia
Château Mercian Mariko Winery
Japan
NEW
31
Château d’Yquem
France
NEW
32
Bodegas RE
Chile
32
33
Château Mouton Rothschild
France
=39
34
d’Arenberg
Australia
29
35
Viña Errázuriz
Chile
17
36
GAJA
Italy
NEW
37
DOMAINE SIGALAS SA
Greece
35
38
Château Oumsiyat
Lebanon
NEW
39
Wine Cellar Villa Melnik
Bulgaria
NEW
40
Viña Casas del Bosque
Chile
=30
41
BODEGAS VIVANCO
Spain
24
42
Familia Torres
Spain
28
43
VIU MANENT
Chile
23
44
Maison Ruinart
France
46
45
Domaine Marcel Deiss
France
NEW
46
KRSMA Estates
India
NEW
47
Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars
United States
NEW
48
Château Heritage
Lebanon
49
49
Quinta do Noval
Portugal
NEW
50
Trapiche
Argentina
NEW
Notes regarding the voting process:
The list is based on nominations from a voting academy, made up of over 500 leading wine experts, sommeliers and travel correspondents from across the 18 defined geographical regions. For more information see here.
