If you enjoy visiting wineries while on vacation, you may like to check out the vineyards selected as the best in the world for 2019.
The World’s Best Vineyards aims to raise the profile of wine tourism, and encourage visitors from all over the world to explore the world’s finest wineries. The winners were selected from over 1500 nominated wineries and were chosen by a voting academy from around the globe.
Argentina’s Zuccardi Valle de Uco was named the World’s Best Vineyard 2019. The Mendoza-based winner was founded in 1963, and its visitor centre showcases stunning views of the vineyards and mountains. It offers winery tours and tastings, and its Piedra Infinita Cocina restaurant offers a four-course seasonal menu as well as recommended paired wines.
When it came to continents, Zuccardi also won the trophy for South America, Rioja’s R. López de Heredia Viña Tondonia won for Europe and Rippon from New Zealand took the Australasia trophy. Robert Mondavi Winery was the winner of the North America trophy, Vergelegen Wine Estate triumphed in Africa, and Lebanon’s Chateau Heritage was the winner for Middle East and Asia.
The top ten saw a particularly strong showing from South America, with two wineries from Argentina, two from Chile and one from Uruguay. In terms of success by country, Chile triumphed overall with eight listings in the top 50, while France had seven listings. In total, 17 countries were represented among the winners.
The top ten winners are:
1. Zuccardi Valle de Uco, Argentina
2. Bodega Garzón, Uruguay
3. R. López de Heredia Viña Tondonia, S.A., Spain
4. Quinta do Crasto, Portugal
5. Catena Zapata, Argentina
6. Montes, Chile
6. Clos Apalta Winery, Chile
8. Rippon, New Zealand
9. Marqués de Riscal, Spain
10. Weingut Dr. Loosen, Germany
The World’s Best Vineyards is sponsored by the International Wine Challenge and designed by the team at William Reed, which is an information source for the food and drink industry. More information can be found here.