The World’s Best Vinyards have been revealed and three South Australian wineries are among the Top 5o.
Adelaide Hills’ Penfold’s Magill Estate came in at no.13, while d’Arenberg in McLaren Vale was awarded no. 29 and Seppeltsfield Barossa placed no.47 on the list of the World’s Best Vineyards.
No other Australian vineyards made the list. However, New Zealand cracked the Top 10. Coming in at no.8 Rippon in Central Otago was named The Best Vineyard in Australasia. Craggy Range in Hawke’s Bay also fared well placing at no.11.
Otherwise, the list was dominated by South American vineyards. Argentina’s Zuccardi Valle de Uco was awarded The World’s Best Vineyard and The Best Vineyard in South America. The Mendoza region vineyard was praised for it’s architectural innovative winery complex and stunning outlook onto the Andes, as well as winemaker Sebastián Zuccardi’s exploration of the surrounding sub-regions through terroir-driven wines.
Europe also featured heavily with a number of vineyards from France, Spain, Portugal, Germany and Austria making the cut. Italy, Greece and England also made appearances.
The World’s Best Vineyards Academy compiles the list, with nearly 500 leading wine aficionados, sommeliers, and luxury travel correspondents from across the globe. Voting takes into account more than the wine itself, taking into account the restaurant, tour, ambiance, staff, view, price, reputation, accessibility — everything that adds up to create a complete experience. The world is divided into geographical regions, with an Academy chair in charge of choosing 36 individuals from a range of backgrounds, who could then nominate up to three vineyards inside their voting region and at least four from outside their voting region.
A new award from the organisers behind the World’s 50 Best Restaurants and the World’s 50 Best Bars, the World’s Best Vineyards aims to lift wine tourism around the world.
View the full list of the Top 50 Vineyards.
Image credit The World’s Best Vineyards