Best Wine Regions in the World to Visit in 2018
GettyWachau, Austria
Just an one-hour drive from Vienna, the Wachau is one of Austria’s most picturesque valleys. Old castles, monasteries, and quaint villages flank the Danube river in this UNESCO World Heritage site. Add to that outstanding wineries, and you begin to understand why the Wachau is a wine lover’s paradise. Rent a bike to tour the historic sites and stop by a winery or two to sip dry to off-dry rieslings and grüner veltliners. Among the top wineries, “Knoll, Jamek, and Hirtzberger have great tasting rooms and excellent restaurants,” says Rajat Parr, winemaker and partner at Domaine de la Côte.
GettyCentral Otago, New Zealand
The name is misleading, because Central Otago is located on the southern tip of New Zealand, just outside of Queenstown. Known for hiking, skiing and adventure sports (by some accounts, it’s where bungee jumping was invented), the region is also a dramatic, mountainous backdrop for many vineyards. “The wines are gorgeous,” says June Rodill, master sommelier and beverage director of McGuire Moorman, and partner at June’s in Austin. “Pinot noirs, in particular, are fresh, bright, and taste of sun-kissed fruit and they hit the spot for lovers of both old-world and new-world pinot. You don’t really see these wines in the U.S., so you have to go there to experience them.”
GettyBurgundy, France
Burgundy is where some of the world’s best and most expensive pinot noirs and chardonnays are made, but there's plenty to see beyond the most high-profile vineyards. Visiting Burgundy will “give you context and a different perspective on the wines,” says Charles Puglia, beverage director at Le Coucou in New York City. “There is still a beautiful charm about it that has not been spoiled. You can stop at family-run restaurants for a meal and everybody is friendly.” For the most part, the region is comprised of very small domains, where you can get a quick tour and taste wines from the barrel. Make an appointment at Domaine Joliet in Fixin, located in a 500-year-old house once inhabited by Cistercian monks. “It’s a dirt-floor winery with a giant wine press as old as the winery itself. The wines are gorgeous, in spite of the fact that Fixin has been left out of the Grand Cru status.”
GettyCampania, Italy
If you go to Naples or the Amalfi Coast, be sure to drink local and look for some of Campania’s outstanding wines. From refined whites like Fiano, Greco di Tufo, and Falanghina to graceful Aglianico reds that defy the southern European stereotype of overripe wines high in alcohol, “Campania is a region that really loves wine,” says Katie Morton, wine director at Marta and Vini e Fritti in New York. “There are some very interesting styles of Aglianico being produced—young, lighter wines, like the ones from Fattoria La Rivolta, but also more serious ones aged in large barrels that [maintain their] lift and elegance, like Pietracupa’s Taurasi Aglianico.” It’s no wonder many call Aglianico “the Barolo of the south.” Avoid the summer crowds and go in the spring or fall shoulder seasons—the weather is warm but not stifling hot and there are fewer tourists to contend with.
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GettyGalicia, Spain
A short drive from Santiago de Compostela, Galicia’s Rias Baixas and Ribeira Sacra wine regions have been making headlines recently. They’re best known for Albariños, but local winemakers are embracing lesser-known indigenous grapes, like Godello and Mencia. “Godello wines are elegant, intense, and full of bright acid and deep mineral notes with a serious ability to age,” says Jen Fields, wine director at Waypoint in Cambridge, Massachusetts. “Mencia is my favorite Spanish red. Ranging from light and playful to rich, fruity, and earth-laden, it’s so elegant in comparison to all the heavy hitters of northern Spain,” says Fields. Besides the lovely wines, “the food is incredible, the people are lovely, and there’s a lot of history to keep you busy when you’re not eating and drinking.”
GettyCorsica, France
This French island is so different in both landscape and culture from mainland France that it might as well be a continent apart. Just south of the Italian Riviera, Corsica is almost untouched. White sandy beaches and clear, Caribbean-like waters give way to rugged hills with low shrubs as you go inland. “And then, all of a sudden, there are grapes,” says Kathryn Coker, owner of Esters Wine Shop & Bar and wine director for Rustic Canyon Group, in Santa Monica, California. “Corsican rosés under the Corse Calvi appellation are herbaceous and complex, the Vermentinos are more minerally than in neighboring Sardegna and the reds—all clones of the Sangiovese grape—are meaty but not heavy,” she says. There are so many wines you can’t easily get off the island that it’s worth a trip just to try them for yourself.
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GettyVirginia, United States
You don’t have to travel to Napa or Sonoma to taste great wine in the U.S.—in fact, wine’s made in all 50 states. Among them, Virginia stands out for its deep-rooted winemaking history dating back to Thomas Jefferson and the variety and quality of its wines: cabernet franc, merlot, and Nebbiolo for reds, along with world-class chardonnay and some amazing Viognier. “There are wineries all over the state,“ says Andy Chabot, director of food and beverage at Blackberry Farm in Walland, Tennessee. “The better areas are right against the Appalachians on the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains along the Monticello Wine Trail. Many wines are only sold at the wineries or local restaurants, so it’s worth a visit.” The Virginia Wine Board is a great resource to organize a few days of winery hopping.