Wine lovers know that wine tastes best when it’s “at it’s source.” When you can look around and see where the wine comes from - whether it’s Siduri from a winery in Santa Rosa, Texas, or wine from Bordeaux, France. When you can stand only miles away from where the grapes that made the wine were harvested, it adds a whole new experience to the wine tasting. You can see the buildings, or the countryside, or the chateaus spread out before you.
The following list includes some of the best and most original vineyards worldwide. These are places that are not typically sought-after when in search of wine. And while you might be able to purchase them in your home locale, half the experience comes from getting them at their home.
(1) Friuli, Italy.
The vineyards in Friuli are scattered throughout the small village towns, and old churches line the streets. Villagers bustle about, impeccably dressed. Wines from this region include the Viotto Bianco, a blended white wine produced by Scarbolo, and sold in his restaurant, “La Frasca.” Another amazing wine is a red wine produced by the Gallo family, in Vie de Romans, the Flors di Uis, a three-grape blended wine that “smells like Malvasia, and tastes like Riesling.”
(2) Santa Ynez Valley, California.
This region is filled with hills, near enough to the ocean that it has a very positive affect on the vineyards. White wines from this area include Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay, and red wines include Pinot Noir, and Merlot. The Gainey Vineyard is run by the Gainey family and they make it their mission to produce world-class wine. Dan Gainey said, “We consider our vineyards and the wines we make from them an expression of the love we have for our land and this beautiful area of California.”
(3) Casablanca Valley, Chile.
Although Chile is not the first place thought of when one speaks of excellent wines, this area of the country is reshaping that opinion. These $8 wines taste like they should cost much more. The region has incredibly fertile soil, with mountains filled with trees, and valleys in-between them, where the vineyards are nestled comfortably. Wines found in this region include tangy Sauvignon Blancs, strong Pinot Noirs, and bright red Riesling.
(4) Andalucìa, Spain.
This region has more space devoted to grapevines and vineyards than anywhere else in the world. Andalucìa has miles of beautiful, golden beaches, gorgeous mountain ranges, and stunning white villages, densely covered by olive trees and vineyards. This region of Spain is best known for a sweet, amber sherry that it specializes in, which was made famous by the British. Other wines include a relatively new white wine, D.O Condado de Huelva, Fino Soto, and an exquisite Sangria.
(5) Central Otago, New Zealand.
October is a green month in Central Otago, though the mountains are still covered in snow, and herds of sheep dot the fertile but rocky hillsides. The vineyards these grapes come from are further south than any other vineyards, and the wine they produce has a note of austerity within the fruity ripeness. Wines include Pinot Noir, a white Block 1 Riesling, and a Pinnacle Pinot Noir, which is blended from the season’s four best barrels each year. The Pinnacle Noir is not yet readily available in the United States.
Mixing travel with pleasure is always the best way to go, and if wine is one your pleasures, then it’s easy - and fun - to explore new places to find it. You never know what you might stumble across when you enter the small, hatched pink restaurant that looks like it grew out of the hill, or the huge, formidable-looking castle.