Vineyards. Picture: iStock
A winery located 1 100 meters above sea level, set against the backdrop of the Andes Mountains in Argentina has been named the world’s best vineyard in a new ranking published by the same group that organises the World’s 50 Best Restaurants awards.
Zuccardi Valle de Uco tops the 2019 edition of the World’s Best Vineyards, a new list which aims to rank the “50 most amazing places to taste wine and learn about winemaking” for oenophiles.
The Argentinian winery is lauded as much for its unique, terroir-driven wines, as it is for the winery complex itself, a sprawling compound built from local stones, water and sand from the nearby Tunuyan River.
Described as an “architectural gem,” the winery is designed to blend in with its natural environment and showcase the Uco Valley.
Zuccardi Valle de Uco in Argentina.
Zuccardi wines, meanwhile, are produced to express the unique terroir of the vineyards with its extreme climate conditions, altitude and Uco Valley soil.
Overall, the list is a mix of some usual suspects and wine regions — Robert Mondavi, Penfolds, Veuve Clicquot — but also features lesser-known vineyards, notably Kir-Yianni in Greece and Château Heritage in Lebanon.
The list ranges from small boutique wineries to ancient cellars and goes beyond just wine to offer everything from horse-drawn carriage rides, classic car and high art collections, mountain biking adventures, horseback riding, infinity pools and open-fire dining.
Built on the same premise as the World’s 50 Best Restaurants, the ranking is determined based on the votes of 500 wine experts, be it sommeliers, aficionados or luxury travel correspondents around the world.
Weingut Dr. Loosen in Germany.
Here are the top 10 vineyards of 2019:
1. Zuccardi Valle de Uco, Argentina
2. Bodega Garzon, Uruguay
3. R. Lopez de Heredia Vina Tondonia, S.A., Spain
4. Quinta do Crasto, Portugal
5. Bodega Catena Zapata, Argentina
6. Tie: Montes, Chile and Clos Apalta Winery, Chile
8. Rippon, New Zealand
9. Marqués de Riscal, Spain
10. Weingut Dr. Loosen, Germany
The full list can be on worldsbestvineyards.com
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