World’s Best Vineyards has revealed this year’s top 50 wine destinations for 2024, showcasing wineries that provide unforgettable wine experiences, and promote wine culture.
This year, the top spot went to Bodegas De Los Herederos Del Marqués De Riscal, Rioja. Marqués de Riscal was established in 1858 and is still known for its amazing wines but also its iconic architecture.
VIK from Chile also jumped up by one place to 2nd on the list, claiming the World’s Best Vineyards Continent Winner - South America award with its sleek, futuristic design of a reflective titanium roof that mirrors the surrounding landscape, blending harmoniously with the natural beauty of the valley.
As well as vineyard tours and wine tastings, visitors can also explore the grounds on horseback.
The magnificent water mirror featuring an imaginative river rock sculptural installation at VIK, 2nd place winner, and the beautiful Creation, 3rd place winner, surrounded by fynbos-clad mountains and rivers.
Third place was awarded to Creation in South Africa, also named the World’s Best Vineyards Continent Winner - Africa, renowned for crafting gourmet tasting menus that complement its wines perfectly.
Translating as “heaven and earth,” Hemel-en-Aarde lies a couple of hours down the coast from Cape Town with a cool climate ideal for producing fresh, refined Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs. But aside from its burgeoning winemaking reputation, it is this spot’s sheer, natural beauty that will truly blow you away.
Wine Style: Modern, cool-climate South African white, red, sparkling and fortified wines, with a focus on Chardonnay and Pinot Noir
So Swiss winemaker JC Martin and his South African wife Carolyn found: they stumbled across their 40 (but now 50) hectares of virgin soil in 2002 and decided to build an estate from scratch, incorporating and highlighting its bounteous surroundings.
The first harvest took place in 2006 and the couple’s combined viticultural pedigree, combined with a thoroughly modern approach to farming, winemaking and hospitality, has turned Creation into an unmissable destination.
As befits the region, which is cooled by the freezing Atlantic Ocean and its breezes, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir reign. Creation’s location on the Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge puts the vineyards at around 290 metres, boosting the wines’ acidity and freshness.
The premium range is site specific, and barrel selected, with individually numbered bottles presented in wooden gift boxes. Chenin Blanc is also produced, plus Bordeaux and Rhone varietals (Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Syrah, Roussanne, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Viognier).
Klein Constantia Wine Estate in Cape Town also placed in the top 50, in 41st place, while Benguela Cove, a vineyard in the Hermanus region, came in 86th place. Last year, it placed 53rd.
Bodegas Ysios came in 4th place, known for its high-quality Rioja wines and avant-garde architecture, and was also awarded Highest Climber, having climbed 67 places from last year.
Schloss Johannisberg, Germany, known as the birthplace of Riesling, with over 1,200 years of winemaking history, came in 5th place.
The winery was a former monastery rebuilt as a castle in 1716 and is surrounded by vineyards and breathtaking views of the Rhine River. It offers tours and tastings that provide insight into centuries of winemaking tradition.
Key figures:
Spain had the most vineyards in the top 10 this year with three vineyards in the top 10, two of which are from Rioja. Overall, it had eight vineyards in the top 50.
France and Germany both had two entrants in the top 10 and France also had eight vineyards in the top 50. Half of France’s top vineyards are Champagne houses, including Maison Ruinart (number six), Champagne Bollinger (number 12), Champagne Billecart-Salmon (number 27) and Maison Pommery (number 47).
There were 28 vineyards from Europe in this year’s list, 12 from South America, three from North America, three from Asia, two from Africa, and two from Australasia.
The World’s Best Vineyards Continent Winners also included Robert Mondavi Winery in Napa Valley, United States for North America, D'Arenberg in the McLaren Vale wine region of Australia for Australasia and Château Héritage in Lebanon for Asia.
This year, Catena Zapata, World’s Best Vineyard 2023, entered the World’s Best Vineyards Hall of Fame, which is reserved for vineyards that have topped the winning list in previous years.
The Top 50 list is compiled from all the nominations by the global academy of voters. The world is split into geographical regions, each headed up by an acknowledged expert as the Academy Chair.
Each Academy Chair is responsible for recruiting 36 wine and travel experts. Each member of the Voting Academy must vote for 7 vineyards.
There is no pre-determined checklist of criteria or predefined list to choose from – each vote is a nomination for a vineyard experience open to the public that they deem to truly be the best in the world.
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