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Whilst most of us are in quarantine in this Mediterranean heat, Viu Manent, Champagne Taittinger, Château Margaux, Château-d’Yquem, Maison Ruinart and Antinori have all been recently selected among the Top 50 World´s Best Vineyards by a prestigious voting academy from around the globe.

An academy featuring nearly 500 experts from the worlds of wine and luxury travel have selected the Top 50 List of the World’s Best Vineyards to visit. The aim of this prestigious list is to raise the profile of wine tourism and encourage travellers to enjoy wine-related experiences around the globe.

Well, there is nothing wrong with dreaming of finally being able to travel to these wonderful places. Please DO contact us since our contact with these Vineyards is bound to make the experience even more pleasant.

Name of wine estate: Château Margaux
Country: France
Wine region: Bordeaux
Standout points: Revered Bordeaux ‘First Growth’; commanding neo-Palladian château
Winemaker: Sebastian Vergner
Wine style: Cabernet Sauvignon-based claret

Margaux, the superstar

Maker of Bordeaux wine of the first magnitude, idolised by connoisseurs and the very exemplum of stately elegance, Château Margaux has long been known as one of the shiniest stars in the wine-world firmament. Margaux’s imposing neo-Palladian château earned it the nickname ‘the Versailles of the Médoc’. A visit to this leading premier cru classé estate is on many an oenophile’s wishlist, and if you manage to secure a reservation (best to do that several months in advance), you’re sure to be rewarded with a wine experience to remember.

Name of wine estate: Champagne Taittinger
Country: France
Wine region: Champagne
Standout points: UNESCO-recognised fourth-century crayères chalk cellars; Taittinger’s prestige Comtes de Champagne cuvée
Winemaker: Alexandre Ponnavoy
Wine style: Chardonnay-dominant Champagnes

Quintessential Champagne Taittinger

Looking for the quintessential Champagne experience? Well look no further. One of a perishing few family-run Champagne houses (now under the presidency of Vitalie Taittinger, who succeeded her father, Pierre-Emmanuel, in January 2020), Champagne Taittinger has long been a symbol of excellence both for the quality of its wines and the heritage by which it is defined. The house’s Chateau de la Marquetterie, just 3km south of Epernay, is a gem of Louis XV style dating back to 1734, while its fourth-century Gallo-Roman chalk cellars are recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Name of wine estate: Château d’Yquem
Country: France
Wine region: Bordeaux
Standout points: One of the greatest sweet wines in the world; beautiful setting overlooking vineyards of the Garonne river valley
Winemaker: Sandrine Garbay
Wine style: Sweet wines

Sweet Sauternes

Regarded by many as the last word in great sweet wine, Château d’Yquem is a premier cru superieur estate located in Graves, on the left bank of the Garonne river. The estate has existed since at least 1477, while a vineyard has been planted here since at least 1711. Yquem’s reputation is as legendary as the palate length of its wines. Thomas Jefferson regarded Yquem as the best white wine in France, ordering 250 bottles of the 1784 vintage for himself. While such an investment will be beyond most budgets (in modern money, that would cost around £60,000), a visit to the estate will give you the chance to sample this sweet elixir for yourself.
No necessity to feel the pinch. We have a great selection of Sauternes and other dessert sweet wines.

Name of wine estate: Viu Manent
Country: Chile
Wine region: Colchagua Valley
Standout points: Chile’s finest Malbec; antique horse-drawn carriage tours of the vineyards
Winemaker: Patricio Celedón
Wine style: New World whites and reds, with a focus on Malbec

Viu Manet – Best in Chile

Since its launch in 1995, Viu Manent has established itself as one of the most-visited wineries in the Colchagua Valley – hardly surprising when you consider that third-generation owner and managing director José Miguel Viu Bottini was one of the founders of the Colchagua Valley Wine Route, the most prestigious wine route in Chile. Another string to Viu Manent’s bow is its reputation for producing the best Malbec in Chile, the estate having pioneered the first 100% Chilean Malbec in the early 90s. Today, Viu Manent produces no fewer than eight wines from this old Bordeaux variety, from the estate rosé up to its icon, Viu 1. All of which makes Viu Manent an unmissable destination for anyone visiting the red wine paradise of Colchagua. Just don’t forget your toothbrush.

Name of wine estate: Maison Ruinart
Country: France
Wine region: Champagne
Standout points: 13th-century crayères cellars (a UNESCO World Heritage Site); multi-sensory dining with the Ruinart Gastronomic Experience
Winemaker: Frédéric Panaïotis
Wine style: Chardonnay-based traditional-method sparkling

Champagne Ruinart

The oldest Champagne house of them all, Maison Ruinart was founded in Reims in 1729, when the Ruinart family acquired the land on which the estate is today located. With its palatial galleries, parlours and courtyard, the maison itself is impressive enough, but perhaps the most impressive feature of all is below ground: the UNESCO-recognised crayères cellars, which extend over approximately 8km and rise over three levels. It is here, since the 18th century, that Ruinart has stored and aged its precious fizz.

Name of wine estate: Antinori nel Chianti Classico
Country: Italy
Wine region: Tuscany
Standout points: Dazzling winery, wines and art
Winemaker: Albiera Antinori
Wine style: Supertuscans and luxurious Chiantis

Antinori nel Chianti Classico. First family of Tuscan wine.

Creator of such iconic Supertuscans as Tignanello and Solaia, the Antinori family has been making wine since 1385, when, records show, Giovanni di Piero Antinori became a member of the Florentine Winemakers’ Guild. The family’s 26 generations of winemaking history have been suitably commemorated – and revealed to the public – through the dazzling Antinori winery and museum in Bargino.
Try all our Tuscans and Super Tuscans here.

About World’s Best Vineyards

The World’s Best Vineyards has been designed by the team at William Reed to raise the profile of wine tourism and encourage travellers to enjoy wine-related experiences around the globe. The World’s Best Vineyards list reflects the diversity of the world’s wine landscape. The 2020 list provides a snapshot of the best destinations for unique wine tourism experiences, in addition to being a barometer for global wine tourism trends.

Congratulations to all the wineries on the World’s Best Vineyards 2020 list!