Overview
Already in 2023, New Zealand's wine scene scored some international love when Hawke's Bay became the 12th Great Wine Capital of the world. Now, Aotearoa's vino has been poured some affection by the World's Best Vineyards list, which ranks the planet's top wine destinations. Earning the highest spot in Australasia: Rippon in Central Otago.
The NZ winery came in at 11th place, with the awards heaping praise onto the Southern Alps favourite for producing "a highly lauded range of pinot noir from this magnificent landscape and its biodynamically farmed vineyards".
Rippon was also named the best vineyard in Australasia, beating out winemakers from across the ditch.
Australia was still represented in the top 50, thanks to three South Australian winemakers. McLaren Vale's d'Arenberg nabbed the highest Aussie placing, coming in at 17th. Sprawling around a giant cube might've helped. That five-storey square is quite the centrepiece, but the Osborn family's organic and biodynamic tipples score plenty of attention on their own. The awards also praised the vineyard for living "up to its billing as 'more than just a cellar door'".
Next on the list: Henschke in Eden Valley, which boasts a vineyard that was planted more than 150 years ago, and nabbed 26th spot. Then comes Magill's Penfolds Magill Estate, which dates back to 1844 and is particularly known for its shiraz, in 44th place.
While Down Under was well-represented among the Best 50 Vineyards, 23 vineyards in this year's list hailed from Europe. France alone scored nine spots, the highest number for any single country.
That said, the top placing went to Argentina's Catena Zapata, which also won overall South American vineyard. Next came Europe's first listing, for Spain's Bodegas de los Herederos del Marqués de Riscal, followed by Chilean vineyard VIK in third, Creation in South Africa in fourth, and France's Château Smith Haut Lafitte in fifth.
Completing the top ten: Bodega Garzón in Uruguay, Montes in Chile, Germany's Schloss Johannisberg, and both Bodegas Salentein and El Enemigo Wines in Argentina.
If you plan your getaways around vino, consider this list a handy piece of travel inspiration. If you're just interested in the drops, consider it a guide for your next trip to the bottle shop.
The World's Best Vineyards also names a 51–100 list, which saw New Zealand's Craggy Range come in at 58th, Man O' War at 77th and Kumeu River Wines at 81st, plus Australia's Seppeltsfield Barossa at 98th.
To check out the full World's Best Vineyards Top 50 and 100 lists, head to the awards' website.
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