During the past 20 years, wine consumption in the United States has almost doubled. In fact, approximately 789 million cases of wine were purchased by consumers in the United States alone!
If you’re like most wine connoisseurs, your fascination with a good bottle of wine does not end once you purchase your favorite variety. You probably enjoy spending a day (or weekend) at exquisite wineries.
From scenic views of the vineyards to exquisite tours, there are plenty of winery tours you can take while traveling abroad. The following is a glimpse into a few of the best wineries around the world.
Domaine de Naujuan
Located: St. Emilion, Gironde, France
It’s been said that France is home to some of the most delicious wine varieties. The Domaine de Naujuan winery boasts traditional grape varieties including Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Semillon.
Guests can participate in tasting sessions, cooking classes, vineyard tours and winemaking conferences.
Conti di San Bonifacio Estates
Located: Tuscany, Italy
This wine resort includes a working winery and farmhouse. Since 2004, this vineyard has been managed by the San Bonifacio family.
Wine varieties include Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. At this resort, guests can learn from wine tutors, enroll in wine courses and enjoy a wine bar. There is a boutique hotel adjacent to the vineyard.
Snowy Peaks Winery
Located: Estes Park, Colorado
This winery offers a view of the Rocky Mountains. The best part about visiting the Snowy Peaks Winery is there are events for the entire family to enjoy.
This boutique winery features handcrafted varieties of wine. Guests can enjoy live music, wine tasting, book clubs and festivals.
Deimersfontein Wine and Country Estates
Located: Wellington, South Africa
Located approximately 45 minutes from Cape Town, this elegant winery features mountain ranges and panoramic views.
Approximately three-fourths of the grapes at Deimersfontein Wine and Country Estates are grown on the vineyard grounds.
Guests are able to enjoy cellar tours (by appointment only), picnics, wine tasting, tractor rides and horseback riding sessions.
Volcano Winery
Located: Big Island, Hawaii
The islands of Hawaii and wine are a perfect combination. The Volcano Winery features tropical and fruity wine varieties that are unique to its locale.
Signature wines include Hawaiian Guava-Grape, Volcano Red, Macadamia Nut Honey Wine and Pinot Noir. For over 30 years, this winery has been a top destination for wine enthusiasts all over the world.
Au Bon Climat
Located: Santa Barbara, California
California’s climate is conducive to growing the best grapes. This award-winning vineyard has won several awards for its wines. Wine varieties featured at Au Bon Climat include Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
This winery features a wine club and tour. For wine enthusiasts who are not able to visit the Au Bon Climat winery, there is an online store that ships wines to customers throughout the world.
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30 Comments
Hi Meg,
Super list here.
I have seen some beautiful wineries on Long Island, out by the Hamptons.
I did not do a proper tour but goodness, just driving through the area, you could tell these were first rate places. Really top notch.
Ryan
Thanks Ryan! I haven’t yet made it to the Hamptons, but have heard amazing things so would love to – especially if it’s a region for first rate wines – thanks for the tip!
Great post, Meg! Thanks for sharing this list with us all.
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Thanks Gagan!
We are currently exploring Australia, so definitely spoiled for choice re wineries here! Thanks for the heads up on your travel startup – will check it out :)
In the south of France, just south of Carcassonne (a must-see destination) is Domaine Gayda, with an organic winery, wine school, hotel (with 14 cottages) and restaurant. Nestled in the hills with views of the Pyrénées. Fantastic place.
http://www.domainegayda.com
Thanks for the tip and link – I love the South of France so much, haven’t made it to Carcassonne though. Will definitely plan for a visit and stay at Domaine Gayda when we return!
Wow, looks like you have been tasting wine all around the world. I do not take alcohol, so can not make much out of the wines, but have tasted it at a few places during my Europe travels. In Bangkok, I heard about the New Latitude wines – which to me was a curious concept as they were not just producing wine but also selling it to the traditional wine producing countries.
No better excuse right! My husband doesn’t drink either, though the nice thing about a winery tour is if you’re interested in the process of how wine is made, or most also serve top local produce and gourmet food :)
I haven’t heard about Bangkok’s New Latitude wines – something to check out – thanks for the tip!
Hitting a few wineries on a lazy Sunday afternoon has to be one of the most pleasurable ways to pass a day. This sounds like a cracker of a list even though I’ve never heard of any of them. Having recently been to South Africa and the Stellenbosch / Franschoek area I reckon it has to be one of the most stunning wine regions in the world. Hopefully I’ll get to tick some more of these places off in years to come.
Amen to that! Glad we could introduce you to a couple of new wineries for your list.
Totally agree that the Stellenbosch / Franschoek region is an incredible place to visit if you’re a wine connoisseur. Hope you have the chance to take in a couple of these wineries on your travels too :)
I am not a wine lover, I only had wine twice in my lifetime – Red one in France – which I hated and second in Vienna – the white wine which had slightly better impression on me as it was something Austrian famous. I had heard great things about French wind – I thing I need to try the better quality ones and your list gave me a quickstart :)
Personally I’m a fan of white wine over red also – I really don’t enjoy red wines that much, and am partial to a much sweeter taste like Moscato and fruity wines. If you’re planning on visiting a winery definitely do some quick research first to learn about what types of wines they produce, because if it’s not something you would enjoy, it’s not really worth stopping by.
Starting with quality wineries is a great approach too :)
Happy travels!
My brother Kris, was he in your year at Stromlo? Anyways… he cycled through France 16-17 years ago and bought a bottle of wine from one of the spectacular and world renowned vineyards, not sure if it was from Domaine de Naujan tho it does ring a bell. Anyways, he cracked this 20+ year old bottle of wine at his engagement party a few years back. Was incredible to enjoy some of the worlds best wine and at such a memorable time. I had better get cracking on visiting these wineries, partial to the grape juice I am.
I don’t think I’ve met Kris – I went to St Clares, though lived in Weston Creek across from Stromlo. Wow what an adventure though to cycle through France!
And he had awesome prior planning to utilize his opportunity back then to save an incredible bottle for his engagement – definitely a worthy time to celebrate!
You had me at best wineries around the world. I haven’t been to any of these places. :( We’ve been to the Big Island several times and had no idea there was a winery.
If you’re heading back to the Big Island anytime soon definitely put some time aside for some wine :D
Very nice post, Meg. I highly recommend you try wine from East-Europe countries like Ukraine and Romania. They are really underrated, but amazing in taste! Great post!
Thanks Niels, and thanks for the tip on wineries in Ukraine and Romania – I really haven’t visited many in the Eastern Europe region, so will have to address that asap!
Thank you for another post on where best to find good wine! Quite an expensive hobby to collect wine but the affordable ones are also worth the travel to get plus the view!
You’re welcome Kim, so glad you enjoyed it! Yes, can be quite an expensive hobby if you let it be, but we like to include wineries in our itinerary of places we’re already traveling to, and then we can’t attribute the cost of travel solely to the wine lol!
Happy travels!
I’ve been to quite a few of the wineries in Santa Barbra but that is the extent of my wine travels. Tuscany and Hawaii have always sounded incredible! I’m sure the volcanic soil make for some interesting tastes.
The volcanic soil of Hawaii definitely makes it stand out as one of the most unique wineries / tastes. The wineries throughout Santa Barbara are great!
Meg, this is a great post and is going to help us a lot. We love wine and visiting wineries is already high on our list. Honestly, till the day we have just been reading the posts on the wineries and are fascinated by the tours around it. Hopefully, soon we will be visiting one of these listed in your post. Thanks for sharing.
Glad it was helpful Suruchi! I figured who doesn’t like visiting wineries right!!
Hope you have the chance to take in a couple of these throughout your travels :)
I misunderstood your priorities. You were seeking the best views; I was seeking the best wines…
Can’t beat both together right!
This is such a solid, inclusive list. I think the East Coast of the US kind of flies under the radar when it comes to wine, but particularly in Virginia (our home state), there are some incredible wineries with award-winning wines. Jefferson is our favorite :) That said, we’ve been looking for things to do on an upcoming trip to Colorado, so I’m excited to see Snowy Peaks on here. Will have to see if we can make a stop. Thank you for the reco ;)
Thanks Megan :) I agree that the East Coast US flies under the radar- thanks for the tips on Jefferson in Virginia, will have to make sure I plan a visit on my next States trip.
Definitely stop by Snowy Peaks if you have some spare time on your upcoming trip – let us know what you think!
This is a fun list. I remember experiencing Hawaiian wine for the first time and thinking it was going to taste like pineapple. It did surprise me on being more than just drinkable.
Thanks Eric, glad you enjoyed it! Personally I’m a big fan of fruity wine varieties, so Hawaii is up there for me too :D!