The highly anticipated World’s Best Vineyards list is back this October, showcasing the very best of wine tourism across the globe. Now an annual event, this year’s list is to be revealed at a special live event hosted by Mendoza, Argentina on 26th October and viewers from around the world can tune in to view the countdown on YouTube.
The live event will take place at Zuccardi Valle De Uco in Mendoza, the number one vineyard on the list for the past three years (2019 – 2021) and the first vineyard to enter the new ‘Best of the Best’ Hall of Fame. The new ‘Best of the Best’ category will be formed of vineyards that top the annual vote of the World’s 50 Best Vineyards three years in a row and are therefore no longer eligible to be voted on new editions of the list. With the launch of this new category, the World’s Best Vineyards 2022 list will see a new vineyard crowned number one, and will also shine a spotlight on a new highest placed Mendoza vineyard.
This year’s host, Mendoza, had five wineries in last year’s top 50 and is renowned as the main wine producing region in Argentina with more than 150,000 hectares of vineyards and over 800 wineries across the region. As well as this, Mendoza is home to beautiful natural scenery, including rivers and valleys where tourists can enjoy a range of outdoor activities such as horse riding, rafting, sunset mountain biking and zip-lining.
The World’s Best Vineyards annual list highlights the top vineyards to visit globally and aims to promote wine tourism around the world. Each year the list showcases unique vineyards with unrivalled visitor experiences, from modern architectural wonders, UNESCO-protected ancient cellars, and Michelin-starred restaurants to family-run wineries with intimate tours. The Voting Academy consists of over 500 leading wine experts, sommeliers and travel experts and they submit their nominations based on the different criteria that make the best destination vineyard, including quality of the overall experience, ambiance, cuisine, activities, views, staff, and value for money. The results are then collated and converted into the World’s Best Vineyards list.
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.
Andrew Reed, Managing Director Wine and Exhibitions at William Reed, comments: “We are thrilled to be partnering with Mendoza in Argentina for this year’s World’s Best Vineyards list reveal. With five vineyards from the region placing in the top 50 in 2021 it was an obvious choice. Mendoza is a beautiful wine region in the foothills of the Andes surrounded by lakes and full of vineyards – making it the perfect wine tourism destination”.
Dr Nora Vicario, Minister of Culture and Tourism of the Province of Mendoza, says: “In Mendoza you can breathe in wine and a culture unlike anywhere else in the world. It is one of the great wine capitals and the combination of mountains, wine and ever-increasing diversity and innovation makes it a perfect travel destination. We are excited to present Mendoza to the world by hosting this year’s World’s Best Vineyards.”
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