Five extraordinary wineries around the world
When you consider where the best winery is, Italy and Spain come to mind first. While they have much to offer regarding vineyards, they have quite the competition from locations like Chile, Azerbaijan, South Africa, California, and France.
These countries have been consistently producing high-quality wines and are home to some of the most extraordinary wineries. Below, you’ll find a list of the top wineries worldwide.
Most Extraordinary Global Winery Options
1. Savalan Winery, Gabala, Azerbaijan
Savalan Winery is located in Azerbaijan and has produced high-quality wine since its opening in 2007. Owned by Mr. Fuad Seyidaliyev and Mr. Arif Rahimov, this vineyard began with a focus on creating the best wines in the country. Using Italian experts on their winemaking team to test the soil and ensure the quality aided in creating some of the best wine around.
Azerbaijan was historically very famous for its wines and wineries. Now, this Azerbaijani winery is bringing the tradition back to the country, whose climate and sunshine provide the optimal environment for grape growing. Savalan Winery crafted its business around recreating wines from these long-ago Azerbaijani wineries that disappeared.
Savalan Winery focuses on sustainably making its wines using eco-friendly energy and tech. Coupling this technology with Italian processes aids in producing delightful wines in the Azerbaijan countryside. Savalan produces everything from white to red and rose. Customers can choose classics like Sauvignon Blanc and Merlot or select from special edition wines and other various options.
2. Undurruga Winery, Talagante, Chile
Set in Maipo Valley, Chile, Unduggura Winery is one of the oldest wineries in the country. This winery has been producing wines since the late 1800s and was created by Don Francisco Undugugga Vincuno. Intending to create top-tier wines without disrupting the terrior (natural environment) as minimally as possible, Undurruga Winery has been able to produce wines that are recognized around the world for their quality.
Undurruga Winery specializes in curating wines that appeal to various wine drinkers, from experts on the subject to those who are new to drinking wine. Creating wine at two locations (Talagante and the Quinta de Tilcoco VI Region) allows Undurruga Winery to create up to 23 million litres.
Through continual research, creating wines that are as natural as possible, proper terrior planning, and a drip irrigation system, Undurruga Winery produces consistent and flavorful wines. Undurruga specializes in regular and sparkling wines across their various lines.
3. Stark-Condé Wines, Stellenbosch, South Africa
Stark-Condé Wines uses its advantageous location to curate top-quality wine with an elegant feel. Situated in the Jonkershoek Valley, this winery is subjected to more rain and elevation than anywhere else in this famous wine-producing region.
Stark-Condé Wines has a unique backstory – a self-taught wine master (Jose Condé) began experimenting with wines in South Africa until he could consistently produce extraordinary wines. Beginning his wine journey in 2000, Jose now offers unique wines with features such as higher tannins than usual and options with a good mouthfeel.
This winery focuses on organic farming and using natural processes to create its wines. Each wine is pressed and then fermented with natural yeast. They’re left to sit in open-top tanks until they’re transferred to French oak barrels, where they age for nearly two years. Jose focuses on creating small batches of wine, exemplifying quality over quantity.
Cabernet Sauvignon is the primary wine that Stark-Condé Wines offers, though other options like Syrah and petit Sirah are also available.
4. Robert Mondavi Winery, Oakville, California
Robert Mondavi Winery helped change the course of winemaking in California and America. This winery opened in 1966, shortly before the Judgement of Paris event, which put California on the map for producing some of the best wine.
Mondavi helped establish Napa Valley as a real contender for winemaking against international wineries. With a multi-award-winning Chief Winemaker, Robert Mondavi Winery is set to be one of the best in California.
This winery even aided in creating the Napa Sustainable Winegrowing Group to provide advice and information to other wineries on sustainability. The information is presented in multiple workshops annually that discuss topics like water conservation and cover cropping. Because of their work with NSWG, the Robert Mondavi Winery received an award for innovation from the EPA of California.
The Robert Mondavi Winery specializes in growing cabernet sauvignon and cabernet blanc wines on their land. While Robert Mondavi Winery produces many varieties of award-winning wines, nothing tops a taste of their signature wine – Fume Blanc.
5. Domaine Saint Amant, Suzette, France
The Domaine Saint Amant is family-run by the Jacques Wallut family. This winery resides in France at an elevation of 1800 feet. Domaine Saint Amant stands behind the belief that the terrior creates the flavor of the wine, and it shows in their fruity, fresh, and natural tasting wines.
This winery covers about 32 acres of space and stretches around a mountain covered in rocky, limestone terrain. As this winery is tucked away in the mountains, it can produce great quality grapes while avoiding the too hot temperature that the plains below provide.
By avoiding herbicides and pesticides in its process, Domaine Saint Amant Winery can craft its offerings via a more natural method. Curating wines in this way helps protect the land and creates extraordinary wine simultaneously. This method of using nature to curate wines continues in the process of fermentation and aging. Each batch of wine is left unmanipulated, simply becoming more delicious as it ages.
The wines at Domaine Saint Amant are held in an underground cellar, affectionately referred to as a cave. Here visitors can taste test wines on wine tours to find their ideal bottle. Domaine Saint Amant produces 55,000 wine bottles per year, featuring 11 various red and white wines.
Extraordinary wineries await visitors worldwide, from wineries at high elevations surrounded by lush valleys to wineries that helped set the precedence for their whole region. Whether you prefer a fruity flavor or one that is more acidic, these wineries can help you find your new favourites.
The above wineries are some of the best in the world, producing sustainable and high-quality wines. Passion, rich history, and respect for the land propel these wineries to the top of the list.
