Wine tourism: 50 Essential Wine Routes Around the World

Wine tourism: 50 Essential Wine Routes Around the World

Wine around the world

Wine tourism has become one of the most vibrant segments of global tourism: it combines stunning landscapes, local culture, authentic gastronomic experiences and, of course, world-class wine. From terraced vineyards with centuries of history to modern wine routes featuring cutting-edge design and immersive experiences, these 50 routes represent the very best that awaits you if you love wine and travel.

For each destination, we share the star grape variety, the best time to visit, an emblematic dish from the local cuisine, a standout winery you simply cannot miss on your trip, and whether there is any UNESCO-listed historical or cultural heritage to help you enjoy a truly unique experience.

The world offers endless wine tourism experiences, from the terraced valleys of the Douro Valley in Portugal — a UNESCO World Heritage Site — to the Napa Valley Wine Route in the United States. Wine tourism brings together landscapes, local culture, regional gastronomy and unforgettable experiences for lovers of wine and travel alike.

Gastronomy

What is more, each route is distinguished not only by its wines, but also by the emblematic dishes of the region’s cuisine:

• In Spain, tapas, seafood and roasted meats.
• In France, cheeses, pâtés and classic recipes.
• In Italy, handmade pastas and grilled meats.
• In Chile and Argentina, barbecues and empanadas pair beautifully with full-bodied reds.
• ……

When to Visit

The harvest and grape-picking seasons (generally late summer and early autumn) tend to offer the richest wine tourism experiences. Visiting at this time of year allows you to take part in grape harvests, wine festivals and special events.

We will be showcasing each of the routes in their own dedicated articles, so that you can choose the wine route that appeals to you most and plan your wine travels around the world, enjoying the finest wine-producing regions to the full.

#	Route	Country	Start grape	Best time to visit	Guest gastronomy	Winery	UNESCO
1	Borgoña	🇫🇷 Francia	Pinot Noir / Chardonnay	Sep-Oct	Bœuf bourguignon	Joseph Drouhin	✅
2	Champagne	🇫🇷 Francia	Chardonnay / Pinot Noir	Ene-Abr	Foie gras	Veuve Clicquot	✅
3	Toscana	🇮🇹 Italia	Sangiovese	Oct-Nov	Bistecca Fiorentina	Antinori	✅
4	Piamonte	🇮🇹 Italia	Nebbiolo	Oct-Nov	Tajarin con trufa	Marchesi di Barolo	✅
5	La Rioja	🇪🇸 España	Tempranillo	Sep-Oct	Chuletillas al sarmiento	López de Heredia	✅
6	Ribera del Duero	🇪🇸 España	Tinto Fino	Sep-Oct	Lechazo asado	Vega Sicilia / Viña Pedrosa	—
7	Mendoza y Salta	🇦🇷 Argentina	Malbec / Torrontés	Feb-Mar	Asado patagónico	Catena Zapata	✅
8	Kent y Sussex	🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Inglaterra	Chardonnay / Pinot Meunier	Jun-Sep	Fish & chips gourmet	Nyetimber	—
9	Valle del Douro	🇵🇹 Portugal	Touriga Nacional	Sep-Oct	Bacalao à brás	Taylor’s	✅
10	Alentejo	🇵🇹 Portugal	Aragonez	Abr-Jun	Queso de Évora + borrego	Herdade do Esporão	✅
11	Priorat	🇪🇸 España	Garnacha / Cariñena	Oct-Nov	Caracoles a la llauna	Álvaro Palacios	—
12	Alsacia y Mosela	🇫🇷🇩🇪	Riesling / Gewürztraminer	May-Oct	Choucroute / Tarte flambée	Trimbach / Dr. Loosen	✅
13	Barossa Valley	🇦🇺 Australia	Shiraz	Mar-May	Mettwurst + Maggie Beer	Penfolds Grange	—
14	Marlborough-Otago	🇳🇿 Nueva Zelanda	Sauvignon Blanc / Pinot Noir	Feb-Abr	Mejillón Green Lip	Cloudy Bay / Felton Road	—
15	Napa Valley y Sonoma	🇺🇸 EE.UU.	Cabernet Sauvignon	Ago-Nov	The French Laundry	Opus One	—
16	Oregón y Washington	🇺🇸 EE.UU.	Pinot Noir / Merlot	Jul-Oct	Salmón del Columbia	Domaine Drouhin Oregon	—
17	Stellenbosch-Cape Winelands	🇿🇦 Sudáfrica	Chenin Blanc / Pinotage	Nov-Feb	Bobotie + Crayfish	Groot Constantia	—
18	Kakheti-Cáucaso	🇬🇪 Georgia	Saperavi / Rkatsiteli	Sep-Nov	Supra + Khachapuri	Tsinandali / Khareba	✅
19	Rías Baixas-Ribeira Sacra	🇪🇸 España	Albariño / Mencía	Jun-Sep	Pulpo á feira + percebes	Martín Codax / Algueira	—
20	Marco de Jerez-Sherry	🇪🇸 España	Palomino / Pedro Ximénez	Todo el año	Atún de almadraba + Fino	González Byass	—
21	Burdeos-Saint-Émilion	🇫🇷 Francia	Cabernet Sauvignon / Merlot	May-Oct	Entrecôte bordelaise	Château Margaux	✅
22	Valle del Loira	🇫🇷 Francia	Chenin Blanc / Sauvignon Blanc	May-Sep	Rillettes + tarte Tatin	Huet / Cotat Frères	✅
23	Montilla-Moriles	🇪🇸 España	Pedro Ximénez	Todo el año	Salmorejo + rabo de toro	Toro Albalá / Alvear	—
24	Tokaj-Hungría	🇭🇺 Hungría	Furmint / Hárslevelű	Sep-Oct	Gulasch + foie gras de oca	Royal Tokaji / Oremus	✅
25	Colchagua-Casablanca	🇨🇱 Chile	Carménère / Sauvignon Blanc	Feb-Abr	Pastel de choclo	Viña Montes / Casa Lapostolle	—
26	Wachau-Viena	🇦🇹 Austria	Grüner Veltliner / Riesling	May-Oct	Tafelspitz + Sachertorte	F.X. Pichler	✅
27	Nasik-India	🇮🇳 India	Chenin Blanc / Cabernet	Nov-Feb	Thali marathi	Sula Vineyards	—
28	Valle de la Bekaa	🇱🇧 Líbano	Cabernet Sauvignon / Cinsault	Oct-Nov	Meze libanés	Château Musar	✅ Baalbek
29	Valle del Ródano	🇫🇷 Francia	Syrah / Grenache / Viognier	Abr-Oct	Quenelles + daurade	Guigal / Château Rayas	✅ Orange
30	Sicilia-Etna	🇮🇹 Italia	Nero d’Avola / Nerello Mascalese	Abr-Jun / Sep	Pasta alla Norma + cannolo	Cornelissen / Donnafugata	✅ Múltiples
31	Santorini-Naoussa	🇬🇷 Grecia	Assyrtiko / Xinomavro	May-Oct	Pulpo + Vinsanto + baklava	Art Space / Domaine Sigalas	—
32	Véneto-Lago de Garda	🇮🇹 Italia	Glera / Corvina (Amarone)	May-Oct	Risotto all’Amarone + tiramisù	Masi / Quintarelli	✅ Verona
33	Uruguay-Canelones	🇺🇾 Uruguay	Tannat	Nov-Feb	Asado + chivito criollo	Bodega Garzón / Bouza	✅ Colonia
34	Franschhoek-Stellenbosch	🇿🇦 Sudáfrica	Pinotage / Bordeaux blends	Nov-Feb	Braai + snoek ahumado	Boschendal / Meerlust	—
35	Meknès-Atlas	🇲🇦 Marruecos	Cabernet Sauvignon / Cinsault	Mar-May	Tajine de cordero + cuscús	Les Celliers de Meknès	✅ Volubilis
36	Vale dos Vinhedos	🇧🇷 Brasil	Merlot / Moscato Giallo	Dic-Mar	Café colonial + churrasco gaúcho	Miolo / Cave Geisse	—
37	Moldavia-Cricova	🇲🇩 Moldavia	Fetească Neagră / Rară Neagră	Sep-Oct	Mămăligă + sarmale	Cricova / Purcari Winery	—
38	Yamanashi-Hokkaido	🇯🇵 Japón	Kōshū / Pinot Noir	Abr-May / Sep	Kaiseki + sushi omakase	Chateau Mercian / Grace	✅ Fuji
39	Armenia-Ararat	🇦🇲 Armenia	Arení / Sirení	Sep-Oct	Khorovats + dolma + lavash	Karas Wines / Zorah	—
40	Galilea-Altos del Golán	🇮🇱 Israel	Cabernet Sauvignon / Merlot	Sep-Oct	Hummus + shakshuka	Golan Heights / Domaine du Castel	✅ Múltiples
41	Bulgaria-Valle de Tracia	🇧🇬 Bulgaria	Mavrud / Melnik	May-Oct	Mavrud + katino meso	Villa Yustina / Midalidare	✅ Kazanlak
42	Moldavia Rumana-Cárpatos	🇷🇴 Rumanía	Fetească Neagră / Grasă de Cotnari	Sep-Oct	Mici + sarmale	Davino / Budureasca	✅ Múltiples
43	Moravia del Sur	🇨🇿 Rep. Checa	Silvaner / Pálava	May-Oct	Svíčková + buchty	Vinselekt Michlovský	✅ Lednice-Valtice
44	Creta	🇬🇷 Grecia	Vidiano / Kotsifali	May-Oct	Dakos + Graviera + aceite	Lyrarakis / Minos Miliarakis	✅ Cnosos
45	Eslovenia-Brda	🇸🇮 Eslovenia	Rebula / Vitovska / Zelen	May-Oct	Potica + prosciutto de Karst	Movia / Edi Simčič	—
46	Samarcanda-Fergana	🇺🇿 Uzbekistán	Bayan Shirey / Saperavi	Sep-Oct	Plov + shashlik + samsa	Bagizagan / Hovrenko	✅ Samarcanda
47	Lunahuaná-Ica	🇵🇪 Perú	Quebranta (Pisco) / Cabernet	Jun-Sep	Ceviche + lomo saltado	Tacama / Intipalka	✅ Machu Picchu
48	Ningxia-Helan	🇨🇳 China	Cabernet Sauvignon	Sep-Oct	Cordero del Tengger + laghman	Helan Qingxue / Silver Heights	✅ Gran Muralla
49	Río Negro-Patagonia	🇦🇷 Argentina	Pinot Noir / Malbec	Feb-Abr	Cordero al asador patagónico	Chacra / Bodega del Fin del Mundo	✅ Los Alerces
50	Franken-Palatinado	🇩🇪 Alemania	Silvaner / Riesling / Spätburgunder	May-Oct	Bratwurst de Nuremberg + Zwiebelkuchen	Juliusspital / Müller-Catoir	✅ Würzburg