One of the oldest continuously operating wineries anywhere, with documented wine sales going back to 1211. Dining in the courtyard beside a moated 13th-century tower is the most underrated wine experience in Germany.
Schloss Vollrads 1, 65375 Oestrich-Winkel, Germany
Rheingau
Germany
Riesling Kabinett · Spätlese
1211
A moated medieval tower and baroque manor with sweeping estate grounds, a courtyard restaurant and seasonal Riesling festivals
Tokaj was the first wine region in the world to be classified, in 1737 — before Bordeaux, before Burgundy. AXA Millésimes restored this First Growth site, and its Eszencia, fermenting for years at barely a few degrees of alcohol, is unlike anything else you will ever taste.
Mezőzombor, Disznókő dűlő, 3931 Hungary
Tokaj
Hungary
Eszencia · 6 Puttonyos Aszú
Classified 1737; relaunched 1992
A Dezső Ekler-designed reception building, volcanic-soil vineyard walks and cellar tastings of 'liquid gold'
Open daily 10am–6pm; guided tours in English, terrace freely accessible
The same chalk as the Côte des Blancs, ten miles from the sea, and now producing sparkling wine that beats Champagne blind more often than the French would like. The best-organised estate visit in England.
Rathfinny Wine Estate, Alfriston, Polegate BN26 5TU, United Kingdom
Sussex, South Downs
United Kingdom
Blanc de Blancs · Rosé Brut (traditional method)
2010
Chalk-downland vineyard on the same geological seam as Champagne, with a restaurant, tasting room and South Downs walking
Open seasonally; tours, tastings and rooms at the Flint Barns
Ningxia is the most serious new fine-wine region on earth, and this is its most ambitious statement — built with Austrian winemaking royalty and aimed squarely at Bordeaux. Get there before everyone else does.
Jinfeng District, Yinchuan, Ningxia 750061, China
Ningxia, Helan Mountain East
China
Grand Vin Cabernet Sauvignon
2013 (Changyu founded 1892)
A vast European-style château at the foot of the Helan Mountains, with a wine museum and underground barrel halls
Lafite's first estate in China, and the clearest signal yet that Bordeaux's aristocracy takes Chinese terroir seriously. Fewer collectors have visited Long Dai than have visited Lafite itself.
Qiushan Valley, Penglai, Yantai, Shandong 265613, China
Shandong, Qiushan Valley
China
Long Dai (Bordeaux blend with Marselan)
2009; first vintage 2017
Terraced hillside vineyards near the Yellow Sea, built by the Rothschilds over a decade — location approximate, contact DBR before travelling
No public visits; by arrangement through Domaines Barons de Rothschild only
Koshu is a pink-skinned grape grown nowhere else, making a wine of extraordinary delicacy that was practically designed for Japanese cuisine. Ninety minutes from Tokyo by highway bus and almost unknown to Western collectors.
1106 Katsunumachō Shimoiwasaki, Koshu, Yamanashi 409-1313, Japan
Yamanashi, Katsunuma
Japan
Koshu Kiiroka · Mariko Vineyard Merlot
1877
Japan's oldest winery site, with a free wine museum next door, barrel cellar tour and premium tasting flights
Open Thu–Tue, closed Wednesdays; English tours by advance email
Suntory's flagship vineyard produces a botrytised Noble d'Or that has quietly beaten Sauternes in blind tastings. The Mount Fuji view from the hillside on a clear morning is worth the reservation alone.
2786 Ōnuta, Kai, Yamanashi 400-0103, Japan
Yamanashi
Japan
Tomi Red · Tomi Noble d'Or (botrytis)
1909
Hillside estate with Fuji and valley views, a century-old cellar, and tasting flights of Japanese Koshu and Bordeaux varieties
Open Thu–Tue, closed Wednesdays; tours book out fast at weekends
April for cherry blossom, October–November for harvest
Musar kept making wine through fifteen years of civil war, missing only two vintages. The wines are unlike anything in France or Italy — oxidative, wild, ageless — and the vertical tasting is one of the most moving experiences in wine.
Mzar Street, Ghazir, Lebanon
Bekaa Valley fruit, Ghazir cellars
Lebanon
Château Musar Red
1930
17th-century castle cellars at Ghazir where the temperature never moves, with family-guided verticals stretching back decades
Open Mon–Fri and Saturday mornings; appointment recommended
Georgia is where wine was invented 8,000 years ago, and this is the most polished place to experience it. Tasting a modern Saperavi beside a clay-buried qvevri wine collapses the entire history of the craft into one afternoon — and it is thirty minutes from Tbilisi.
The estate that created an Indian wine industry from nothing in twenty-five years. Come in the cool season, stay at The Source, and watch a market being built in real time — the most purely fun visit on this list.
Gat 36/2, off Gangapur-Savargaon Road, Govardhan, Nashik, Maharashtra 422222, India
Nashik, Maharashtra
India
Rasa Shiraz · The Source Cabernet Sauvignon
1999
Two resorts, a tasting room over Gangapur lake, an amphitheatre and India's largest wine festival
Fully open daily until late; entry around ₹600–1,000, redeemable against wine
December–February; SulaFest in February
+91 99700 90010
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