The Best Wine Regions In The World ( In My Opinion)

It’s winter here in Australia, which makes me crave sipping on vino in warmer temperatures. It also doesn’t help that EVERYONE on social media is currently on holiday. I have been lucky enough to have lived, worked and visited a number of wine regions around the globe. And since there are no holiday plans in the near future for me, I am going to re-live through my past adventures.

So here is my list of the best wine regions in the world:

1. Lavaux (Lake Geneva, Switzerland)

This was the first European wine region Mr Spittoon and I visited when we were backpacking in 2011. To be honest, the weather was pretty shitty when we visited, but alas it didn’t take away from the beauty of this Swiss wine region.

Lavaux is a UNESCO World Heritage site, so you can imagine why it makes it into my best wine regions in the world list. From the gorgeous bluey-green waters of Lake Geneva to the terraced vines, it feels like a fairytale for a wine lover. 100% insta-worthy wine region and the wines are pretty darn good too.

We tried wine made from the Chasselas white wine grape, which was new for me. You can read my tasting notes alongside more about our visit to Lavaux over here.

My photos don ‘t really do the region justice as I was an even worse photohgrapher back then!

2. Champagne (France)

If you love bubbles, then visiting the Champagne region in France is a must-do. Plus it is pretty easy to get to. It’s only a 1.5-hour train ride from Paris. The Champagne houses are mostly around the towns of Reims and Epernay, which are also both very beautiful towns to explore.

As we were backpacking, our budget for the day was reserved for champagne tasting, which meant we took a packed lunch which we ate outside the beautiful Reims Cathedral. It’s called #winelover priorities.

During our day in the region, we visited Veuve Clicquot, Achille Princier and Charles Mignon (this is the producer who makes the Aldi Champagne).

3. Eger (Hungary)

I really loved visiting Eger, aka the home of Bulls Blood wine. It’s the home to deep, rich red wines that you can find at ‘cellar doors’ which are dug into several hundred-meter thick rolite tufa mountains. It’s such a unique place, and one of those life experiences I will never forget as a wine lover.

Eger is a 1.5-hour train ride from the country’s capital of Budapest. For those on a budget, it’s an awesome wine region to visit as tasting fees and wine is very cost-effective. Let’s just say the train ride back to Budapest with our ‘takeaway’ plastic wine barrel was pretty fun 😉

You can read more about our day in the wine region of Eger here.

4. Tuscany (Italy)

It’s one of the most famous regions in the world and probably one of the most beautiful wine regions in the world.

I would love to go back not on a backpackers budget as there was just so much I wanted to see and do. However, while we were there, we visited  Azienda Agricola Montefioralle and Le Cantine di Greve in Chianti which made for a fabulous day out in the Tuscan countryside.

5. Western Australia

Okay so I know WA isn’t a wine region, in fact, there are 9 wine regions in Western Australia. However, after living in WA for 6 years, I can’t help but say they’re all pretty special. From the Swan Valley to the Great Southern wine region, there is awesome wine coming out of Australia’s western state and the people behind the wines are pretty darn brilliant too.

If you are visiting Perth, make sure you at least get to one of the closer regions like the Swan Valley or Perth Hills which are both only 30 mins from the city centre. Both the Swan Valley and Perth Hills have a lot to offer wine lovers.

6. Porto (Portugal)

Porto is the home of port wine! Technically Port can only be called Port if it comes from Portugal. There’s no such thing as Port made in Australia. The port style wine you get here in Australia is called ‘fortified wine’.

When we visited the wine region of Porto, we even stayed in a ‘wine hostel’ – it was a visit that was all about wine! It is such a picturesque spot as the town of Porto sits right on the Douro River. Visiting the port houses is very interesting. They are geared up for visitors which means you will be easily able to jump on tours and grab tastings.

My appreciation for port wine definitely changed after visiting the region. We also spent some time up the Duoro Valley which is simply gorgeous.

Even though I am a born and bred Kiwi, I haven’t really done much wine travel in New Zealand. There are still so many wine regions I want to go to visit. So prepare for this list of the best wine regions in the world to be updated!

In your opinion what are the best wine regions in the world that you have visited?