Wine tourism is on the rise, with more and more travellers looking to explore regions outside of the obvious choices like Bordeaux or Tuscany.
If you’re planning a trip where the focus is on really good vino, you might just want to take a look at the Wine Travel Awards for some inspiration.
Now in its fifth edition, there are 16 categories highlighting the world’s best winemakers, tour operators, writers and more.
The top five in each category are decided by public vote, with the overall winners chosen by a judging panel.
You’ll have to wait until 1 May to see who collects the top gongs, but for now, here are some of the best wine destinations and regions for 2026.
Must-visit vineyards around the globe for 2026
Topping the public vote in the must-visit category this year was Georgia’s SHUMI Winery, which is located in Tsinandali, around 80 kilometres east of the capital Tbilisi.
The country’s winemaking tradition dates back more than 8,000 years, making it one of the oldest in the world. In particular, Georgia is known for its use of qvevri (a type of earthenware) for fermentation, and at SHUMI you can learn all about this UNESCO-listed winemaking technique.
Covering 12 hectares, SHUMI Winery is also the home of the first wine museum in the country and has the largest private collection of grapevine species in the world.
Next up is the Venissa Estate in Italy, a walled vineyard on the island of Mazzorbo in the Venetian Lagoon near the colourful Burano.
The estate has just five rooms, and guests can book onto tastings that explore the wines produced with the island’s native grape variety, the Dorona.
Coming in third off the back of the public vote, Bodega La Luz del Vino in Argentina has the oldest vineyards in the Uco Valley.
Surrounded by the Andes, the terroir makes the wines produced here truly unique.
If you’re a fan of bubbly, and only champagne will do, we imagine Champagne Joseph Perrier in France, which came fourth in the public vote, will top your to-visit list.
Once given the royal warrant by Queen Victoria, the champagne house was founded back in 1825 and is still family-owned.
Visits include a tour of the Gallo-Roman champagne cellars which date back to the 4th century followed by a wine tasting featuring the brand’s cuvées.
Jerez in Spain is the home of sherry wine, and there’s no better place to learn about it than Bodega TIO PEPE.
Guests can stay at the Hotel Bodega Tío Pepe, a boutique property in what was once accommodation for vineyard workers, and book in for a guided tour with sherry wine tastings.
The top wine regions for 2026
In the wine region of the year category Burgenland in Austria topped the public vote.
Best known for Blaufränkisch, a red wine, as well as its sweet wines, tourists can soak up the sunshine (the region gets more than 300 days a year) as they cycle between vineyards or as they enjoy a wine tasting on the shores of Lake Neusiedl.
California Wine Country has long been one of the best wine regions in the world (it was, after all, Napa County wines that came out on top during the Judgement of Paris), so it should come as no surprise that the public vote placed the region in second.
There are more than 6,200 wineries here, and each of its different regions, from the north coast to the inland valleys, has something to offer wine lovers.
Another unsurprising nominee, South Africa has 23 unique wine routes for you to explore throughout the country, from the Agulhas Wine Triangle at the country’s (and continent’s) southernmost tip to the KwaZulu-Natal midlands in the south east.
The sixth-largest wine producing country in Europe, Romania has around 500 wineries across regions including Transylvania, Western Moldavia and Banat.
The region came fourth in the public vote, with the Wine Travel Awards noting that the Wines of Romania initiative is a “gateway” to the country’s diverse terroirs.
Last but not least, the Valpolicella DOC and DOCG wine production area near Verona came out fifth.
The Italian region is known for wines including Amarone, Ripasso, and Recioto, and visitors can enjoy these on the shores of Lake Garda.