Where terroir, tradition, and timing align
By Tim Morgan, Senior Sommelier & Contributing Editor
Every year, wine lovers ask the same question: where should I go?
The answer depends on what you’re seeking. Are you chasing great bottles, unforgettable meals, raw beauty, or something quieter — a sense of place that lingers long after the trip ends?
The ten destinations below offer all of that. Some are legendary. Some are overlooked. All of them reward the traveler who arrives with curiosity, respect, and an appetite for discovery.
Here’s where to point your compass in 2026.
1. Piedmont, Italy
Why now: Barolo and Barbaresco continue to refine their elegance, and wine tourism infrastructure has never been better.
Rolling hills, white truffles, Michelin-starred dining, and some of the world’s most age-worthy Nebbiolo. Visit in autumn for harvest atmosphere and truffle season.
Don’t miss: La Morra viewpoints at sunset.
2. Rioja, Spain
Why now: A new generation of terroir-focused producers is redefining the region beyond traditional oak-heavy styles.
From historic cellars in Haro to single-vineyard Garnacha in Rioja Oriental, the diversity is striking.
Don’t miss: The avant-garde architecture of Marqués de Riscal.
3. Douro Valley, Portugal
Why now: Still wines now rival Port in prestige.
Dramatic terraced vineyards along the Douro River create one of Europe’s most breathtaking wine landscapes.
Don’t miss: A boat trip through the valley at golden hour.
4. Etna, Sicily — Italy
Why now: The volcano is awake — literally and figuratively.
Mount Etna is Europe’s most active volcano, and its slopes are now one of the wine world’s most exciting frontiers. Nerello Mascalese and Nerello Cappuccio — indigenous red grapes — are producing wines of startling elegance and minerality from vines planted in volcanic ash and lava stone at elevations up to 1,000 metres.
The contrast is surreal: you taste wine while the volcano smokes in the background.
Producers like Passopisciaro, I Vigneri, Benanti, and Terre Nere are making wines that combine Burgundian finesse with wild Sicilian character. Many offer vineyard visits and tastings in restored palmenti — ancient stone cellars carved into the mountainside.
Base yourself in Taormina (stunning, touristy) or Randazzo (authentic, rougher around the edges). Eat at Osteria RossoDiVino in Viagrande or Locanda Nerello in Randazzo.
Best time to visit: April-May or September-October (avoid summer heat).
Insider tip: Visit I Vigneri’s century-old alberello (bush vine) vineyards in Solicchiata — some of the most beautiful in Europe.
“Tasting wine on Etna feels like drinking from the earth’s core. It’s primal, volcanic, alive.”
5. Mosel, Germany
Why now: Riesling’s renaissance is real — and the Mosel remains its spiritual home.
The Mosel Valley is one of the most breathtaking wine regions on the planet. Impossibly steep slate slopes plunge toward the river. Medieval villages cling to the banks. And Riesling — grown here for over 500 years — reaches heights of precision and longevity unmatched anywhere else.
This is not the sweet, commercial Riesling of the 1980s. The best producers are making bone-dry, laser-focused wines that pair brilliantly with food and age for decades.
Visit iconic estates like Weingut Markus Molitor, Egon Müller (if you can get an appointment), Clemens Busch, or Van Volxem. Stay in Bernkastel-Kues or Traben-Trarbach. Eat at Weinhaus Zum Josefshof in Graach or Alte Thorschenke in Cochem.
Bring hiking boots — many vineyards can only be reached on foot.
Best time to visit: May (spring bloom) or late September-October (harvest).
Insider tip: Ask for wines from the Ürziger Würzgarten vineyard — red volcanic slate that produces explosively spicy, mineral Rieslings.
“The Mosel is where Riesling learned to sing. Every other region is an echo.”
6. Burgenland, Austria
Why now: Austria’s wine revolution is in full swing, and Burgenland is its beating heart.
On the eastern border with Hungary, Burgenland offers two completely different wine experiences: the sweet, noble-rot wines of Neusiedlersee (some of the world’s greatest dessert wines), and the powerful, age-worthy reds of Blaufränkisch from Mittelburgenland and Eisenberg.
If you’ve never tasted serious Austrian red wine, prepare to be converted.
Visit Weingut Heinrich, Moric, Gesellmann, or Pittnauer for world-class reds. For sweet wines, head to Kracher or Feiler-Artinger. Many producers offer relaxed, down-to-earth tastings — Austria doesn’t do pretension.
Stay in Rust (UNESCO-protected lakeside town) or Eisenstadt. Eat at Taubenkobel (two Michelin stars) or Henrici in Rust.
Best time to visit: September (harvest) or November (sweet wine season and Sturm — semi-fermented grape must).
Insider tip: Ask for Blaufränkisch from Eisenberg — iron-rich soil, racy acidity, stunning minerality.
“Burgenland is proof that Austria isn’t just Grüner Veltliner and schnitzel. Though both are still excellent.”
7. Valtellina, Italy
Why now: Alpine Nebbiolo is finally receiving global recognition.
Terraced mountain vineyards produce elegant, mineral-driven wines unlike anywhere else in Italy.
Don’t miss: A hike through the ancient stone terraces before a cellar tasting.
8. Champagne, France
Why now: Because it’s Champagne. You don’t need another reason.
Yes, it’s famous. Yes, it’s expensive. Yes, it’s worth it.
But skip the big houses (unless you’re a completist) and head straight for the grower Champagnes — small producers farming their own vineyards and making wines of breathtaking individuality.
Visit Vouette et Sorbée, Jacques Selosse, Jérôme Prévost, Laherte Frères, or Ulysse Collin. Many require appointments weeks in advance — plan accordingly.
Stay in Épernay or the quieter Aÿ and Hautvillers (where Dom Pérignon is buried). Eat at Le Mesnil (Michelin star) or Les Avisés (attached to Selosse’s cellars).
Walk through vineyards in Cramant and Le Mesnil-sur-Oger (grand cru Chardonnay villages). Taste Champagne at 9am. It’s not wrong here — it’s tradition.
Best time to visit: May-June (flowering) or September (harvest).
Insider tip: Buy directly from producers. You’ll pay 30–50% less than retail and take home wines you’ll never find elsewhere.
“Champagne is the only place where spending €80 on a bottle you drink in a cellar at 10am feels completely reasonable.”
9. Santorini, Greece
Why now: Ancient vines, volcanic soil, and Aegean views. What else do you need?
Santorini is postcard-perfect: whitewashed villages, blue-domed churches, sunsets that stop traffic. But beneath the Instagram veneer is one of Europe’s most fascinating wine stories.
The island’s vines — some over 400 years old — are ungrafted (phylloxera never reached the island) and trained into low baskets called kouloura to protect against wind. The grape is Assyrtiko, producing wines of piercing acidity, saline minerality, and shocking ageability.
Visit Santo Wines (dramatic cliff-edge winery), Domaine Sigalas, Hatzidakis, or Gaia Wines. Stay in Oia (expensive, beautiful) or Pyrgos (quieter, more affordable). Eat at Selene (modern Greek, excellent wine list) or Metaxi Mas in Exo Gonia.
And yes — drink Vinsanto, the island’s sweet wine made from sun-dried Assyrtiko. It’s honeyed, complex, and haunting.
Best time to visit: May or September-October (avoid peak summer crowds).
Insider tip: Visit Canava Roussos — a small, family-run winery in a traditional cave (canava) offering one of the island’s most authentic experiences.
“Santorini is where wine, mythology, and geology collide. The views are a bonus.”
10. Ribeira Sacra, Galicia — Spain
Why now: Spain’s most dramatic — and least-known — wine region.
Ribeira Sacra means “sacred riverbank,” and one look at the landscape explains the name. Vineyards cling to near-vertical granite slopes above the Sil and Miño rivers, accessible only by footpaths and sheer human will. This is heroic viticulture at its most extreme.
The grape is Mencía — a red that produces perfumed, elegant wines with red fruit, minerality, and a certain alpine freshness despite the southern latitude. White Godello and Albariño are also grown here, often with stunning results.
Producers like Dominio do Bibei, Guímaro, Algueira, and Envínate are making some of Spain’s most exciting wines. Most offer visits by appointment — often involving vineyard hikes that feel more like pilgrimage.
Stay in Monforte de Lemos or riverside Santo Estevo Parador (converted monastery). Eat at Casa Grande do Bachao or Rectoral de Amandi.
Best time to visit: September (harvest and warm weather) or May (green, lush, quiet).
Insider tip: Take a catamaran tour through the Sil River Canyon — you’ll see vineyards from below and understand why this region is nicknamed “the Galician Douro.”
“Ribeira Sacra is where wine becomes an act of defiance against gravity, economics, and common sense. Thank God for stubborn people.”