After going straight in at No. 1 in last year’s inaugural list of The World’s Best Vineyards, Zuccardi Valle de Uco has retained the top spot in the second year of the competition, being honoured again as the winner.
The World’s Best Vineyards 2020 are judged by an “Academy” panel of over 500 leading wine experts, sommeliers and travel writers. Voting takes place by region as well as the shortlisted vineyards being placed within the overall rankings, taking into account different elements of the overall visit experience for each vineyard e.g. the tour, tasting, ambience, wine, food, value for money and accessibility.
In the case of Zuccardi, the stunning scenery, impressive winery building, constructed with rocks from the Piedra Infinita vineyard in which it sits, the high-altitude limestone terroir of the Uco Valley and the Piedra Infinita Cocina restaurant were all key factors in the result, plus of course the award-winning “mountain wines” made by Sebastián Zuccardi and his dynamic team. The awards organisers described the Zuccardi vineyard and winery as “one of the most dazzling wine experiences bar none, with Andean scenery as unimprovable as its architectural vision of a winery”.
As one of the more recent additions to the Hatch Mansfield portfolio, Zuccardi was in well-respected company within this Top 50, alongside Champagne Taittinger, Errazuriz and Gaja which were all featured.
Champagne Taittinger came in at number 28 for its UNESCO-recognised fourth-century crayères chalk cellars and its Chardonnay-dominant Champagnes, in particular the prestige Comtes de Champagne cuvée.
Viña Errázuriz came in at number 35 with particular mention made of its “Bond villain HQ-style new winery complex” and its Aconcagua Valley-based but multi-region approach with winemaking led by Francisco Baettig and a special mention for the iconic Don Maximiano Cabernet Sauvignon.
Piedmont’s Gaja was included at number 36 for its focus on elegant, long-lived Nebbiolos, described as “some of the best Barbarescos and Barolos money can buy”.
