 ‘It is hard to find a bad bottle of wine in Tuscany; even the most modest trattoria will usually have an excellent house red. Standouts include Chianti (of course), Vernaccia di San Gimignano and the so-called Super Tuscans. So tear yourself away from the museums of Florence, even if just for the afternoon, and tour a few wineries in the countryside. We can’t think of a more beautiful or delicious way to spend a day,' declares Trip Adviser, the internationally popular travel website.
Tuscany is followed surprisingly by Sonoma and not the adjoining Napa Valley that seems to be popular with every wine lover visiting San Francisco. ‘Sonoma County may not produce as much wine as nearby Napa, but what it lacks in volume, it more than makes up for in variety. You’ll find everything from Chardonnay to Zinfandel here, and Trip Advisor travelers love the laid-back, unpretentious vibe of the wineries. After a strenuous day of wine-tasting, spoil yourself at one of the many local spas,’ adds the site.
Sonoma is geographically larger than Napa County and so it makes sense that Sonoma County would attract more ratings from a statistical standpoint. It seems that Sonoma County's larger size and lower room rates attract a broader consumer base, which would translate into more votes from the audience of the website. The average daily room rate of Sonoma County hotels are half that of Napa County.
Sonoma is followed by Hunter Valley in Australia also sharing the podium, with Stellenbosch in South Africa and the Province of Mendoza in Argentina making it to the Top Five. Napa Valley does not figure in this list although it is second to Sonoma in the list of Ten Most Popular wine destinations in the USA.
Italy and France are the top destinations with eight of the top ten spots being cornered among them. Tuscany is followed by Umbria in the fourth spot and Sicily holding the fifth position. Aquitaine is the top French wine destination, behind Italy as the most popular choice of trevellers. Provence captures the fifth spot while Languedoc Roussillon, Burgundy and Champagne take the 6th, 7th and 8th positions.
Spain and Portugal own a spot with the Sherry producing Costa de La Luz and the Port producing Porto on the 9th and 10th position.
Auckland Region in New Zealand is behind Hunter Valley of Australia but it has six of the top ten regions winning the top ten spots in the Top 10 wine destinations in the South Pacific.
The list of the World’s Best Wine destinations 2012, Top 10 Wine Destinations in the USA, Top 10 Wine Destinations in Europe and Top 10 Wine Destinations in the South Pacific was compiled by Trip Advisor through feedback from travellers and their reviews. They were asked to rate the sites on the basis of popularity. In addition to the quality of wines and the wineries, the travel company also collected opinions on local restaurants, attractions and accommodation which were given weightage in the rating process. |