In the third year of The World’s 50 Best Vineyards being announced, the 2021 Top 50 Vineyard List includes three South African wine estates.

Creation has made the 10th rank on the list, with Delaire Graff (Rank 30) and Klein Constantia (44th Rank) on the Top 50 List too. Creation jumped dramatically from outside of the Top 50 List in 2020, while Delaire Graff slid dramatically from 14th Best in 2020.

The number one vineyard of the year once again, for the third year running, is  Zuccardi Valle De Uco in Mendoza in Argentina (Photograph above), the wine estate that impressed me most when I visited Mendoza in 2019, just before the inaugural Top 50 Vineyards winner was announced in that year.  Winemaker Sebastián Zuccardi runs a good show, with a modern building, an excellent restaurant, and wines produced in desert conditions using concrete eggs, against a backdrop of the snow-capped Andes.

My impressions of the visit to Zuccardi Valle De Uco follow:

Zuccardi Piedra Infinita in Mendoza Uco Valley Best restaurant in Argentina!

#  Creation was praised for the location of the winery in the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, with a cool climate, producing fresh Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs. Its beauty ‘will truly blow you away’.  The wine estate was started from scratch by JC and Carolyn Martin in 2002, with a first harvest in 2006. Various Food and wine pairings are offered, the wine dictating the food pairing.

#  Delaire Graff is praised for its luxury estate, including Graff jewelry boutique, Delaire Graff and Indochine restaurants, artworks, and a Tasting Room. Its wine are made from grapes grown on the north-facing high altitude Botmaskop by winemaker Morné Vrey.

#   Klein Constantia is linked to its early beginnings in 1685  of Vin De Constance drunk by international royalty, and written about by well-known authors. Winemaker Matthew Day produces Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Riesling, and Reds.

Other Vineyards which I visited in South America in 2021 which made the 2021 World’s 50 Best Vineyards are the following:

#  Catena Zapata in Mendoza, Argentina

#   El Enimigo, Mendoza, Argentina

#   SuperUco, Mendoza, Argentina

#  Villa Casas Del Bosque, Casablanca Valley, Chile.

Chilling in Chile, Santiago: an excerpt from ‘SwitchBitch: my journey in travelling Solo, step by step’!

 

Chris von Ulmenstein, WhaleTales Blog: www.chrisvonulmenstein.com/blog Tel +27 082 55 11 323 Twitter:@Ulmenstein Facebook: Chris von Ulmenstein, My Cape Town Guide/Mein Kapstadt Guide Instagram: @Chrissy_Ulmenstein @MyCapeTownGuide