The World's Top 10 Wine Destinations For 2019

With over 70 wine-producing nations worldwide, and innumerable subregions and appellations, choosing where to take your next wine-fueled vacation can be tricky.

- Tim McKirdy

To create the ultimate list of wine travel destinations for 2019, we analyzed trends and tourism developments worldwide. We love Napa, Bordeaux, and Tuscany, but we wanted to highlight regions beyond those usual suspects.

Taking a step off the beaten path reveals hidden gems, and the opportunity to produce envy-inducing Instagram stories.

Pack a suitcase, and be sure to leave plenty of room to bring back your favorite bottles. Here are the 10 wine travel destinations that should be on your radar this year.

10. MOLDOVA

Moldova’s capital, Chisinau, is just a two-hour flight from London, Milan, and Vienna, yet the country remains one of the world’s least-visited tourist destinations. Things are slowly changing on that front, however, and Moldova’s National Bureau of Statistics reported a roughly 20 percent hike in visitors in 2018 - fueled, in part, by wine tourism.

Wine is everywhere in Moldova. The four main regions (Condru, Valul lui Traian, Stefan Voda, and northern Balti) are all within a one-or-two-hour drive from the capital, and somewhere between 20 and 25 percent of Moldovans are employed in the wine trade.

The international airport is named after fermented grape juice and Moldova is home to the world’s largest wine cellar, which is a staggering 150 miles long and contains over 2 million bottles. The cellar is so big, in fact, that it hosts an annual 10-kilometer (6.2-mile) wine run.

9. MACEDONIA, GREECE

Hard-to-pronounce Greek varieties like Assyrtiko and Agiorgitiko have cemented themselves on many American wine lists in recent years. The island regions of Santorini and Crete are popular, too, among in-the-know winos. Yet it’s Greek Macedonia, located in the north of the country in the mainland, that’s vying to become your next Greek wine destination.