The 20 Best Winery Restaurants List
We considered all 67 wine-producing countries, but the fact is that the majority of winery restaurants that made the cut are located in prominent wine-producing regions like Napa Valley, Calif., Rioja, Spain, and Tuscany, Italy. However, the list does include some surprising gems, like the Restaurant at Weingut Nigl in Senftenberg, Austria.
Our list includes winery restaurants in 11 countries — Argentina, Australia, Austria, Canada, France, Italy, New Zealand, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, and the U.S — and 18 cities.
Some notable restaurants that made the cut include La Taverna at Castello Banfi in Montalcino, Italy; The Restaurant at Wente Vineyards in Livermore, Calif.; and Terrôir at Craggy Range in Havelock North, New Zealand.
With six entries, the U.S. has the most restaurants on our list, with four in California and two in New York. It’s not surprising that U.S. winery restaurants topped the list, given that it is the fourth-largest producer of wine in the world (France is the top, producing 4.6 million liters of wine in 2010, followed by Italy, Spain, the U.S., and Argentina, according to the Wine Institute) and Americans consume the most wine in the world. It’s also not unexpected that California claimed the most spots on the list, as the state produces an average of 90 percent of the total wine produced in the U.S. each year. The U.S. wine market is the largest in the world, with an estimated $34.6 billion in sales in 2012, according to the Wine Institute.
Any list like this one is bound to stir up disagreements among discerning diners and wine aficionados; even our own staff was divided on which winery restaurants should make the final cut.
After checking out The Daily Meal’s 20 Best Wineries Around the World, share your compliments and critiques in the comments section below — or on Twitter using the hashtag #bestwineries — and let us know what places you think should have been included, or should have been left out.
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