Frequently Asked Questions

When and where will the awards take place?
The awards ceremony and announcement of The World's 50 Best Vineyards 2026 will take place as part of an event programme during the week of 16 November 2026 in Santiago, Chile.

What does it mean to be included in The World’s 50 Best Vineyards ranking?
It provides recognition of the dedication, passion and skill of the teams behind those vineyards. It also helps promote vineyards internationally to discerning travellers, boosting each vineyard’s profile and business by driving footfall.

How does 50 Best define a 'vineyard' in the context of The World's 50 Best Vineyards?
For the purposes of The World's 50 Best Vineyards, a 'vineyard' refers to a winery or estate that offers a visitor experience and not necessarily the land where grapes are grown. To be eligible, each vineyard must be open to the public during the voting period. Votes are cast based on the overall experience offered to visitors, including tours, tastings, hospitality, architecture, food and the surrounding environment - rather than solely on wine quality or where the grapes are grown. We use the word 'vineyard' as it is a more globally recognised term.

How does publishing a list help the vineyards?
The publication of the list is part of an overall drive to support the international vineyards sector. Moreover, the global travel community sees the announcement of this list as a means of generating awareness around vineyards, which are increasingly seeking ways to attract tourists with extraordinary experiences. Ultimately, the list also serves as an economic stimulus for those vineyards featured by helping drive tourism trade and celebrating excellence and hard work.

How are the Academy regional panels assembled?
To create The World’s 50 Best Vineyards Academy, the world is divided into 20 regions, each with an Academy Chair at its head. The Academy Chair is responsible for recruiting 36 voters that represent the region. The panel in each region comprises a balanced selection of sommeliers, wine journalists, travel experts and well-travelled wine lovers. At least 25 per cent of the panellists from each region changes each year. All voters, aside from the Academy Chairs and Vice Chairs, must remain anonymous and all voting is strictly confidential.

Who are the Academy Chairs?
The Chairs are selected for their prominent position within the wine space in their region. They are in the best position to select an appropriate panel and their expertise is valued in developing the future strategy for the 50 Best Vineyards brand. Meet our Academy Chairs here.

What steps can a vineyard take to be featured in The World’s 50 Best Vineyards 2026 list?
The ranking provides an annual snapshot of the opinions and experiences of the global Academy of experts. Therefore, if sufficient visitors have been experiencing the outstanding characteristics of a vineyard, then it will be reflected in future results. What constitutes ‘best’ is up to each voter to decide – as everyone’s tastes are different, so is everyone’s idea of what constitutes a great vineyard experience. Elements such as the tour, tasting, ambiance, wine, food, service, design, value for money, reputation and accessibility may be key – however, each is more or less important for each different individual. There is no pre-determined checklist of criteria, except that the vineyard must be open to the general public. 50 Best therefore encourages vineyards simply to be the best they can be for their customers, first and foremost, and not to focus on such rankings or awards. Instead, they should see the ranking as a welcome by-product of their hard work and talent.

Can a vineyard nominate itself to be on the list?
The World’s 50 Best Vineyards 2026 list will reflect the best winery and vineyard experiences of the voters and provide an annual snapshot of the opinions and experiences of 720 international travel and wine tourism experts. The list is the result of a poll of these 720 independent experts, who each cast seven votes for establishments where they have enjoyed their best vineyard experiences during the previous six years. Members of the 50 Best organisation do not vote and do not control the composition of the list; that is the collective role of the voting Academy. This means that vineyards cannot apply to be on the list. Equally, no sponsor has any influence on the voting process.

Who organises The World’s 50 Best Vineyards?
The results and the awards are organised and published by William Reed. None of the sponsor partners has any involvement with the compilation of the results or awards. None of 50 Best’s commercial partners, nor any William Reed employees, are able to vote.

Does a vineyard have to fit certain criteria?
No. A vineyard does not have to have been open a certain number of years and they do not have to have won any other accolades. Any style of vineyard in the world is eligible to be voted for by our Academy so long as it has been open to the public during the voting period, and so long as it is not known to be planning on closing.

What does ‘best’ actually mean?
That is up to each voter to decide – as everyone’s tastes are different, so everyone’s idea of what constitutes a great vineyard experience is different. There is no set criteria – 50 Best does not believe there is, or should be, a ‘type’ of vineyard that features in the 50 Best lists. The diversity of offerings, of styles and of experiences is what will keep The World’s 50 Best Vineyards list dynamic and interesting. It’s up to each individual voter to decide what makes any individual vineyard among their ‘best’ experiences of the voting period in question. 50 Best allows the experts to make up their own minds, and simply collate their votes.

What's new for 2026?
The World's 50 Best Vineyards is introducing the One To Watch Award as part of its lineup of special awards, set to be unveiled as a pre-announced award ahead of the awards ceremony.

This award is given to a rising-star vineyard that has made a positive impression on the 700-strong Academy and the wider industry, and has been identified by the 50 Best team as having the potential to break into the 1-50 ranking in a future edition of The World's 50 Best Vineyards list.

The One To Watch Award, already an established feature of 50 Best's Bars, Restaurants and Hotels awards portfolios, will be introduced to The World's 50 Best Vineyards for the first time in 2026.

As part of a new voting requirement, vineyards in the 2026 list will have received votes from a minimum of two countries in their region to be included in the ranking. This creates a voting framework that demands more diverse perspective and appeal – and subsequently enhances true regional recognition. The rule was introduced in late 2025 and first applies to all 50 Best rankings published in 2026.

As part of the recent integration of The World's 50 Best Vineyards into the 50 Best website, more than 190 vineyard profiles were incorporated into the 50 Best Discovery platform. While these venues were previously available on a standalone platform (Vineyards Explores), their inclusion marks the expansion of 50 Best Discovery to now encompass restaurants, bars, hotels and vineyards within a single global ecosystem.

There were no additional vineyard profiles being added as part of a refresh of the 50 Best Discovery platform in July 2026 beyond those already integrated. However, from a user perspective, vineyards represent a new category within the 50 Best Discovery platform and are reflected as part of the platform's recently expanded offering.