Two of Australia’s renowned wineries have been recognised this week in the top 50 World’s Best Vineyards 2024 list, with D’Arenberg named the top vineyard in Australasia.
Each year, the World’s Best Vineyards celebrates the top wineries from around the world providing unforgettable experiences and promoting wine culture, and the 2024 list was revealed in an awards ceremony at Nyetimber Estate in England on Monday, 4 November.
Landing 32nd place on the list, D’Arenberg was one of two Australian wineries to make the top 50, and the highest scoring in Australasia, followed closely by Penfolds’ Magill Estate at 37.
D’Arenberg’s Chief Winemaker, Chester Osborn, told National Liquor News: “This is a great acknowledgement of how committed our staff are to creating amazing experiences and amazing wines to go with those experiences.”
Chosen by a panel of 500 travel and wine tourism experts, d’Arenberg and Penfolds are joined in their recognition by Seppeltsfield Barossa, which made the extended top 100 list in 84th place.
Andrew Reed, Managing Director Wine and Exhibitions at William Reed, said: “We are thrilled to unveil the World’s Best Vineyards 2024, celebrating the finest vineyards across the globe.
“This annual ranking recognises the unique experiences that these vineyards offer, from stunning landscapes and rich histories to extraordinary restaurants and vineyard tours. The top 50 vineyards exemplify excellence, innovation, and a commitment to quality, guiding wine enthusiasts to explore both hidden gems and renowned estates.”
A journey into d’Arenberg
This achievement marks the third time d’Arenberg has been included in the World’s Best Vineyards, landing at 17 in 2023 and 60 in 2022, and just last week the McLaren Vale winery won the Tourism Attraction award at the TicSA South Australian Tourism Awards.
D’Arenberg is famed for its modernist cube cellar door set among the vineyard, and Osborn is confident that the unique architecture has contributed to the winery’s global recognition.
“We were going to build an old homestead, because that’s where our tasting room was back in the 90s, but I woke up one day and thought who wants to come and see a fake old homestead – we need something iconic like the Opera House,” he recalls.
“Because our label names are a puzzle to work out, and wine is such a puzzle to work out, I thought ‘what’s the most iconic puzzle?’. It’s the Rubik’s cube, and so that was where the concept came from.
“I wanted to make something that everybody had to come and see, I wanted it to be a journey into my mind, and into the depths of our wines and the character they have. Even if you’re not very artistic, it gives you an immersive, deep feeling of d’Arenberg that you can’t help but subconsciously pick up on,” he stated.
These achievements underscore the uniqueness of the cube, but it’s also the breadth of experiences that set the winery apart. Comprising five stories of food, wine and art, the cube includes the Alternate Realities Museum, featuring surrealist artists such as Salvador Dali to enhance the surrealistic feel of the building, alongside wine flights, blending and bottling experiences, and spirit tastings.
While Osborn is humbled to see the winery recognised alongside many of the world’s great estates, he is also proud to showcase the McLaren Vale on a global stage.
“It’s a beautiful region for growing grapes and it’s a unique region with some very unique properties. Climate wise, we’re near the sea and we’re at the top of the peninsula, which would usually feel fairly maritime, but actually, the mountain range in the middle gives us quite big variation.
“Another thing which is very unique, is we’re one of the most geographically diverse wine regions in the world, with geologies ranging in ages from 10,000 years old up to 750 million years, and everything in between. There are 40 or 50 different geologies that all have an interesting impact on the wine.
“It’s a highly unique area that makes these lazily pungent wines that have amazing age ability and freshness and length,” Osborn explained.
The future is Fiano
Sharing one of d’Arenberg’s key projects for the years ahead, Osborn says the winery is truly committed to showcasing the different grape varieties that are suited to the region.
“An important part of our distinct region is that a lot of European varieties from Italy, Greece, Spain and Portgual all work extremely well in the region, and the region is really diversifying into other varieties rapidly.
“There are 32 Fiano’s in the Fiano class, and at d’Arenberg we now have 30 acres of Fiano, which is a major commitment to the variety. Fiano is extremely well suited to McLaren Vale, so we’re excited about that,” he concluded.
