Every great winery is worth a pilgrimage, said Ray Isle in Food & Wine. Trust me, “the sense of place a great wine reveals” is always “right there in front of you,” whether in the color of the soil or the way a hill receives the sun. Should any of the wines below inspire a pilgrimage, you definitely won’t be disappointed.
2006 Tasca d’Almerita Tenuta Regaleali ‘Rosso del Conte’ ($70). Sample this red and it might just transport you to a Sicilian winery that produces honey, cheese, and olive oil too. Visitors can also take cooking classes.
2006 Movia Veliko Bianco ($40). This is the wine to try by the “mad genius” winemaker behind Movia, a visitor-friendly, organically farmed estate in western Slovenia.
2008 Château Cos d’Estournel ($180). “One of Bordeaux’s greatest cabernet-based reds.” And it comes from an estate surrounding a very distinctive 19th-century château.