When you picture a wine holiday in Europe, your mind probably drifts to Bordeaux, Tuscany or Rioja. But according to a new ranking, the continent’s best wine region for 2027 is somewhere far fewer of us have on our radar.
European Best Destinations has just revealed its list of Europe’s best wine regions, and Štajerska in northeastern Slovenia has taken the number one spot. The travel organisation started with more than 90 wine territories before narrowing them down to a top 12, judging each one on its heritage, grape varieties, landscapes, food, hospitality, sustainability and accessibility. So, in other words, it’s about the whole trip – not just what’s in your glass.
Štajerska scored 19.5 out of 20 overall. In Maribor, a vine more than 450 years old is recognised as the world’s oldest, and wine cellars run right beneath the city centre. Nearby Ptuj has a historic cellar holding a 1917 vintage thought to be Slovenia’s oldest preserved wine, while Gornja Radgona produced the country’s first sparkling wine back in 1852.
Out in the countryside you’ll find family-run wineries, hillside villages and the heart-shaped bend in the road at Špičnik, which curves between rows of vines. Keep an eye out for the klopotci too, wooden wind-powered contraptions that clatter away to scare birds off the grapes.
Maximilien Lejeune, director of European Best Destinations, said the region reflects what vinophiles are increasingly looking for: authenticity, distinctive landscapes, a long wine culture and a strong regional identity.
Second place went to Langhe-Roero-Monferrato in Piedmont, northwest Italy, the home of Barolo and Barbaresco, both made from the Nebbiolo grape. You’ll also find Barbera, Dolcetto and Moscato here, and the hills are dotted with castles and hazelnut groves. The food is half the draw, with local cheeses and Alba’s famous white truffles alongside the wine. The ranking flags autumn as the best time to go, when truffle season arrives and the vineyards change colour.
Rounding off the top three is Ribeira Sacra in Galicia, northwest Spain, where vines cling to narrow terraces cut into the steep canyons of the Sil and Miño rivers. The star grape is Mencía, which makes aromatic reds shaped by the altitude and slate soils. Between tastings at small wineries, you can visit ancient monasteries, hike the trails or see the river landscape by boat.
Austria’s Kamptal came fourth, known for its Riesling and Grüner Veltliner and its traditional Heurige wine taverns around the town of Langenlois, within easy reach of Vienna. Fifth place went to Chianti Rufina, a small pocket of Tuscany northeast of Florence, where cooler, higher vineyards in the Apennine foothills produce Sangiovese. France, meanwhile, doesn’t make an appearance until number six.
Here’s the full list of Europe’s best wine regions for 2027
- Štajerska, Slovenia
- Langhe-Roero-Monferrato, Italy
- Ribeira Sacra, Spain
- Kamptal, Austria
- Chianti Rufina, Italy
- Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé, France
- Etna, Italy
- Saumur and Anjou, France
- Wachau, Austria
- Valle d’Aosta, Italy
- Alentejo, Portugal
- Naoussa, Greece
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