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Not every wine-producing region has that combination of ambitious cuisine, comfortable hotels and top-quality wines that makes it worth a visit, but more of them do all the time. Here are five more on the cutting-edge:
FRANCE: Roussillon. Bordering the Languedoc in the country’s southeast corner, it gains culinary inspiration from Spain’s Catalonia, just over the border. The wines have improved more dramatically than anywhere else in France. Where to taste: Domaine Sarda-Malet, Chemin de Sainte-Barbe, Perpignan; 33-4/68-56-72-38; www.sarda-malet.com Where to eat: Auberge du Vieux Puits, 5 Avenue de Saint-Victor, Fontjoncouse; 33-4/68-44-07-37; www.aubergeduvieuxpuits.fr
ARGENTINA: Mendoza. Once a sleepy provincial town, it now boasts accomplished restaurants and a Park Hyatt. The center of Argentina’s wine industry, which is approaching first-rank status. Where to taste: Bodegas O. Fournier, Calle Los Indios s/n, La Consulta; 54-262/245-1579; www.ofournier.com. Where to eat: Azafran, Sarmiento 765, Mendoza; 54-261/429-4200
WASHINGTON: Woodinville. Nearly two dozen wineries have packed into this suburban town northeast of Seattle, despite the utter absence of grapevines. (They use trucked-in grapes.) Where to taste: Chateau Ste. Michelle, 14111 NE 145th St., Woodinville; 425/415-3300; www.ste-michelle.com. Where to eat: Café Juanita, 9702 NE 120th Pl., Kirkland; 425/823-1505; www.cafejuanita.com.
HUNGARY: Tokaji. The best sweet wines in the world, bar none, and a tourism industry that’s finally hitting its stride a decade-and-a-half after Communism. Seek out the amazing Eszensia, a viscous, low-alcohol nectar made around the region that’s rumored to help slow the aging process. Where to taste: Disznóko Szolobirtok, H-3931, Mezozombor, 36-47/569-410; www.disznoko.hu. Where to eat: Grof Degenfeld, 9 Terézia Kert, Tarcal; 36-47/380-173; www.hotelgrofdegenfeld.hu.
CANADA: Okanagan Valley. As in southern New Zealand, global warming has helped these British Columbian wines edge into connoisseurs’ strike zones. The appellation’s spectacular lakeside setting is enhanced by architecturally notable wineries. Where to taste: Mission Hill, 1730 Mission Hill Rd., Westbank; 250/768-7611; www.missionhillwinery.com. Where to eat: Fresco, 1560 Water Street, Kelowna; 250/868-8805; www.frescorestaurant.net
—Bruce Schoenfeld
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