The best wine regions in Europe and beyond

Across the wine-growing regions of Europe, September is harvest time. As the leaves turn russet and gold, it’s all hands on deck to gather the grapes. This is an arduous but celebratory month, filled with harvest suppers and festivals – in the Tuscan town of Impruneta, the Festa dell’Uva runs for several weeks.

Some househunters dream of making their own wine, but you don’t have to own a vineyard to reap the rewards of a home in wine country. Experiencing the seasonal rhythms is joy enough: gazing out over the vines or even welcoming wine tourists to your rental property. Revenue from global enotourism is expected to reach almost £25 billion by 2030.

Tuscany attracts the largest number of wine tourists in Europe. Owning a home amid the vine-covered hills of Chianti or the Val d’Orcia comes with the reassurance that your view will be protected, according to Jelena Cvjetkovic, director, Savills Global Residential. “Those endless hills and ancient wine estates will never be carved up,” she says. “And you won’t run short of a good place for a glass of wine.”

Great food goes hand in hand with great wine, and Tuscan wineries with high-quality restaurants – and hotels – include Castello di Ama, north of Siena, as well as nearby Borgo San Felice. It is no coincidence that Tuscany makes the top four in the latest Savills World Second Home Locations Index – there are 41 Michelin-starred restaurants in the region.

Similar benefits can be found in southwest France, where the affluence of the great cognac houses and the estates that produce Bordeaux’s grands crus has shaped both the local architecture and economy.

You don’t have to venture far outside Bordeaux – with its superb Cité du Vin museum – to reach the world-famous wineries of medieval Saint-Émilion or the Médoc. “Of course there are cutting-edge wineries and Michelin-starred restaurants, but living here also means gourmet food markets – the evening market in Blasimon stands out, or the one in Cadillac,” says Alice Storrie, associate director, Savills Global Residential (she also has a Wine & Spirit Education Trust Level 3 qualification). “Even in the local supermarkets, you can find good quality at affordable prices.”

Storrie says many buyers are looking for old stone properties with outbuildings to use for tourism purposes, somewhere between Bordeaux and Bergerac airports. Wine tourism is year-round, but there’s also cycling (the Tour de France passed by in the summer of 2023) and wellness: try the crushed cabernet scrub at Les Sources de Caudalie spa.

High-end wine tourism is also maturing in northern Portugal, where 4×4 tours traverse the terraced vineyards of the Douro Valley and flat-bottomed rabelo boats glide along the river with a cargo of sightseers rather than barrels of port.

Famed for its historic port houses, the area also hosts luxurious hotels such as Six Senses Douro Valley. In Porto, a former port warehouse on the south bank has been repurposed into mixed-use developments at The Rebello.

In South Africa, Stellenbosch is without doubt the most sought-after of the Western Cape winelands for its quality of life. Its oak-lined streets and elegant Cape Dutch, Victorian and Georgian architecture are surrounded by majestic mountains and award-winning vineyards.

“Within easy driving distance of Cape Town, it is possible to live in the heart of the winelands and commute to the city for work,” says Clarence Collins of Pam Golding Properties in Stellenbosch, Savills associate in South Africa. “The area’s world-class tourism attracts both local and overseas investors. Franschhoek is also a popular destination, especially with European ‘swallows’, who stay for up to six months to enjoy the world-class wineries, restaurants and wine estates in the area.”

Many clients own hobby vineyards, ranging from four hectares, with beautiful manor houses in tranquil country settings. And for those who don’t make their own wine, there are plenty of places to enjoy the famous big, bold reds. What more could a wine lover wish for?

Pictures from top: the Tuscan countryside (Alamy); a vineyard in the Douro Valley (Alamy); Castello di Ama – which doubles as an art gallery – in Chianti (Alamy); and the Grignano wine estate in Tuscany (Alamy)