5 Of The World's Most Extreme Vineyards

Tuesday, 22 January, 2019
FineDiningLovers, Ilkke Siren
From Tahiti to Sweden or Argentina, a look at five extreme and weird vineyards that are pushing the limit, taking grape growing to the next level.

When it comes to making wine, vineyards have always been in the center of attention. The location and unique environment of a vineyard greatly affects the character of a wine. It gives the wine a much desired typicity, a sense of place, a fingerprint no one can copy.

The grape vine is a very tenacious little plant and it’s cultivated all over the world. Most vineyards are quite ordinary. They fall nicely in between the temperate latitudes of 30° and 50° in countries and regions you often see mentioned on a bottle of wine. But there are some vineyards that are pushing the limit, taking grape growing to the next level.

Rangiroa, Tahiti

Most vineyards are blessed with beauty but this is just ridiculous. Not sure who got the idea to cultivate vines here, but he or she is a genius. Rangiroa, a.k.a. the island of the immense sky, is an atoll located in the middle of the South Pacific. The climate isn’t exactly what I would call cold, so the vineyard produces two harvests per year in May and December. Varieties such as Carignan and Muscat of Hamburg are used to make rosé and white Vin de Tahiti. The Polynesian terroir is tricky, though. Surrounded by the big blue, white sand, coconut trees and colourful Speedos one gets distracted quite easily. Don’t like island life? Tough break, the nearest continent is more than 5,000 kilometres away.