TOP 20 FOR 2022
1. THE AZORES, PORTUGAL
What could be more ‘off the beaten track’ than a Jurassic archipelago off Europe’s most westerly point somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean? Part of Portugal, The Azores consists of nine islands, each characterised by dramatic landscapes that include volcanic peaks, cascading waterfalls and impossibly blue lagoons. It’s a visual feast of high definition colour at every turn, and you’ll love it if you’re into adventure tourism, whale watching, diving, surfing, and getting back to nature.
2. VANCOUVER ISLAND, CANADA
Don’t restrict your next North American wine-tasting road trip to Sonoma and the Napa Valley. Vancouver Island is located on Canada’s Pacific Coast, and winemaking here dates back to the 1920s, when they were making fruit wine with local berries. Today, they’re using grapes to make elegant cool-climate varietals such as pinot gris, pinot noir and Ortega, which is similar to muscat. Start at Comox Valley and sip a crisp, aromatic white at Titanic director James Cameron’s winery Beaufort, then follow the coast to Cowichan and the charming rural Saanich Peninsula.
3. TRANSISTRIA, MOLDOVA
Next stop, the country that does not (a traditional Eastern European fermented drink) with a plate of dumplings.
