A friend of mine used to start planning his family’s next summer vacation from the moment their ongoing vacation ended. His method was to write a list of places they should visit, and things he wanted to buy from the destination. What was so important that it took such a long time to research and decide where to go and what to do? Well, he is a wine enthusiast who later educated us all on television about the secrets of wine. He needed the list to ensure he made reservations to the highly coveted restaurants in time (months ahead), and would find the specific bottles of wine that were missing from his cellar. His family certainly learned the top culinary countries of Europe inside out.
For the rest of us who like to enjoy good food and wine while traveling in Europe we have the ranking of top 7 cities for food, and the best wine regions as assessed in 2026.
Times Out has conducted a survey that asked thousands of residents in cities across the world about the culinary scene in their cities. The survey included 18 criteria including food quality, affordability and diversity. The data was complemented with information from a network of food writers, chefs and food critics. Below is the ranking for the best European cities for food, and here you can view the full list of cities including the ones outside Europe.
- London, England
- Barcelona, Spain
- Athens, Greece
- Lisbon, Portugal
- Naples, Italy
- Marseille, France
- Copenhagen, Denmark
Big cities dominate the ranking for the best culinary experiences, but villages and small towns tend to be the commercial and culinary centers in the countryside, especially in wine regions.
Changes in wine regions – for better or for worse – tend to take a long time to occur which is why renowned traditional regions dominate the Decanter World Wine Awards 2026 as well.
The Decanter Wine Awards has 23 year history for appraising wines. In 2026, over 17,000 wines from 58 countries were submitted for review. For two weeks in London, 245 judges let their noses and taste buds do the work for classifying wines into the Best in Show, Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze, Commended and Value categories.
- France collected more awards than any other country. In addition, Burgundy was evaluated as the best wine region in the world.
- Italy ranked the second. Tuscany, Piedmont, Sicily and Lombardy were the highest valued regions in Italy.
- Other big winners were Spain, Germany, Austria and the US.
- Experts and enthusiasts alike will be closely following the development of wine craft in England. A sparkling wine from Kent was highly praised, and a Pinot Noir from Essex was reviewed as “I think the next big thing is Essex Pinot Noir.”
