Wine experts to meet
2008-11-06
SOME of the foremost role players in international wine destinations are set to meet in the Cape to discuss important new trends in wine and wine tourism, when the city of Cape Town and the Cape Winelands Municipality join in hosting the annual general meeting of the Great Wine Capitals Global Network next week. Amongst the issues they will be tackling will be how to boost the R6,75bn annually generated by wine tourism in the Western Cape to create more jobs, skills and revenue and also the region’s leadership in sustainable wine production. Both Mayor Helen Zille and Mayor Clarence Johnson will welcome delegates from the network, who represent the world’s most prominent cities associated with wine. They will receive the contingent of high-level visitors from government, commerce and hospitality on Sunday. The visitors will be coming from Bilbao- Rioja (Spain), Bordeaux (France), Florence (Italy), Mainz (Germany), Mendoza (Argentina), Porto (Portugal) and San Francisco- Napa (United States). Over the course of almost a week, they will focus on ways to advance international wine tourism, as well as to promote greater economic, academic and cultural links amongst the eight-country network. This will be the second time the Mother City hosts the organisation. The first occasion was in 2002, after Cape Town’s invitation to join the network a year earlier. According to André Morgenthal, who serves on the committee of the local chapter, several of the network’s mayors will attend, as well as the heads of major regional wine associations and international leaders in regional wine marketing. For some, this will be their first visit to Cape Town and the country. “There are the obvious attractions of Cape Town and the Winelands, but a major drawcard is our industry’s focus on sustainability. South Africa is a world leader in eco- sensitive wine production. Our Integrated Production of Wine is regarded as the most progressive production integrity programme of its kind and is one of only two in the world to be independently audited. “Our system of production integrity is linked to the Biodiversity & Wine Initiative that seeks to conserve indigenous habitat in the Winelands. Both programmes serve as important models in sustainability for other wine-producing countries.” Cape Town was also recently named one of the top 10 cities in the world on track to become a global sustainable centre by 2020 by the Ethisphere Institute, the only city in the network to achieve this distinction. The Ethisphere Institute is a think tank dedicated to the research and promotion of profitable best practices in governance, business ethics, compliance and corporate social responsibility. Morgenthal said South Africa had also earned widespread respect for its ability to successfully build an international profile in wine markets in the short time since the advent of democracy, 14 years ago. .
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