NEW Government backing for South African wine tourism, Cape Town’s selection as the top city in the Travellers’ Choice Destination by the world’s largest travel site, TripAdvisor, and the inclusion of three Cape restaurants on the 2011 S.Pellegrino World’s 100 Best Restaurants list were all great news for local wineries, said industry spokesperson André Morgenthal.
Announcing the opening of the new Best Of Wine Tourism Awards by the Great Wine Capitals global network, he said there was a new mood of optimism among local wineries.
“Producers are enormously encouraged that wine tourism has just been identified by national government as a big plus in the country’s competitive advantage over many other long-haul destinations.
He urged local wineries to enter the Best Of Wine Tourism Awards by 20 June, both to benchmark themselves against international best practice and to generate wider awareness of their offerings.
In addition to Cape Town/Cape Winelands, the other members of the global network are Bilbao-Rioja (Spain), Bordeaux (France), Florence (Italy), Mainz (Germany), Mendoza (Argentina), Porto (Portugal), San Francisco-Napa (United States) and Christchurch (New Zealand).
“Winning the awards and joining the company of some of the most iconic wine establishments throughout the world has proved a major boost for many of the past winners. Entry forms can be downloaded by going to http://bit.ly/9NY1Ad. Details about the awards themselves can be obtained from www.greatwinecapitals.com.
